Traveling With a Mobility Scooter: Cars, Planes and Cruises

Start with the heaviest piece

The most useful number for travel is not the scooter's total weight. It is the weight of the heaviest single piece once it comes apart, because that is what somebody has to lift into a car trunk, possibly several times a day.

Most travel scooters separate into a few sections — seat, battery, front and rear halves — and the battery usually lifts out on its own. Decide who will be doing the lifting, be realistic about what they can manage repeatedly, and shop against that number. Our Folding & Travel Mobility Scooters are built specifically for this, and some fold in one motion rather than coming apart at all.

By car

• Measure the trunk opening, width and height. The opening limits you, not the space inside.
• Practice the disassembly at home, before the trip, until it is unremarkable. A parking lot in the rain is a poor classroom.
• Secure the pieces so nothing slides around in transit.
• Take the charger. It is the single most commonly forgotten item.
• If lifting is the obstacle, a vehicle lift or carrier is worth pricing before you conclude that travel is impossible.

By plane

Air travel with a mobility device is routine, but it rewards preparation. The part that needs attention is almost always the battery.

• Call the airline well ahead — at least 48 hours, more during busy seasons. Tell them the make and model, the dimensions, the weight, and the battery type.
• Know your battery chemistry. Sealed lead-acid (non-spillable) and lithium batteries are treated differently, and rules for spare lithium batteries are stricter than for the one installed in the scooter. Airlines can also require that spares travel in the cabin.
• Carry the documentation. Keep the manufacturer's battery specification and the manual with you; staff may ask, and having paperwork settles the question quickly.
• Label the scooter with your name and phone number, and photograph it before handing it over, so any damage claim starts from evidence.
• Ask about the gate. You can usually ride to the aircraft door and collect the scooter there rather than at baggage claim — but confirm it, rather than assuming.

Rules differ by airline and by country and they change, so treat the airline's own current guidance as the authority, not a blog post — including this one.

By cruise ship

• Tell the cruise line when you book. Many require advance notice for a mobility device, and accessible cabins are limited.
• Check the cabin doorway width and whether the scooter can be stored inside the cabin, since corridors usually cannot be blocked.
• Ask about shore excursions. Tender ports, gangways and cobblestone streets vary enormously in how manageable they are.
• Confirm the power supply for charging on board.

Hotels and destinations

Two questions solve most problems: is there a step at the entrance? and is there an outlet near the bed? Ask for photographs if the answers are vague. If you are traveling abroad, check whether your charger works on the local voltage and what plug adapter you need.

Choosing a scooter with travel in mind

If travel is the main reason you are buying, prioritize, in this order: the heaviest-piece weight, how simply it comes apart or folds, the battery type, and only then range and comfort. A scooter that is a joy to drive but needs two people to load is a scooter that stays home.

If it is your second scooter — a compact one for trips alongside a Full-Size Mobility Scooter for daily use at home — say so when you call, because the right travel pairing is a different question from the right everyday scooter. Our Lightweight Mobility Scooters sit between the two.

Ask before you book, not after

Tell us where you are going and how you are getting there, and we will tell you which scooters travel well for that trip — and what to ask the airline or cruise line before you commit.

Call (888) 361-3659, Mon-Fri 8am-4pm MST, or send us a message. Every scooter we sell ships brand new and factory-direct with the full manufacturer's warranty, and shipping is free to the lower 48. Browse all Mobility Scooters to start.