Deborah's Travel in Malaysia

Deborah's Travel in Malaysia

My daughter and I traveled in Malaysia for two weeks this summer before my husband joined us for another four.  She loves for me to bring the scoot along because it lets us go much further and longer than my legs will (I've damaged my Achilles tendons) and can even carry her if she gets tired.  In exchange, she helps me carry it up and down stairs, curbs, etc. and onto buses, trains, skyways, etc. since MY is rarely made accessible. You should have seen the expression on cab drivers' faces when they went from thinking the scooter might mean a van taxi at a higher fare and instead I folded the scoot and handed it to the driver of an economy cab with one hand or my 8 y/o picked it up and gave it to them!  Sometimes it saved us using cabs altogether since we could easily and quickly scoot a mile or so between sights.

Also,  on this trip, I finally got bold and started taking it up and down escalator which turned out to be very easy as long as we didn't have luggage.  Occasionally I had to get a man to help us move all our suitcases plus the scoot up flights of stairs.   

Although I was always nervous, both Singapore Air or Air Asia allowed the LiIon battery (I contacted them in advance) though Singapore Air temporarily lost the scoot on the way there when it missed our connection and detached the battery and sent it down the baggage chute "naked" on the way back (it was OK)!

Anyway, we had a great time and the scoot let us go to places like big amusement parks that would have been impossible for me with my seat cane.  People were curious about it.  They assumed, I think, that we just used it for conveience and wanted to know how much it cost, as response I've never gotten in the US.  I usually told them why I use it and they seemed surprised.

I guess everyone else just assumed it was another travel gadget!

Cheers,

Deborah

Battery Life

Hardy Huber on battery life

Hardy Huber is the mastermind who invented the TravelScoot.  Recently Elford in Helsinki, Finland sent me an email correspondence he had with Hardy about the lifetime of the lithium ion batteries.  You can read more background on this on the post titled "Scooter gang of Vuosaari."

I have two of the regular size lithium ion batteries.  The first was purchased 2 1/2 years ago.  I'm just starting to see some decline in how long this battery holds a charge, but it's still very usable.

This is what Hardy had to say about battery life:

Every Battery starts deteriorating the moment it is made. In other words, capacity is very slowly decreasing. Eventually there will be a moment where distance is not satisfactory anymore. Rebuilding is not an option because the electronic inside has been improved several times, so all what may be usable is the housing.

To get an idea about the condition, I would chose a round course with a known distance and ride with two fully charged battery until one shut down. Since your wife recently got a new scooter you could compare old against new.

TravelScoot in Asia

Welcome to Joanna from Singapore

Joanna is a new TravelScoot owner in Singapore who recently went on a scooter adventure to the Chinese and Japanese Gardens near her house. She's promised us pictures form the Singapore Botanical Garden.  Hopefully I'll be posting them soon.  Joanna forwarded questions she had about her scoot and the answers she received from Nat Cheang, who owns the Rugged Tree and is the Asian representative for TravelScoot distributorship and dealership.

These are Joanna's questions and Nat's answers.  If you have comments that might help Joanna, please post them in the comments section.


Pls advise during riding with the scooter if unexpected rain fall - shall i cover the battery fast in order not to let it get wet or .......

Should you encounter light drizzle, it should not be a problem.  But do make an attempt to get out of the rain.  

Shall i use some cover for the battery so able to prevent it get wet when rain suddenly pour .......

I have customers who decide to get some cover for the battery and connection – I also advise them to have some holes for ventilation purposes.

May i know the degree of slope the scooter can able to take - saw a slope this morning but dare not climb with the scooter ....

There is no specific gradient that we advise against riding.  It all depends on weight of rider and how it is ridden.  Generally, the slopes that we have on Singapore roads and car park ramps are still manageable.

I think when travel with the scooter i should better carry the charger around with me so can charge the battery as and when .... may i charge the battery everyday after use or wait til the orange/red light is on ? It takes how long for the battery to charge when the light turn red ??

I would advise you to charge only when you see the orange light – this is to help you understand how much distance you can travel when the light is green.  If you always charge the battery (even when it is green), you won’t be able to discover the battery’s performance.

