PARIS ON WHEELS
Visit Paris in your Wheelchair
Visit Paris in your Wheelchair
Debra Kerper, Easy Access Travel
Specializing in Travel for The Disabled
www.easyaccesstravel.com
"My husband and I visited Paris this past November, 2005. I had
learned about Derek's service last summer and decided to get in
touch with him. We spent 2 days with him going around the different
neighborhoods of Paris and had an absolutely delightful time. I'm an
amputee and cannot walk long distances so I take a manual
wheelchair everywhere I go. Derek was great at "pushing" me around
and telling us all about the marvelous sights and using the great
public transportation in the city. His love of Paris and everything it
has to offer was quite contagious as was his enthusiasm and
abundant energy! The fact that Derek is fluent in French was a real
plus for us. We definitely plan on returning to Paris and using Derek's
expertise to finish our sightseeing."
Lyn and Don Backe
Annapolis MD
January 2006
lynbacke@aol.com
"My husband and I hope to include Derek Guzman on our vacations
all over the world! We first used his services in Paris in October 2005,
for 4 of the 6 full days we were there. My husband is a large man in a
manual chair; we hired Derek to guide and to push, and it was worth
every euro and then some. Derek knows Paris, he understands the
needs of the person in the fauteuil roulant, he is tireless, funny, and
good company. His cheerful presence and strength made all the
difference to our vacation - he watched for potholes and pedestrians
while Don and I looked at Paris, and took a zillion pictures."
Rebecca Angeli-Just
Special to the News-Sentinel
June 2008
I have wanted to visit Paris since 1974 when I fell in love with a
novel, "The Pursuit of Love," written by Nancy Mitford.(...)
I was diagnosed with MS in 1986, and as my mobility has decreased
significantly, I thought maybe I had waited too long to make a visit to
France a success. (...).
To my delight, a search on Google (what did we do before Google?)
proved you can find almost anything on the Internet. I typed in "Paris,
disabled travel" and located Derek Guzman's "Paris on Wheels" Tour
Service. Guzman, an ex-pat American from New Jersey, facilitates
tours of the sights of Paris and surrounding areas for those of us using
wheelchairs. Guzman even pushes the chair.
I e-mailed his Web site and he responded with the information I
needed. For a reasonable fee, he would meet us at our hotel and
accompany us to the sights of our choice such as Versailles, Eiffel
Tower and the Louvre. He also was able to recommend hotels with
handicap-accessible rooms, restaurants, etc. (...)
We arrived at Charles De Gaulle International airport at 1 p.m. CDG is
a massive airport, but we were whisked away and guided through its
endless maze of escalators by efficient airport staff. We reached
baggage claim shortly, where I had arranged through Guzman to be
met by a Ramp-Van Taxi that could accommodate my scooter,
wheelchair and all our luggage.
Once in our hotel — we had two separate rooms, one for the girls and
one for Carolynne and me — we all decided on sleeping for a few
hours. Carolynne and I got up around 8 p.m. and went out in search
of dinner. As our accommodations were located in central Paris, we
were near dozens of restaurants plus easy walking distance to the
Louvre, Notre Dame and close to many kinds of shopping.(...)
Guzman met us the next morning at 10:30 a.m. and we set off across
the streets of Paris; Guzman pushing my wheelchair and the rest
walking. We ran into our first roadblock when the key to the handicap
elevator couldn't be located at the Metro station. It had been
misplaced and it took a better part of an hour to hunt it down and get
me to the level — the Metro is Paris' underground public
transportation — needed to continue our journey. The key found, we
made it to the train station and were soon on our way to the Palace
of Versailles.
So far, Derek had managed to get all five of us on all public
transportation without paying a euro. When we arrived at Versailles,
Derek was able to talk us into the handicap accessible entrance
again without buying or waiting in the horrendous line for tickets. We
spent the next few hours transfixed by the art and grandeur of the
palace. No wonder poor Marie Antoinette said, "Let them eat cake."
In her defense, she was so far removed from everyday 18th-century
French life, what did she know?
After another night of wonderful food and wine, Derek met us the next
morning and this time we went shopping and across town to the Eiffel
Tower. (...) We took pictures of this amazing structure and then
loaded my scooter and the rest of us into taxis and back to the hotel,
where we shared our late afternoon snack of wine, cheese, sausage
and bread with Derek. The bread in Paris is wonderful, the best I have
ever had. He said that this repast was very "French." (...)
