Travel on the Level

WellsWords

Travel on the Level

Travel on the Level.com

See more but climb and walk less.

Ouch!

Life and accidents happen - a bad knee, tennis elbow, arthritis, a muscle pulled hefting luggage, an ankle twisted negotiating cobblestones - but don't let them ruin your trip or keep you from traveling.

I didn't, despite three knee surgeries including two replacements, back surgery, arthritis, plantar faschitis and just plain klutziness.

Flat is where it's at when you hurt which is why I've created the website and blog Travel on the Level to help keep you on the go.

For 12 year's I've sought out easier ways to see cities, countrysides and monuments. I've taken note of how to avoid stairs or strenuous climbs, alternate sites when you can't and what's worth the effort.

Example: Did you know there's an elevator in the Coliseum that will take you to and from a prime viewing area?

I ask other travel professionals about their favorite flat places to visit, make notes on which cabins on cruise ships to book so you won't walk yourself to death and which sites and ships really do accommodate us gimps of the world.

Orthopedists and therapists tell me - and you - how to condition yourself for a trip and what to do when accidents happen.

Example: Dr. Mark Brodersen, head of orthopedics at Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, told me that RICE - Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation - is the preferred method for immediate treatment of painful sprains, strains and twists.

I personally test and rate travel equipment from gadgets to gear and apparel that may make travel easier.

You can count on the information being on the level, too. No puff pieces. If you'll be huffing and puffing and disappointed after reaching a destination, I'll let you know.

Example: During a Yangtze River cruise, guides will encourage you to see the mausoleum of modern China's founder, Dr. Sun Yat Sen, in Nanjing, China. Don't bother to climb those 392 steps.

Fellow travelers who did described it as so-so. Much better to enjoy the idyllic park and the rather nice shops surrounding it.

All of this and more you will find at Travel on the Level.com.

Then join in.

Share your tips, quips, antidotes and advice. Tell us about your easy-to-negotiate travel discoveries.

Receive my latest updates and info automatically.

Together we can see the world the easy way: Traveling on the Level.

Here's what's posted there so far:

Pittsburgh - Easily Walkable

Daytona Shores & Spa - Daytona's Best?

Getting Real - Soweto

Johannesburg's Saxon: Elegance Personified

Cruising the Southern Yasawa Islands in Fiji

Fiji Day at Taveuni Paradise

Taveuni Paradise - More on this Fiji getaway

Taveuni Paradise

Fiji's Coral Coast

Fiji - doable but not easy for Levelers

A Little bit of heaven: Steenberg Hotel and Winery, Constantia, South Africa

South African Safari

More on Holland America's Nieuw Amsterdam

Aboard Nieuw Amsterdam

Five-star inclusive stays in Mexico - Ole!

Seeing Berlin top to bottom: Excitement of the new, allure of the old

Artful Leipzig

Beautiful Dresden

Saxony: Land of castles, palaces, porcelain, culture, reformation and fire-darkened stones

2010

Koenigswinter: Touristy but fun

Flying the sometimes friendly skies and airports

Bonn and Beethoven

Cologne - the one with the cathedral

Reminder: last days of SATW auction

Artful Neuss, Germany

Dueseldorf, Germany

Surprising Germany

Travel lovers' treat: SATW travel auction

Best Alaska tour guides

At the end of the road trip: 2010 South Carolina Campground Cookoff

Amelia Island trvel deal

The joy of road trips

Orlando for bloggers - ASTA travel bloggers recap

Thailand's Hill Tribes

Phuket: sailing east to west

Phuket, Thailand and why it's so popular

Lexington: Beyond the Pastures

Lexington, KY, Horse Central

Lexington, KY: Start at the Horse Park

Handling Stairs

Love levees?

Off the Road again

Island Fun on St. Simons

Happy Birthday, King and Prince, St. Simons Island Hotel

Easy Thailand Traveling: Chiang Mai

Travel Deals

Bangkok - Touring and Tasting

A Day in Dubai

Back from Foreign Shores

Switzerland for Levelers: Murten/Morat

Switzerland for Levelers: Motiers and Fleurier

Switzerland for Levelers: La Chaux-de-Fonds

Switzerland for Levelers: Neuchatel Region

Eagle Island - Yours and Yours Alone

Day Trip from Shanghai - Suzhou and Zhouzuang

Fitzgerald, GA - The love-hate town

An Inclusive Heaven - Little St. Simons Island

Going Dutch

Shanghai - East absorbs West.

Yangtze 2 - Through the heart to Shanghai.

The Yangtze - Riding the caramel-colored dragon.

Beijing - Pace yourself to keep pace.

China - A challenge for Levelers.

Fresh Off the Hangar - Worth the weight and space in your bag.

2009

Longboat Key - Fifties Florida on the flat.

Ho, Ho, Ho.

Cactus - Mexico's plant.

Last Stop - San Miguel de Allende.

Atotonilco - Spirituality the hard way.

Dolores Hidalgo - Freedom's call and shrimp ice cream.

New Treat for Levelers.

Guanajuato - Yes, there's more.

Guanajuato - What to see.

Ups and Downs of Guanajuato.

Jalisco - San Juan de los Lagos.

Jalisco - Tapalpa, Mexicans' Mountain Getaway.

Tonala and Tlaquepaque - Artisan headquarters.

Jalisco Hacienda.

Jalisco - Mexican state of surprises.

Flagler County - Visit Florida as it used to be.

Isle Royale National Park - Least visited but most popular.

Utah for Levelers - Part 3, Capitol reef.

Utah for Levelers - Part 2, Seeing Zion and Bryce.

Utah for Levelers - Part 1

Ships' Eco Ratings.

Flat Florida Festivals.

Historic Hotel and Price.

Steinhatchee Landing - A great Florida getaway.

Bite By Bite Blog.

Eagle Island - Easy but total escape.

Cruising the Eastern Caribbean for Levelers.

Peachy Keen.

Colorful Curacao.

Luxurious Laziness - Crossing the Atlantic on the Queen Mary 2.

Texas Hill Country - Medina, Kerrville.

More Moore, More Gardens.

Brer Rabbit and Friends.

Make it Macon.

Silverbacks in the Blue Ridge.

Folk Art Find.

Y'all Go to Charleston, S. C.

Switzerland - Cows equal cheese and chocolates in Fribourg and la Gruyere.

Sparkle Plenty - Digging for diamonds and crystals in Arkansas.

Top Dollar Deals.

Texas Hill Country - Bandera

Rome - See it On the Level.

Sapelo Island.

Coastal Chic - St. Simons Island, GA.

Can the Cane.

Panama City Beach.

Go Luxe.

Apalachicola Bay.

Surfside Sunday.

Do I know accidents or what?

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This is me, with a rapidly swelling and ice-packed knee.

Travel on the Level.com