Come to steps how to handle - shall i look for slope for travel always ?

If you do come to some areas where there are small number of steps and no ramps around, you will have to carry it up/down.  Alternatively, do ask a passer-by for assistance.  Compared to other mobility scooters, TravelScoot is very manageable to carry for short distances.

Do not have time to go through the user manual yet so ask questions through email will be faster i think. May be will post my question on the Blog - i am very sure those experience user will be delighted to answer my question too.  

Yes, this is another avenue for you to get your answers and also to read other people’s experiences.

Taking a TravelScoot Test Ride

Try before you buy

Hi Elizabeth -

I am still planning to have my seat re-padded as per your e-mail.  However, I thought someone might like to hear about my experience in buying my TravelScoot.  We live in Victoria, BC, and I had purchased 2 mobility scooters before buying my TravelScoot.  Needless to say, I was leery about purchasing another one without trying one out.

I contacted The TravelScoot warehouse in Chehalis, Washington (900 NW Airport Rd, Chehalis, WA 98532) (www.travelscoot.com) and arranged to give one a trial run.  We travelled to Chehalis, and they were extremely helpful.  They answered all my questions, and let me drive a TravelScoot outside, as long as I wanted to.  I was sold, and am really enjoying owning it.  I would recommend anyone wanting to give a test drive before buying to go to Chehalis.

Cheers -

Lynn

Karin's TravelScoot Cane Modification

My hubby owns a TravelScoot

Hi Elizabeth,

I've been a folllower of your blog for a while now since my hubby owns a TravelScoot.

He also had some trouble carying his cane with him because it doesn't fit in the front hole. After some experimenting we came up with a very easy solution...lol......just see the picture.

We just put the strap from the front to the back and when pulled tightly the cane stays put very well.

So, if someone uses the back part of the seat, this might just be a good idea!

Sincerely,

Karin

Mike taught his granddaughter to ride a bike

 

Follow-up from Mike

I did buy a TravelScoot and found it to be very useful. My granddaughter wanted me to teach her ride a bike. I told her I wasn't able to. She was very disappointed and I think she thought I was just being lazy. I got the TravelScoot and that the first thing I did. I grabbed the back of her bike seat and off we went. Got her riding the bike right away. Will send picture soon. Thx again for all your help.

Frank's "Ferrari"

Frank is a new TravelScoot owner.  He's just returned home from an adventure and has comments and questions.  If you can answer these questions, please post them in the comment section or send them to me at elizabeth@ifisher.com. Thanks!

From Frank in Melbourne, Australia

Well I am home again, after a most interesting trip to Los Angeles, San Francisco and a cruise down to Mexico etc. and through the Panama Canal to Miami, taking in the Everglades, then back to Oz again.

‘twas a really delightful 3 ½ weeks of brilliant sunshine and not too hot weather, although in some places it was very humid.  But to wrap it all up, it was a lovely holiday I could, most certainly, have not done without my trusty Travelscoot, aka my “Ferrari”   by various waiters and coach drivers.  Especially the Yosemite Valley and Muir Woods were fantastic.

I now have my eyes set on further trips overseas.  I am especially interested to know whether any of your Travelscooters have ever been on a cruise up the Rhine or similar Rivers in Germany.  There are some trips from Amsterdam to Budapest, for example,  which I would love to go on, but I am wondering whether the many beautiful old towns and villages where one pulls in are Travelscoot friendly, or whether they are too rough (cobblestones) for my scooter to handle.  I have travelled along some of this route many years ago when I was fit and healthy but my dim memories recall them as being fairly tough on legs and possibly even worse on small wheels, but things may have changed in the past 50 or so years.  Or have they?
Could you please find out if anyone has traversed this part of Europe?

I have another question.  I notice that you, Rhonda and Elizabeth have treated yourself to a new padded seat. (For the Travelscoot, I mean).  Not only do I think that this was a great idea, given that I had quite a “numb bum” after spending countless hours in Disneyland, Paramount Studios and the aforementioned sites in California, but I am wondering whether the new comfort (thickness) of the seat compromises my ability to pack the scooter in its canvas carry-bag, as I always travel with it “packed”.  I prefer to be escorted through the tremendous air terminals by wheelchair.