Specializing in Travel for The Disabled
www.easyaccesstravel.com
"My husband and I visited Paris this past November, 2005. I had
learned about Derek's service last summer and decided to get in
touch with him. We spent 2 days with him going around the different
neighborhoods of Paris and had an absolutely delightful time. I'm an
amputee and cannot walk long distances so I take a manual
wheelchair everywhere I go. Derek was great at "pushing" me around
and telling us all about the marvelous sights and using the great
public transportation in the city. His love of Paris and everything it
has to offer was quite contagious as was his enthusiasm and
abundant energy! The fact that Derek is fluent in French was a real
plus for us. We definitely plan on returning to Paris and using Derek's
expertise to finish our sightseeing."
Lyn and Don Backe
Annapolis MD
January 2006
lynbacke@aol.com
"My husband and I hope to include Derek Guzman on our vacations
all over the world! We first used his services in Paris in October 2005,
for 4 of the 6 full days we were there. My husband is a large man in a
manual chair; we hired Derek to guide and to push, and it was worth
every euro and then some. Derek knows Paris, he understands the
needs of the person in the fauteuil roulant, he is tireless, funny, and
good company. His cheerful presence and strength made all the
difference to our vacation - he watched for potholes and pedestrians
while Don and I looked at Paris, and took a zillion pictures."
Rebecca Angeli-Just
Special to the News-Sentinel
June 2008
I have wanted to visit Paris since 1974 when I fell in love with a
novel, "The Pursuit of Love," written by Nancy Mitford.(...)
I was diagnosed with MS in 1986, and as my mobility has decreased
significantly, I thought maybe I had waited too long to make a visit to
France a success. (...).
To my delight, a search on Google (what did we do before Google?)
proved you can find almost anything on the Internet. I typed in "Paris,
disabled travel" and located Derek Guzman's "Paris on Wheels" Tour
Service. Guzman, an ex-pat American from New Jersey, facilitates
tours of the sights of Paris and surrounding areas for those of us using
wheelchairs. Guzman even pushes the chair.
I e-mailed his Web site and he responded with the information I
needed. For a reasonable fee, he would meet us at our hotel and
accompany us to the sights of our choice such as Versailles, Eiffel
Tower and the Louvre. He also was able to recommend hotels with
handicap-accessible rooms, restaurants, etc. (...)
We arrived at Charles De Gaulle International airport at 1 p.m. CDG is
a massive airport, but we were whisked away and guided through its
endless maze of escalators by efficient airport staff. We reached
baggage claim shortly, where I had arranged through Guzman to be
met by a Ramp-Van Taxi that could accommodate my scooter,
wheelchair and all our luggage.
Once in our hotel — we had two separate rooms, one for the girls and
one for Carolynne and me — we all decided on sleeping for a few
hours. Carolynne and I got up around 8 p.m. and went out in search
of dinner. As our accommodations were located in central Paris, we
were near dozens of restaurants plus easy walking distance to the
Louvre, Notre Dame and close to many kinds of shopping.(...)
Guzman met us the next morning at 10:30 a.m. and we set off across
the streets of Paris; Guzman pushing my wheelchair and the rest
walking. We ran into our first roadblock when the key to the handicap
elevator couldn't be located at the Metro station. It had been
misplaced and it took a better part of an hour to hunt it down and get
me to the level — the Metro is Paris' underground public
transportation — needed to continue our journey. The key found, we
made it to the train station and were soon on our way to the Palace
of Versailles.
So far, Derek had managed to get all five of us on all public
transportation without paying a euro. When we arrived at Versailles,
Derek was able to talk us into the handicap accessible entrance
again without buying or waiting in the horrendous line for tickets. We
spent the next few hours transfixed by the art and grandeur of the
palace. No wonder poor Marie Antoinette said, "Let them eat cake."
In her defense, she was so far removed from everyday 18th-century
French life, what did she know?
After another night of wonderful food and wine, Derek met us the next
morning and this time we went shopping and across town to the Eiffel
Tower. (...) We took pictures of this amazing structure and then
loaded my scooter and the rest of us into taxis and back to the hotel,
where we shared our late afternoon snack of wine, cheese, sausage
and bread with Derek. The bread in Paris is wonderful, the best I have
ever had. He said that this repast was very "French." (...)
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