What’s In My Park Bag: Top 5 Necessities Handicap Edition
By: Elysabethe
Hi everyone! Here to start off our What’s in my Park Bag series. Over the years and dozens of trips to Walt Disney World, my sisters and I have nearly perfected the art of packing a bag to tote around the parks. While we could make one giant top 5 or top 10 essentials post on this topic (which could be a great idea for a video in the future!) we thought we would break it down to what is more specific for each person.
For my part I will do a handicapped/chronic pain edition. I have a bone problem which makes it hard and sometimes painful to walk. As you can probably imagine, walking around the parks can be difficult. And so I have certain things in my park bag which I, and some people who live with chronic pain, may find helpful. Or, if you’re just not used to the many miles you will walk in Disney over the course of your trip, you may want to consider some of these park essentials.
- First of all, my bag itself. I like to bring a Vera Bradley backpack. Not only for the bright colors, but it’s super padded and cushioned. This makes the bag overall more comfortable to carry on my back, but also helps my back if I have to sit on a hard backed chair or bench or need to sit on the ground to wait for a parade. I also bring a small wristlet so in the case that my back starts to hurt I can just take the very essentials and leave the backpack behind (or have my husband carry it!).
- Salon Pas heating patches/icy hot patches. This depends on what time of year you are planning your trip. If you are going in mid-July I would suggest not wearing a heating patch, but maybe try an Icy Hot patch. For me heat helps to dull the pain. Since we typically go in the fall to winter, the heat doesn’t bother me.
- While you can buy tea at pretty much any restaurant on property, I like to bring my own. Twinings Chamomile Mint Tea is a flavor of tea that helps my back and stomach feel better, so I like to have it in my bag just in case they don’t have it. The warmness of the tea also helps to soothe any pain I may be having, especially in all of the air conditioned buildings on Disney property!
- Advil (pain reliever) & Epsom Salt Lotion. It may seem pretty obvious if you live with pain, but somehow bringing Advil can easily be overlooked in the midst of packing Minnie ears or day- dreaming about Dole Whips. Another option is to buy or make Epsom Salt lotion. Something that helps my pain is to take an Epsom salt bath; however, since I can’t take a bubble bath while waiting in line for Space Mountain, using lotion is a great option. This is also a good option if you don’t like to rely on medications.
- Dr. Scholl’s shoe inserts & Band-Aids. While the Dr. Scholls aren’t necessarily in my bag I still thought I would include them on the list. There’s nothing worse than having chronic pain and then adding to the pain by having sore feet. Dr. Scholl’s truly make my shoes so much more comfortable. I love their new commercials that show how it feels like you’re wearing slippers, because that’s exactly how I feel with these in my shoes. And who wouldn’t want to strut down the middle of Main St. U.S.A. wearing their slippers?! Just make sure you wear them a week or two beforehand in the shoes you’re planning to wear to break them in and make sure they are comfortable for you. I also like to bring Band-Aids in case of blisters.