As a point of interest, I had so many people stop me and ask me about the scooter in America (I referred them to Tony)—from Americans, Canadians, British and other parts of the world—
that I was most surprised that this product was not more widely advertised.  In one instance a whole group of Japanese tourists crowded around me and through an interpreter was asked a lot about it and photographs were taken.

I was very deeply impressed by the care and attention  given to the disabled in your country, and yet I found it interesting that your street corners had very narrow gradients to the roadway, so one had to be extremely careful when crossing, lest one may accidentally run into the back of another pedestrian when crossing.

Hoping for some helpful comments re the cruising in Europe and with kind regards from Oz,

Sincerely,

Frank

Mike's Butt Mobile

Thank you for the work you do with your website

I wanted to send a note of thanks for the work you do with your website.  I found the TravelScoot website while surfing for mobility scooters.  I have looked at many different brands but was immediately drawn to the TravelScoot.  My Mom used a mobility scooter due to a severed nerve in her ankle from orthopedic surgery.  She only able to take a few steps.  Her scooter was heavy, cumbersome and she could not manage it by herself.  I swore I would never go that route.

I suffer from several chronic health problems and had to retire on disability a year ago.  I have traumatic arthritis in my left knee and have been on a cane for several years.  I also suffer from diabetes, a bad back and congestive heart failure.  I have gradually had to curtail my activites over the past few years.  Last year my heart failure worsened and I am only able to walk short distances without getting short of breath.  I am no longer able to go to the grocery store, Walmart or any place that requires walking any distance.  I was slowing becoming more isolated and homebound.  Then I found the TravelScoot website.  As I said, I have spent lots of time on the internet looking at scooters.  They all make lots of claims about ease of use but all require some type of hoist to get them in/out of vehicles.  TravelScoot also makes claims about ease of use.  The difference is the videos on the website showing how easy it really is to use.  However, I am a big (not tall) man and was very concerned about the TravelScoot being able to handle my weight.

That is where the thanks comes in.  I also found your website and have spent the past week scouring you site and reading lots of the posts.  I was reluctant to buy a TravelScoot without actually seeing one.  However, it became clear from your website that my concerns were not warranted.  The work you have put into the site and the large amount of information provided has convinced me to buy the TravelScoot.  I will be calling them tomorrow and placing my order.  I have subscribed to your blog and look forward to future posting from folks using their TravelScoots.  I will let you know when I get it and how it goes.  My grandaughter decided I needed to name it like others on the website so we decided to call it "Mike's Butt Mobile".  Thanks again for your efforts

Mike in Texas

Modifying to use a cane

From Cynth:

I saw the cane post today and thought I would send you my customization. My new cane has a bigger tip and it did not fit in the scoots can cup. I had a plastic Easter egg in my drawer that the cane end fit into so I punched two holes in the bottom of the biggest half of the egg and ran a wire through them then wired the half an egg on top of the scoots cane holder. Works great.  To hold my cane up by the handlebars I use a drawstring. 

Lymphedema patients benefit from TravelScoot

From Dean:

For many of us who suffer from lymphedema walking great distances is a problem when your legs are wrapped or in compression bandages.  I tell people frequently that I couldn't do 180,000+ miles/year travel if it wasn't for my TravelScoot but even in my home city, Omaha, it allows me to be mobile.  I was at a hospital yesterday receiving massage therapy on my legs and as I left on my scooter I saw an old man with a cane struggling through the hospital and I heard him say "That is what I need".  I agree with him but many people are too proud to acknowledge their lack of ability to move around and suffer needlessly when they could be using mobility aids.  I think the best thing we can do as happy users is to help spread the word and explain why people should use TravelScoots. I have heard people say cruel things like  "It just makes you lazy". If they think that users would use them if there was an alternative, they are crazy.     Stroke victims, people recovering from leg surgeries, are all good candidates also.

 

Adding Extra Padding to the TravelScoot Seat

The TravelScoot seat, just as it is originally, is a comfortable seat.  I've seen it described on the TravelScoot website as being as comfortable as a good dining table chair. I think that's a good analogy.  However, if you spend all day getting on and off it, like at Disney World or for a day at the mall, you might wish there was more padding.

