Accessible travel planning
Choose the places you want to experience, then confirm the rooms, transport, information and assistance that make them workable. Specific answers are more useful than a general promise of access.
Start with your access needsA connected experience
An enjoyable trip depends on more than admission to one attraction. Consider the room, the route outside, the vehicle, the visit and the return as connected parts. Keep the places that matter most to you and ask precise questions about each part before deciding how many fit comfortably. This guide provides a way to check arrangements; it does not certify that a destination, hotel or activity meets every access need.
Identify the places and experiences you would most like to include. Shape the schedule around those interests rather than around a generic list of accessible attractions.
Separate the features you need from those that would be helpful. Ask for specific written answers before making bookings that are difficult to change.
Allow time for breaks and an alternative when weather, equipment or a closure affects a visit. Flexibility should support the traveler’s choices, not remove them.
01 · Describe the journey you need
An access request works best when it describes what you need to do, not simply a broad label. Tell the accommodation or operator whether you travel with a mobility device, can manage steps, need an accessible bathroom, use a hearing aid, require information in a particular format or benefit from a quieter setting. Share only the information necessary to arrange the service. The aim is a clear practical answer that you can use to make a booking, with the traveler’s preferences leading the conversation. A companion can help communicate when invited, but should not automatically become the person everyone addresses.
Include the journey from the hotel room to breakfast, the vehicle, the attraction and a usable toilet. A step-free museum is less helpful if the only booked transfer cannot accommodate your chair. Connecting those parts often reveals the question that an isolated access badge leaves unanswered.
Request recent photographs, measurements or a short description of the actual route when they would help. A doorway width, shower threshold or lift dimension is more useful than an assurance that something is easy. Ask who checked the information and whether anything is temporarily out of service.
02 · Flights and airport assistance
Contact the operating airline when booking to discuss assistance, even if the ticket was sold by an agent or another airline. Brazil’s ANAC rules distinguish requests involving specified companion or medical-document requirements, generally requiring at least 72 hours’ notice, from other assistance, generally 48 hours. Explain the help needed and check the current deadline directly; do not wait for the minimum if arrangements are complex. Ask for confirmation covering every flight and connection. Medical clearance, airport movement and the handling of equipment are different questions, and a single wheelchair checkbox may not answer all three.
Tell the airline whether you can walk to a seat, use stairs or transfer independently, and what communication support you need. Ask how boarding works if the aircraft is parked away from the terminal. Confirm the connection procedure and where assistance begins and ends at each airport.
For a powered chair or other equipment, provide the requested dimensions, weight, battery details and handling instructions. Ask about documents, packing, transport limits and return at arrival. Keep detachable essential parts and instructions organised according to the airline’s direction, and photograph the device’s condition before handover.
03 · Accommodation
Ask the property about the actual room category and the route to it before paying a non-refundable rate. An accessible entrance does not establish that the bathroom or bedside space will work, while a suitable bedroom may still require a route through a service area. Explain the dimensions or features that matter to you and confirm them individually. Where a specific accessible room is essential, ask how it is reserved and recorded, not simply whether the hotel has one somewhere. Keep the written confirmation with the booking and reconfirm if the dates or room type change.
Ask about lift size, door openings, bed height, transfer space, shower access, grab rails and the position of bathroom fittings when relevant. Include the restaurant, pool or other facilities you expect to use. Check whether the route has steps, steep ramps or heavy doors.
Ask what happens if a lift, power supply or essential piece of equipment is unavailable. Consider whether a ground-floor option would work and how staff communicate an emergency. If you require equipment rental or personal assistance, arrange it explicitly rather than assuming hotel staff provide that service.
04 · Streets, cars and boats
Think in individual journeys. A short distance on a map can include a steep street, uneven paving, a high vehicle step or an unsuitable landing stage. Ask about the route from the property entrance to the actual pickup and from the drop-off to the visitor entrance. For a wheelchair-accessible vehicle, confirm the vehicle type, usable dimensions, securement system and whether you remain seated in your chair or transfer. A driver who says there is plenty of luggage space has not necessarily confirmed accessible passenger transport.
The boarding point, vessel and arrival landing all matter. Ask about gangways, tide-related changes, steps, handrails, seating and toilets, plus the operator’s assistance and emergency arrangements. Do not accept lifting a person as an assumed solution. Agree on a dignified method that works for the traveler.
