Gilbert Tan, 56, has been to his fair share of countries. The singer-songwriter and mouthpainter often goes on cruises with his wife, Irene, where he gets to explore several cities in one trip. Having been a tetraplegic for the last 30 years, Gilbert zips around on a power wheelchair, which he must bring with him on his travels. From his last trip to cities in Spain and Italy, he shares his unique travel perspectives with AbleThrive to show that “there is nothing to fear.”
1. Go off the beaten trail
The most oft-visited places of interest are also the most crowded, which can be a hassle with a power wheelchair. Exploring the surrounding areas might yield some surprising and equally charismatic places. Gilbert makes full use of available technology like Google Street View to check beforehand if certain areas are accessible.
“In Parc Güell [in Barcelona], I decided not to go the area where most people go. So, I went around the perimeter [of the park] and right at the top was Calvary Hill, where many people gathered.”
2. Plan as much as you can
“You must be able to put your work into the planning and decide what you want to do,” Gilbert says. Recounting an incident where virtual reality did not match up to real life, Gilbert points out how much technology can help people with disabilities (PWDs) save time and money.
“Taking the bus to Parc Güell, we couldn’t find the bus stop. Their bus system is different. You would have thought that going in this direction, the bus stop would be there. Turns out it was wrong. Took us 45 minutes to find the correct one.”
Gilbert had nine months to plan for his trip to Barcelona, looking at tickets, hotels and their itinerary. Planning beforehand is especially important for PWDs with high needs, who may not be able to rely on infrastructure always being completely accessible. “In Japan, I had to pay S$80-90 for transport [in] a special ambulance,” he said, referring to a service he found online and reserved over the phone.
3. Be aware of your capabilities
Knowing what you can or cannot do can help you prioritise your activities on a trip. Initially, Gilbert wanted to visit the Sagrada Familia cathedral in Barcelona. However, he was not confident of being able to reach there during a preferred time slot due to transport issues.
“There are certain things you can do and certain things that you can’t. So, I decided I will only look from the outside. Walk one round, take a few photos. Online, you can go inside [the cathedral] for a virtual tour. I’m quite happy with that. A walk around the whole of Sagrada Familia was itself an experience.”
Gilbert had also always wanted to go on a Disney vacation. “It was quite dreadful to think about travelling over 20 hours all the way to Florida,” he said. “So, when Disneyland opened in Hong Kong, I went there twice. So there doesn’t seem to be a need to go to Disneyland in America already lah.”
4. Balance luxury and budget items
“We are foodies,” said Gilbert, speaking of his wife and himself. “I know that over there, food is an experience. The best prawns I ate were in Barcelona, in the market called La Boqueria. The clams and chickpeas tasted so good. That is what I like to do now. Because in Singapore I also go hunting for food.”
In Barcelona, Gilbert and Irene were willing to splurge at a one-Michelin star restaurant for the experience. However, while they were in Parc Güell, Gilbert and wife decided they did not want to “queue up and pay 12 euros for a sandwich.”
“So what Irene and I did was, we bought eggs from the supermarket, boiled it in the hotel and ate them with the black sauce and pepper [we brought] from home. I was probably the only Chinese guy at Parc Güell eating eggs with black sauce!”