Bee and Denise recently shared pictures of their reupholstered TravelScoot seats, and that inspired me and Rhonda to find a place near Baton Rouge to have our seats done too.  We can't let Bee and Denise have all the fun!

Our adventure began at the Harley Davidson store which led to a recommendation for this company:

Airline Glass and Upholstery, Inc.

724 North Airline Hwy.

Gonzales, Louisiana 70737

225-647-1040

Two weeks ago we took at trip out to Airline Glass and Upholstery with both our TravelScoot seats.  We met with Stephen, whose expertise is recovering motorcycle seats.  Both Rhonda and I were quite pleased with how much time he spent explaining our options, and how enthusiastic he was about recovering our seats.  He showed us several options for foam and upholstery material.  The material was available in an array of bright colors, and he could order just about anything we could imagine.  He also said he could do intricate things like embroidering flames on the seat. In the end we went with something more basic, but it's nice to know the sky is the limit as far as creative possibilities go.  

Stephen even agreed to take photos for this blog while he was working on the seats.  I hope I can do the pictures justice when I explain our options.

Both Rhonda and I have the larger size seat.  This is what Rhonda's seat looks like naked, before any new foam is added.

  

This is Rhonda's seat after adding 3 inches of foam padding.  The blue on top is 1 inch memory foam, and costs about $30 a square foot.  Stephen said this is the manufacturer's price, not his.  The pink foam is a softer foam, and I believe it was between $4 and $6 a square foot.

This is my seat.  The original foam on my seat is a different type that what is on Rhonda's.  We bought them at different times, so they were probably from different shipments.  The blue foam you see on my seat is NOT memory foam, it's just a less expensive foam that's fairly dense.  I chose to put it on the bottom and have the softer foam on top.  The pink foam is the same as the pink foam on Rhonda's seat.  

This is what the finished seat looks like.  We both chose the imitation ostrich black vinyl.  I went there thinking I'd go with a bright color, but I use my scoot at work and I don't want anyone thinking it's just a toy or convenience.  There was also the problem of any other color clashing with the fabric triangle pouch.

The total cost for my seat was $75 and the total cost for Rhonda's seat was $120.  He had them finished in one week. The price difference between the seats is that one had memory foam and one did not.  The larger seats require about 1 1/2 square foot of foam per layer.

We have each been using our seats for a week now, and we got together today to swap seats and see how they compared.  We got Melissa in on it too, because she hadn't tried either seat yet.  The general consensus is that Elizabeth's seat is a little softer and Rhonda's seat absorbs impacts a little better.  Both seats absorb impacts better than the original seat, and we all judged both seats to be more comfortable that the original seat.  We all also liked that the extra padding allowed us to sit up a bit higher.  

In the end we each feel like we got the seat that was right for us.  If our experiment had failed we would both have gone back to the original seat and been fine with it.  It's a good seat too.

If you go to a local auto upholstery stock to see about having your seat redone, keep in mind that if they have to special order the fabric, you're going to pay more for the seat.  The place we went carried a nice selection of fabrics, but if we'd wanted purple like Denise got (and don't think it didn't cross my mind!), we would have had to pay postage for the fabric shipment, and any extra cost involved in such a small fabric order.  Getting a stock fabric certainly made it come out less expensive in the end.

Carrying a cane with your TravelScoot

There is a cup near the footrests on the TravelScoot designed to hold a cane or crutches.  In the picture above you can see how Rhonda has tricked out her scoot to hold the cane in place near the top of it.  That's an elastic headband she's doubled over to make it work.  It's decorated with an embroidered button from Karen's Creations.

Below is a close-up.  (The dark spots you see on the silver part of the TravelScoot is not rust. It's the residue from a Velcro experiment gone bad.  It's a sticky mess but can be removed.)

An Office Depot Adventure

Today Rhonda, Melissa and I got together at Target to test out mine and Rhonda's newly reupholstered seats.  (We'll get to that topic soon.)  While we were there Rhonda showed us the new shopping cart she'd gotten.  Melissa took it for a test spin and gave it good reviews.  Rhonda also told us there was an even larger size available, and of course we had to leave Target and scoot to Office Depot (three parking lots away!) to check it out.  I'm so glad we did because that gave us a chance to meet Michael, who not only showed us where the larger cart was located, but put one together for us so we could try it out.

