Earlier this year I was fortunate to have the opportunity to share a mother and daughter road trip with Amelia to Arizona in the US. It was an incredible trip and I’m sharing the full story in the spring/summer issue of Travel Without Limits magazine which is published in October.
Although Braeden wasn’t travelling with me due to the short time we had available and the fast-paced itinerary, I was on the lookout for access and inclusion along the way. For me, it’s impossible not to seek out that information. It’s part of my DNA and I notice it’s the same for Amelia. We also spoke to many wheelchair users we met along the way and asked them to share their experiences.
I love writing my stories for Travel Without Limits magazine and always include information on accessibility, but magazine stories do not allow the space for the nitty gritty detail which is why I always share different information across the two different channels. That’s why the upcoming posts on this website are designed to complement the magazine story. If you subscribe to Travel Without Limits and find yourself inspired to take to the open road in Arizona, I hope the hotel and attraction reviews I share here will make your trip easier.
Arizona – road trip
In mid-May I was attending a travel conference in Florida, and the idea to extend for a week came about because Amelia was heading to Canada to do a Contiki tour. We wanted to meet somewhere close to our individual travel destinations and we both agreed that Arizona was somewhere that excited us.
I always believe in finding time to give her quality time because life at home is very Braeden-centric and quite frankly chaotic most of the time. Nothing screams quality time like being confined to a car for hours on end on the open road.
We enjoyed the process of planning the trip. To be fair, Amelia did the majority of research regarding the highlights she want to include, and I was happy to go along. We had help from the team at Arizona Tourism who guided us as to what was a manageable itinerary. We had to make a few compromises due to time restraints but the stellar itinerary gave us a taste of Arizona. We both made our way independently to Phoenix, Arizona where we overnighted in Scottsdale. From there we hired a car and travelled through Sedona, Williams, Page and Monument Valley before travelling through Utah and finishing our journey in Durango, Colorado.
We knew that we’d have some long driving days but ultimately, we learned that seven nights gave us a deeply rewarding Arizona experience.
We found the people friendly, the scenery gob-smackingly gorgeous and the drive to be a 10/10. Of course, at the end of the trip I felt I would like to have seen more but we were really satisfied by what we managed to do and see.
Route 66
This year Route 66 is celebrating its centenary, and it felt particularly special getting our kicks on the route at this time. The towns that dot the route are oozing in personality, the people are friendly and the souvenirs are quirky.
The Cars movie was a big hit in our family so we were especially pleased to see the scenery and towns that inspired the animators. Selanga is a town that leans into the legacy of the film and one that may be overlooked but for the nods to the characters from the movie.
The highlights
Day after day we were wowed by what we were experiencing in Arizona. We’d see an incredible landscape and think nothing could possibly top it, and yet the next day we would be in awe all over again. It was hard to pick a favourite because it was all so good. But, if pressed, we’d say,our favourites include the town of Williams for its vibrant atmosphere, the Grand Canyon for its vast and stunning scenery, and Monument Valley for being an absolute showstopper. I will never forget Antelope Canyon, that is my stand-out from the trip. Even if you’ve seen these places in movies or on travel shows, nothing beats being there and having a full sensory immersion.
Road tripping is one of our favourite ways to travel. The independence it offers to linger longer in one place and detour to an interesting attraction you happen upon along the way. Local recommendations also can’t be beat and chatting to locals is always a good way to add depth and diversity to an itinerary.
So, buckle up and prepare for detailed reviews of hotels and attractions we stayed at along the way. And if you’d like to see the full story at its glossy best, you can subscribe to Travel Without Limits magazine. A subscription is for two issues of the magazine; one published in October and another in April. And I can tell you, we already have the April issue planned and it is going to be another amazing issue filled with accessible travel tips and stories.
