In September 2025, my husband and I took a trip to Colorado. This was the first time I flew with my posterior walker. Previously, I had traveled with collapsible trekking poles that I collapsed once we arrived at our gate and put under the seat in front of me on the plane. Because I am an anxious person in general, I was really nervous about flying with a walker. We always only travel with carry-ons and don’t check luggage, so dealing with a large piece of mobility equipment felt like a big change.
Having a walker is a big change. I started thinking about getting one years ago because using poles puts so much strain on my wrists, forearms, neck, and shoulders. I knew exactly what I wanted: a posterior walker with a fold-down seat. And I wanted it to be purple. Posterior walkers are very common for people with CP because the around-the-back design helps us keep our hips over our ankles, rather than being hunched and/or leaning forward on a typical front-facing walker. I’ve never tried a rollator, the ones with four wheels, handles that are raised and include built-in brakes, and a seat. I know they work for a lot of people. I just didn’t want a big, bulky piece of equipment in front of me, potentially blocking my view of obstacles, and I didn’t want to have to turn my body around every time I wanted to sit.
I stalked the Nimbo website for a long time before finally making my purchase, and I was really excited to try the walker out when it came. I especially loved the shiny purple shade! If I’m going to use a mobility aid, it might as well be bright and beautiful. Purple is much more fun than the boring metal ones I used as a kid. Even though I was excited about the color, and I knew it was going to give me the stability I needed while taking strain off my upper body, I didn’t really want to use it in public spaces. It takes up so much more room than poles. I know how far we’ve come to make public spaces accessible, and I know how far we still need to go.
I started by taking walks up and down the sidewalk in front of my house, getting used to the way I had to lift the front wheels ever so slightly when going over a change in terrain. (Like coming off a curb cut and into the street to cross. The change in height between the concrete gutter and asphalt road is enough to stop my wheels.) My upper body immediately felt less strained, and I didn’t have to grip the handles as hard as I do with my poles. But there’s one thing I don’t like about my walker. Because I added the fold-down seat, I find it really, really loud. The hinges are metal on metal and rattle loudly, even when we tighten the bolts a bit, and even when we try to pad them. The noise is incessant. It makes it harder to hear. I find it really obnoxious and grating. The bumpier the surface, the louder the rattling. I am very appreciative of smooth sidewalks. (I think I am extra-sensitive to sound. Don’t let it deter you from trying one, but do be prepared.)
After I had decided for sure to bring the walker on the trip, we needed to practice using it. I had taken it around the neighborhood and into a few businesses, but using it in public wasn’t comfortable for me yet. My husband also needed to get used to folding it and unfolding it since that’s not something I can physically achieve by myself. It takes two hands; therefore, I would tip over if I attempted it.
We decided I’d use it at the farmers market. Years ago, when I walked unaided, I used to enjoy the farmers market, though I’ve always found it a little stressful navigating the crowds. A lot goes into maneuvering around people with bulging bags, oblivious children, groups eating and chatting. Then there’s the actual procurement of produce: navigating through people, picking out your fruits or vegetables, bagging them, handing them over to be weighed, getting out the correct amount of money and handing it over, taking your purchase back, and getting it and the wallet properly put away, all while surrounded by others doing the same. For me, there’s definitely a bit of physical/mental/sensory overload.
Over these past several years, we’ve hardly gone to the farmers market. Honestly, most Saturday mornings, I want to stay in, in my pajamas. But with the trip looming, one Saturday, I got dressed and got my shoes on, and Bradley collapsed the walker and loaded it into the backseat and off we went to Central Park. Once I was standing with my walker and began walking toward all the people and tables, I immediately realized how much safer I felt moving in a crowd. The ground was uneven in some places, like navigating a bricked area around a tree, so I still had to be careful with my wheels and watch where I was going. Eventually we made it to the covered area where the majority of the produce sellers have their tables, and where the concrete is wonderfully smooth. I walked through the crowds. I strolled through the crowds. I don’t stroll. I am not able to stroll without assistance. There is nothing easy about walking unaided. With my walker, I was about to look around with ease, and walk without straining, without fear of bumping someone or getting bumped. One thing I love about being in public with a walker is that it’s like a force field. It broadcasts, “Hey, watch out and give me space! Disabled person coming through!”