This is Michael, an employee of the Office Depot on Millerville in Baton Rouge, 

posing for us.  He was thrilled to hear he was going to be featured in our blog post.
I love his "Office Depot goes Broadway" pose!

This is Rhonda, posing with both sizes of the cart. We both thought the large

one was too unwieldy, but it might work great for a taller person with longer

arms.  The small cart is about $20 and holds 60 lbs. The large cart is about $40

and holds 80 lbs.  You can see them on the Office Depot site here and here.

 

Shopping with a rolling cart

This is Rhonda's new shopping cart.  It came from Office Depot, and costs about $20.  According to the manufacturer it can hold 60 lbs.  You can see it on Office Depot's website here.  

This is Melissa, shopping in Target with Rhonda's new cart. She said it worked well for her. Rhonda said to let you all know that it folds up and stores easily in her vehicle.

Peter's New Hat

From Peter:

Here is a picture of my new cap. Which I had made up for me. In about 2 weeks time I will be taking my TraveScoot on a boat Cruise for 16 days on the Sun Princess to New Zealand.

Welcome to Jugana from Croatia

Jugana is a brand new TravelScoot owner with a question.
 
I found very useful info about CrampBuster on your blog. As I am disabled and have weakness in my hands too it's very hard for me to pull the brake levers. It's not a problem when driving on even grounds as the drive is mostly defensive, but as my hometown is all in hills, it's very hard for me to go downhill as brakes should be applied for a longer time.

Maybe you or some of your friends could have a suggestion what to do. To your knowledge, is there something like CrampBuster for brakes too?

If you have a suggestion for Jugana, post it in the comments or email it to me, elizabeth@ifisher.com. 

If you'd like to see Jugana's blog about travelling with a disability, visit http://handinhappy.blogspot.com/.

Denise's Purple Seat

From Denise:


Hi Elizabeth, here are the pictures I promised.  I chose not to have extra padding installed in mine.  I had it recovered because the stapled banding was coming undone.  The auto upholstery shop did a much better job in this area and it is tightly stitched and secured to the bottom frame.


Thanks for sharing these with us.  I LOVE the color!

Scooter gang of Vuosaari

From Elford in Helsinki, Finland:

Chris has a new Travelscoot now which we received from Munich. We have a lot of fun patrolling the neighborhood together. Occasionally we scoot down to the beach and have coffee at a small restaurant there. When we were going up hill, Chris would pass me up. I couldn`t figure why. I thought it was our weight difference. Then I decided to trade batteries without her knowing it. When we went for a ride next she complained that her scooter was a little slower than mine. I told her what I had done. My batteries are over two years old now and hers are brand new. Anyway, when we go out now we both use her new batteries or we both use the old batteries. Then we we go at the same speed.  

Welcome Chris!  It's good to see you and Elford enjoying your TravelScoots together.  My two regular size lithium ion batteries are around the same age as yours and even at my much higher weight I'm still getting great service from them.

Plumping up the padding

This came today from Bee, one of my favorite TravelScooters. She and her wonderful hubby Sarge have had their Scoots for several years.








Hi Elizabeth! Well I got our seats recovered today and they sit really good now, very comfortable. Not fancy, in fact they look almost the same but the leather is nice and the padding is much better. The cost was $35.oo each. Money well spent if you ask me! It was an auto upholstery shop. It took two hours, we left the seats only and did some errands where walking wasn't too bad and went back for them. They used the existing seat as it was and put additional foam on top and then recovered them. I just told them to make them comfortable and to use black. I'm really happy with them and of course we don't use the backs on our scooters so didn't do those.

An addition to our Rogues' Gallery

Please welcome new TravelScooter Frank!  He's sent me a few pictures for our "Rogues' Gallery."  These are taken in Cetteviccia (Italy), Santorini (Greece) and the last two were taken in Mykonos.

