Context’s new Mobility Program, the first of its kind, embodies a new direction for accessible travel.

Rome. March 3, 2011

Context Travel, the walking tour company for intellectually curious travelers, announces its new Mobility Program. The program combines a selection of å la carte accessible tours with customized trip planning and support services. This program was created through a careful consultation with accessible travel experts, docents and former clients with mobility concerns.

Since its inception, Context Travel has aimed to provide transformative experiences for intellectually curious travelers. However, due to the physical nature of some cities, this often excluded access for travelers with mobility concerns and physical disabilities. With the creation of this program, Context establishes itself as an innovator in the field of accessible travel, being the first urban tour company to offer personalized and informed services for travelers with disabilities.

The services and features of the program include:

- a collection of specifically designed itineraries, considering all physical factors (walking surfaces, walking pace and distance, accessibility of sites visited, availability of accessible bathrooms and dining establishments nearby)
- a team of docents who have been trained in leading mobility-friendly itineraries
- a client resource document for each city, which include: wheelchair rental information, accessible taxi and transfer options, accessible travel resources and trip planning sites
- pre and post-booking assistance for creation of a personalized travel itinerary.

To guarantee the benefits and capabilities of this program, Context Travel will be conducting an annual roundtable discussion with its in-house staff and a panel of accessible travel experts.

“Our mobility program has always existed in a nebulous way – we worked with travelers with a variety of mobility concerns but did not have a formal set of systems and services in place,” says program coordinator Megan McDonnell. “I see this program as setting a standard for other like-minded travel companies. This program is an ideological partner of our sustainable travel initiatives – this program supports inclusiveness and is a way to give back to a segment of the population that is not well served by the normal standards of the travel industry.”

Founded by National Geographic writer Paul Bennett and graphic designer Lani Bevacqua, Context is a network of English-speaking scholars and professionals – including art historians, writers, architects and gastronomes – who organize and lead didactic walking seminars in several world cities, including: Florence, Rome, Venice, Naples, Paris, London, New York, Istanbul, Philadelphia, Madrid, Athens, and Boston. Travel + Leisure has named Context one of the top European tour companies for its innovative approach to travel and the depth of its programs.

For more information, please see:

http://www.contexttravel.com/About_Us/Mobility_Program