Arrange a backup for a cancelled transfer or a route that is unexpectedly unavailable. A slower start, a different museum or a shorter outing may preserve the day’s main interest. Choose that alternative in advance when the main activity has only one practical access route.
05 · Museums, gardens and coast
Choose the experience you want, then check its specific access. A building may have a step-free entrance while an exhibition occupies a different level; a garden may offer transport without reaching every gallery door. Ask about the route you intend to take, including distance, gradients, surfaces, seating, shade and toilets. For a beach, distinguish reaching the promenade, reaching the sand and entering the water. Each is a separate activity with different equipment, conditions and assistance. An attractive photograph provides no evidence that those arrangements are available.
Select two or three priorities and ask staff how best to connect them. At a large site such as Inhotim, look at the internal transport arrangements alongside the galleries you want to see. Confirm the vehicle and stops suit your needs; a general cart service is not proof of full wheelchair access.
A temporary closure, wet surface, lift outage or unusual crowd can change the visit. Reconfirm essential arrangements shortly before arrival and ask whom to contact on the day. Where an activity depends on weather or specialist equipment, understand the cancellation and alternative arrangements before paying.
06 · Sensory and communication access
Access includes being able to understand, choose and enjoy the visit. Ask about written information, captioning, audio description, tactile interpretation, lighting, sound and quiet places according to your preferences. Explain the communication method that works for you, and confirm what language the material or service uses. Portuguese-language support may not meet the needs of someone who reads English or uses a different sign language. A quieter session or a guide who can adapt the pace may be more useful than a standard group departure.
For a guided visit, request the practical information in a usable format and discuss how questions will be handled. Confirm whether any promised interpretation or sensory resource is available on the date you book. Avoid treating a website icon as confirmation of a staffed service.
Ask about crowded periods, loud performances, flashing effects, queues and somewhere to step away. Keep meals and transport predictable when that helps, and allow enough flexibility to leave an activity early. The traveler should be able to choose the amount of stimulation, assistance and social contact that suits them.
A useful booking conversation
Use the questions that match your needs. A concise record makes it easier to confirm arrangements again and explain them to a different member of staff.
Room
Keep the property’s confirmation of the room, bathroom and route that you discussed. If measurements matter, save them alongside your equipment dimensions. Recheck if the booking is moved to a different building, category or date rather than assuming the original answer still applies.
Transfer
Ask the operator to identify the vehicle type and agreed boarding method, the pickup point and the contact for the day. Confirm whether a mobility device travels occupied, folded or separately, according to your needs. Include all traveling companions and luggage in the capacity check.
Assistance
Airport assistance, a guide, a driver and personal care are different services. Be explicit about the tasks required and obtain confirmation from the person or company providing them. Do not rely on informal promises that staff will simply work it out when you arrive.
Equipment
Keep concise instructions for essential equipment, including parts that detach and any handling precautions. Follow the carrier’s battery and transport requirements. Ask about a suitable repair or replacement contact for the route, particularly before a remote stay with limited alternatives.
Information
Ask for important booking and emergency details in a format you can access offline. Confirm the language and any interpretation arrangement. If a companion helps communicate, make clear that decisions and consent remain with the traveler unless another arrangement has been explicitly requested.
Pace
Avoid placing a fixed museum entry immediately after an uncertain transfer. Allow for assistance, toilet stops, meals and rest in the day’s timing. A hotel closer to the main interests may offer more usable time than a cheaper room that requires several difficult journeys.
Problems
Save the booking reference, written access agreement and contact details for each provider. If the delivered service differs, explain the specific problem and requested remedy. For air travel, retain the airline’s response and consult ANAC’s current passenger guidance if you need to take the issue further.
Insurance
Ask the insurer how your medical circumstances, equipment and planned activities are covered, including loss, damage and evacuation where relevant. Confirm any disclosure or documentation requirements before buying. Keep the assistance number available to the people traveling with you.
Access arrangements vary by property, vehicle, activity and date. Confirm the features you need directly; this guide is not an accessibility certification.
Useful official information
Use ANAC’s current passenger rules for flights and the venue’s own arrangements for the visit. Ask providers to confirm the details that matter to you.
Last editorial review: 2026-09-10
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