Having a backup TravelScoot

My TravelScoot is 2 1/2 years old and I use it almost every day -- for work, shopping, and everything in between.  I even ride it into the gym four times a week to workout in the pool.  With experience, I've become a more skilled user.  I (almost always) am a good judge of what spaces I can get through and how I need to maneuver to get there, and in 2 1/2 years my husband (the "scooter wrangler") and I have dealt with routine maintenance issues and learned a great deal about how the TravelScoot works.  Knowing how much my mobility is limited without my TravelScoot we'd been talking for several months about buying a second one to have as a backup.  A broken weld a few weeks ago put my scoot temporarily out of commission.  Melissa loaned me her scoot for several days and we took that opportunity to order a backup.  We also boxed my original scoot and mailed it to Tony for repairs.  It came back to me in tip-top shape and he'd even replaced my broken original bell.  (I love that little red bell and it was my fault the original one bit the dust.)  Now I have peace of mind that if I need it, I have a backup scooter ready to go immediately.

TravelScoot maintenance: Cleaning the fabric triangle

The TravelScoot comes with a fabric caddy that attaches with Velcro between the main frame. A few weeks ago something I was carrying leaked and I ended up with a huge stain on mine. I really didn't know if I could get it out or not. It turned out to be super easy to make it look like new again. We detached the fabric triangle from the scoot and I put it in the kitchen sink. I used a scrubbing sponge and some Dawn dishwashing liquid and it took the stain out immediately. When I was finished rinsing it I dried it with a towel and it was soon dry enough to put back on the scoot.

A hard case for the TravelScoot

Dona asked if there was a bag for the TravelScoot with wheels attached to it.  She wants to use it so she can check her scoot with her luggage at the airport.  Luckily Glen has already solved this problem for us.  Glen says he uses an SKB-4814W Golf case, which costs about $150.  

I searched Amazon and found the picture above.  To see if for yourself, click here.

Checking Your TravelScoot at the Airport

A question from Dona

I recently traveled with my scooter. I sent it with the luggage in the bag provided when it was delivered. I was wondering if there is a bag for it with wheels attached. It would be so much easier to take it if it had been a wheeled bag. Do you know of one of these?? Otherwise it was great to check it thru to my destination.

I sent Dona an email suggesting a golf bag with wheels. Does anyone have a suggestion or experience with this? If so, you can post it in the comments or email it to me, elizabeth@ifisher.com.

Daniel in London

This is Daniel, from London.  What a beautiful place for a TravelScoot adventure!

Rhonda's Tiger Adventure

This is Rhonda, having a Tiger adventure at the Houston Aquarium

Questions from a New TravelScoot Owner

Hi Elizabeth,

Well, I’ve had my Travelscoot for a couple of weeks…. It hasn’t changed my life yet… but I’m working on it! How long did it take you to get good at folding and unfolding? I’m still struggling but it’s slowly getting better. I haven’t wanted to go out in the heat and humidity but my first trip was an indoor shopping mall that I had not been to before. That was fun! I just zipped up and down the whole thing.

But I wasn’t shopping. I was just checking out the mall. How the heck do you go shopping with it? My next trip was to a crowded store with narrow aisles. Today was my third trip. The store wasn’t crowded but more narrow aisles. Both times I carried one of those small baskets in one hand but that’s tiring and it keeps getting gin the way. Any suggestions? I paged through the blog posts but didn’t see anything like that.

Thanks for any tips you may have. Will you be going to the convention this year? I plan on it. Should be a lot easier with the scooter. Last time I went, I hurt all weekend just from walking the halls.

JeanMarie




Hi JeanMarie,

Congratulations on getting your TravelScoot! I wish we lived in the same city so I could show you how I shop with mine. But first questions first... It took me a few weeks to be really good at folding and unfolding it. I did that with mine for about a year, and then I switched vehicles with my husband and now I just load my fully assembled into the back of our van. Since I use mine every day it makes it a lot easier.

I remember the first time I went to the mall by myself and I enjoyed zipping up and down the whole thing too. If there are people around I do slow down to their speed, but when no one is near I speed it up.