I felt such relief and happiness at the farmers market with my walker, and that made me completely certain that bringing it on the trip was the right decision. When the day of the trip arrived, I entered the airport with my walker. I must say, going through security with a mobility aid is a nightmare. I do not take my shoes off, and I wear AFOs in both shoes. This gets me a full-body pat down and wiping of my shoes and hands, which means I have to sit and wait for a female worker to come and do it, which can be quick, or very, very long. In the past, they’ve put my poles through the metal detector. Obviously, they can’t do that with a walker. I waited for assistance for so long at security this time. I can’t stand with the feet on the footprints in the body scanner, but I could have walked through the regular metal detector unaided. They barely swiped my walker at all–it was waiting for a woman to do the pat down that took so long. I’ve been putting it off for so long, but if you’re able, DO THE TSA PRECHECK before you travel and save yourself so much time and stress.
Once we were through security, we had to find our gate, and it was a long walk. Good exercise before sitting for hours. With a walker, of course, I didn’t have the option of using the escalators, so we had to locate elevators. I also didn’t feel comfortable with the moving sidewalks, so I walked alongside to see if I could keep up with my husband. I also left my walker outside the restroom with my husband while I went inside, as I didn’t want it blocking the walkway, nor did I want to maneuver it into and out of an accessible stall if I didn’t have to. I am grateful to still feel able to leave it when I prefer to.
We arrived at our gate, and it was time to gate-check my mobility device. It was NO BIG DEAL. I went up to the counter and told them I needed to check my walker. They asked if it folded up and filled out a tag and handed it to me to attach to my walker. Well, first they handed me the wrong one. There are apparently different ones depending on what you’re checking (including car seats, wheelchairs, etc.). I used my walker all the way until the door of the plane, at which time, my husband collapsed it and handed it off to someone. This may have been the most stressful part (for him), but we did board early with the people who needed extra time, so it wasn’t too crowded.
We were on a smaller plane, so when we disembarked in Denver, we walked down a series of long ramps to the tarmac. And there, at the foot of the final ramp, stood a large, multi-level wheeled cart with strollers and car seats on it, and my bright, shiny purple walker. My husband was tasked with carrying both our backpacks, lifting the walker down, and unfolding it for me. (Thank you!) Navigating airports always involves lots of walking and standing and trying to find the rental car place, where the wait is then inevitably long. I used my fold-down seat more than once, including at the shuttle stop to get to the rental car office. The great thing about airport shuttles is that they are designed to handle large, bulky luggage and equipment like skis or snowboards, so it was again, no big deal to fold up my walker and stow it away on the shuttle. (The shuttle was not accessible for wheelchair users, but I was able to climb aboard.)
So we made it to Denver and we rented a car, and my husband got very good at folding and unfolding my walker. Our weeklong trip was centered around a “hot springs loop.” I did not bring my walker into any of the hot springs facilities, but I did use it around the towns, including inside a small coffee shop, which was a tight fit, and it was a little tricky to find the accessible entrance. While I sometimes felt conspicuous, I was mostly very happy to have it with me. I took it on paved trails, accessible botanical gardens, and into public libraries!
Here’s an important tip I did not learn until after I returned home: Check all the screws/bolts and endcaps on your walker before and after flights. After vibrating for hours inside an airplane, small pieces on the walker are apt to be loosened. And there are a lot of small pieces holding a walker together. I didn’t notice I was missing a couple pieces until I got home. I went on a walk and noticed a washer on the sidewalk and mused aloud to my husband that it looked like it could be off my walker. After I parked it in the garage, I saw that, indeed, I was missing a washer and bolt, and one black plastic stopper that closes up the end of the metal tubing. I guess things rattled loose on all the travels, and I’m glad the metal pieces waited until we were home to finally fall off, and I was able to locate them on the sidewalk and put them back on. We also tightened some pieces on the hinges and they rattled slightly less and were therefore slightly quieter. Checking and maintaining my equipment is new to us!
I dreaded the trip. I enjoyed the trip. And I’m glad I took my walker. Here’s another gentle reminder: If you are thinking that maybe it’s time to look into a mobility aid, it is. It’s time. Both times I started using one, with my poles and my walker, I had an amazing feeling of “Oh my gosh this feels so much better and safer! I should have tried this a long time ago!”
Enjoy these photos. Why yes, I am wearing the same gray trousers in every photo. But those are four different purple shirts!
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