How the heck do I shop with it? It depends on what kind of store I'm in, but most often I use a tote bag that I hang on the handlebars. I highly recommend that you go to http://think-king.com/ and buy the mighty buggy hook and the cup holder. The cup holder works great for carrying a drink around, OR you can put glasses, camera, and anything else you can think of. I put the hook at the very top of the front steering column, right under the handlebars. I hook my car keys on it, or you can hook a shopping bag on it too. They also have a new product called a jumbo swirly hook. I haven't tried that one yet.

You can also put items in the fabric triangle. Sometimes I use a bicycle basket I attach to the front of my scoot, but that keeps me from being able to pull up to things as close as I'd like to.

Anyway, the tote bag I use is the size of the reusable bags you can get at Target or Walmart for around 99 cents. It works really well for me. I also manage to pull a cart around the grocery store if I need to do big grocery shopping. That's not as easy, but I often will leave the cart at the end of the aisle and just zip down the aisle to get what I need. When I get to the checkout I stand up to unload the buggy. This isn't shopping, but I also used to pull my mother around in her wheelchair at her nursing home. I'd get right up beside her and put my left hand on her right arm rest and off we'd go. It was a lot of fun.

To really make the TravelScoot work for me I had to take on a problem-solving attitude. Two years later and I can say that when I'm using my scoot it feels like an extension of my body. I can turn it tight, I can go anywhere with it that my hips fit. We've folded it up and put it under a chair in a bar (to get it out of the way), and I've had three fully assembled ones in the back of my van.

Enjoy your scooting!

Elizabeth

 

TravelScoot and Hope -- Jen's Adventures

Elizabeth,

A beautiful Monday to you! I've already started my adventures! My best friend and I went to the mall, lunch and more malls- a perfect girls day out! There's no way I could have done it without my Travelscoot.

I was surprised that I could carry it down the stairs- it was a lot easier than I thought it would be. I put the seat pieces and battery in a backpack and carried the frame in my hands. I didn't know that it locked shut- that was a huge blessing! I could hold it however I needed to in order to get down the three floors to the car.

The 'cub' battery lasted the entire day and never showed a low signal. It took about a minute to get set up and going. Not bad for a first time! I'm sure I'll get faster as I get used to it. I loved how I could back up and reposition myself without having a loud 'Beep Beep!' accompanying my movements. I'm big enough- I don't want to beep too!

I opened up the throttle to full just to test it out- my friend had to run to keep up with me. The Travelscoot really moves! We had a good laugh over how I'm going to be her trainer now- like in the Rocky movies. She can shut me up if she can catch me on my Scoot!

The only thing that didn't work for me was the seat. I had too much pressure but I also have bad posture and trunkal weakness from my illness so that's to be expected. Hubby is a mechanic so we're going to see if we can fit a special seat on Scoot for me so I don't develop a sore. I took a page from the blog and removed the seat back and that helped get my sitz bones more supported.

I got to shop (found a great formal dress for twelve dollars!), go out to eat and just enjoy being outside. I never thought I would be able to do those things again. The lines no longer mattered because I wasn't in pain. I wasn't afraid that I would fall in public and be embarrassed or even worse- be hurt! It was wonderful!

All that's left to do is to name my Travelscoot. We're using 'Scoots' right now- but that will change. I was thinking of naming her 'Giddy' because that's how she makes me feel. She also gives me my 'giddy-up'.

Thank you again so much for your blog- I never would have thought it was worth it till I read all these adventures!

-Jen

Linda's Blog

Linda has written a great post on her blog about her new TravelScoot.  If you missed her post in the comment section, click the link below to view her post.

http://www.sandsys.org/wordpress/2011/06/getting-healthy-mobility/

Linda's First Adventure

Linda said:

So glad to have you back. You disappeared just as I found you. I rode my scoot into a store for the first time yesterday. It was a Segway and motorbike shop and the owner was fascinated by the scoot. He's going to look into carrying it as a product. How's that for my first official outing on my scoot? :)

Congratulations on your first adventure! My first outing in a store was at a drugstore. It was so nice to be able to stop and look at everything I wanted to see, without looking for a place to sit and take a break. Keep us posted, and we'd love to see a photo of a future adventure. It doesn't matter if it's to the Grand Canyon or a zippy trip around your block. I get so many letters from folks who come here and are ecstatic to see all the fun things we're doing with our TravelScoots.

Back in the saddle again...

Hi everyone!

A few weeks ago I had open-heart surgery to remove a tumor (left atrial myxoma) the size of a golf ball from my heart. The tumor was benign and my recovery is going very well. My first TravelScoot ride after surgery was the day I was released from the hospital when I rode my scoot instead of using a wheelchair to leave the hospital. My legs felt like lead, but I was able to lift them up onto the foot rests and steer myself out of there.

While I'm recovering, I'm moving pretty slowly, so it's also great to be able to get on my scoot and zip around to get to my medical appointments and do some shopping. Alan and I were at the hospital Monday morning and in between appointments we got some breakfast in the cafeteria. On the way to a table I passed a man who had a scooter with him, but he couldn't take his eyes off mine. We struck up a conversation and his most important question was if he could use it at the airport and take it on a plane. He was delighted to find out he could. (Read more about it here, http://mytravelscoot.blogspot.com/2009/05/new-and-easier-way-of-airline-travel.html ) I was happy I had some TravelScoot cards with me.

Several of you have sent me emails with questions and things to post. I'll get to them as quick as I can. If you have an adventure you'd like to share with everyone, send it to me via email, elizabeth@ifisher.com .

Speeding Up and Slowing Down

So the other day I took a little ride around the parking lot at work to enjoy the sunshine and feel the wind in my hair. When I got back to my desk THIS sticky note was on my computer monitor. I was busted by my coworkers -- for speeding on a TravelScoot!

I still haven't paid the "fine" (or suffered any consequences) but I am slowing down my life for awhile to take care of a health issue. I'll be having surgery in a few weeks and will be recovering after that, so please be patient if my posts are few and far between during this time.

If you're new here and considering a TravelScoot, please take time to read through previous posts. So many have shared their experiences and adventures.

If you have something you'd like to share, please send it to me at elizabeth@ifisher.com. It might take me awhile to post it, but nothing puts a smile on my face like hearing from someone who is able to get out and do things that they couldn't do before they had their scoot.

Happy trails!

Dona in Florida

Hi Elizabeth,

This is a picture of my scooter. My brother got it for me for Christmas. I love it. I live in Florida and do ride it a lot for shopping etc. I keep it in the trunk of my car. I live in a large condo complex that I can ride it around here too. I'm going to Seattle to a wedding for my grandson in July and I am going to take it with me.

Enjoy your emails.

Dona

Dona, welcome and thank you so much for sending in pictures! Before you fly to Seattle be sure you review Hardy Huber's airline travel instructions. --Elizabeth

Cynthia's Recommendation for a Nice TravelScoot Tool Pouch

From Cynthia (an avid TravelScoot fan who does not work for WheelChairGear OR the company that makes these products):

For those of us who have older TravelScoots and need a place to carry the tools this little Day Cruiser Mini Pack does the job nicely!

You can get them from http://www.wheelchairgear.com/ . The Day Cruiser Mini Pack is $19.95 USD, and the No-Slip Grip-Clip is $9.95 USD.

Here are various pictures of it so you get an idea of how you might use one to carry your TS tools or emergency what not.

I also love the No-Slip Grip-Clips from WheelChairGear too. I am using one of them in all of the photos below to clip the Mini Pack too.

View of No-Slip Grip-Clip and Mini Pack ring

Vertical under seat hanging with No-Slip Grip-Clip

Horizontal under the seat with No-Slip Grip-Clip and the Mini Packs Velcro straps

Back side of the Mini Pack

Under the seat with seat attached

How Peter Added a Flag

From Peter:

Here is a picture of my Scoot. I have fitted a flag as you can see. Also in the picture is a large luggage carrier folded up which I can use if I was to pack the scoot inside it's canvas bag.

With the flag I removed the little cap on the back of the back rest, and then I pushed some heavy foam down the tube, about 6 inches down then I pushed the flag pole down, and it stays there. The large black wheels are a part of a luggage carrier which is handy to have if you want to pack your Scoot in to it's canvas bag, then you can push or pull the Scoot onto trains ,busses, etc.