Why a trip to Florianópolis made me rethink how I travel as a disabled person

Like millions of others here in Brazil, my wife and I headed to the coast in search of cooler temperatures and some much-needed time on the beach over the holiday period. But I’m saddened to admit that this short little getaway left me feeling humbled, and coming to terms with the fact that my old travel habits may need some adjustments. 

You see when I was younger, I used to take pride in the fact that despite being a wheelchair user, I would rock up to brand-new destinations with little to no planning. I’d have a backpack full of clothes that had invariably been washed in the shower at whatever hostel I had stayed at previously, my camera, and a laptop. I remember frequently landing in a new country, grabbing a coffee, and opening my laptop to plan a route and figure out where I’d stay that night, all before leaving the airport arrival hall. This fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants attitude came up short for me on this occasion, and I’d like to talk about the reasons. 

Florianópolis was our destination of choice for our most recent holidays. It was to be a three-night trip, with Google Maps telling me it should take approximately 5 and a half hours to drive there — the first big mistake. 

Fernanda had quite rightly warned me that driving in Brazil is not without its challenges and that if Google was quoting 5 and a half hours, you could bet your bottom dollar it would be at least 7, and that’s before factoring in any stops. The reality? It took over 9 hours for us to arrive at our hotel. The biggest reason for this elongated amount of time was the sheer number of tolls you have to pass through on the main highway through the state of Santa Catarina, and the bottlenecks these tolls create. Roughly every half an hour we’d see hazard lights blinking in the distance and a mass of stationary cars crawling towards a line of barriers. 30 minutes, 40 minutes, sometimes more, each hold-up more painstaking than the last. What made things worse was that as our car slowed to a standstill, so too did our AC start to struggle to keep us cool in the 38-degree heat. The hellish-baked asphalt acts like the world’s most powerful underfloor heating system. Still though, none of these complaints up until now have anything to do with a lack of disability access. That’s to come. 

Our trip to Florianópolis, the capital city of Santa Catarina, Brazil, was one of excitement and mixed experiences. Known as “Floripa,” the city sprawls across a large island with some areas extending onto the mainland. For me, it was an exciting opportunity to visit a new state and explore a destination renowned for its stunning landscapes and crystal-clear waters. However, the reality of navigating this popular tourist hotspot proved to be both memorable and challenging.

We began our journey by checking into the Cambirela Hotel on the mainland side of Florianópolis. The hotel was a solid mid-range option with accessibility features that made our stay comfortable. Our room had a roll-in shower, grab rails by the toilet, ample space around the bed, and the option of a shower chair upon request. The hotel’s entrance was ramped, elevators served all floors, and there was a valet parking service. Both the restaurant and the spacious dining area added to the convenience. I’d rate the hotel 3 stars out of 5 for overall comfort and service, and 3.5 stars out of 5 for accessibility. It was a good option for a short stay, so we booked only one night to keep our options open.

After a hearty breakfast the next morning, we set off to explore the island. Crossing the iconic Hercílio Luz Bridge—an architectural marvel of slotted metal sheets offering glimpses of the sea below—felt like driving on a musical instrument. The journey onto the island brought comparisons to Montevideo’s La Rambla, with its oceanfront skyscrapers, luxurious hotels, and a picturesque walkway hugging the coastline. But any notions of a leisurely drive quickly faded as the city’s infamous traffic became apparent. What should have been a ten-minute drive often stretched to over half an hour, and wrong turns added even more time thanks to the complex road network and the sheer volume of cars.

We planned to find a beach that could accommodate me and my wheelchair. However, navigating Florianópolis’ crowded beaches turned into a frustrating quest. Traffic worsened near popular spots, parking spaces were full, and the few accessible parking spots were always occupied. Even when we found parking, uneven and poorly maintained sidewalks made getting to the beach challenging.

At one point, we discovered a promising boardwalk leading through the dunes, but our hopes were dashed when it ended in steps and a packed beach with no available seating. We decided to head south on the island in search of quieter, more secluded beaches. This area offered a completely different vibe—residential and tranquil, with narrow streets, island village charm, and relaxed locals fishing by the shore. The beaches here were picturesque but less accessible, and parking was even more difficult than in busier areas. Still, it was a beautiful drive that I’d recommend for anyone with time to explore. The serene atmosphere might even spark retirement dreams!

While Florianópolis is undeniably stunning and vibrant, our experience underscored the challenges of accessibility in popular tourist destinations. With better research or planning, we might have found more accessible beaches, but the combination of heavy traffic, crowded spaces, and limited infrastructure often left us feeling like we were battling obstacles instead of enjoying the island’s beauty.

After our first night, we’d already admitted defeat. Florianópolis was just too overcrowded at this time of year and we were finding little to do that was accessible for me. It got us thinking more about Brazil – at least in this region – and how for people visiting, it’s less about tourist attractions to see, and more about experiences. Many of which are not ideal for wheelchair users like myself. You can learn to surf, take a samba class, visit bars, go hiking in the mountains, parasail, rent a scooter and drive around the island, etc. When you’re able-bodied, there are heaps of things to do, and I guess that is why so many people who visit Brazil talk about it being one of the most amazing experiences. Don’t get me wrong, I love my life here, but I have to admit it would be a whole lot more exciting and interesting if I were able to run around on two legs. 

So, we decided to head south, but not before checking out the Mercado Publico – part of the city’s old historic town. It reminded me of the Mercado Publico in Porto Alegre, only smaller, and a bit more organized. Your senses are bombarded, especially as you pass through the fishmonger section, and people are busy trading their goods – everything from spices to cheap toys and watches. It felt good to at least check off one of the “must-see” spots mentioned on Trip Advisor before we departed. 

That night, after driving for a couple of hours, we stayed in a city called Tubarão, which means “Shark” in English. Our plan at that point was to make our way to Itaimbezinho Canyon, but not before trying to make it to a beach, one last time, and so we opted to break up our journey by staying in Tubarão. Our hotel for the night was an Ibis, and again I am happy to report that they had accessible rooms. We didn’t stick around in Tuborão all that long though, and after a light hotel breakfast we headed down to the city river to take a look at some colorful buildings then we hit the road once more, this time heading to the seaside town of Torres, over the border into the state of Rio Grande do Sul. Now, things in Torres began to pick up a bit. There’s a famous lookout point in the city that offers an incredible vantage point to view the cliff faces, beaches, and Ilha dos Lobos (Wolf Island) – home to a colony of sea lions. If you’re lucky you might see a Humpback Whale or a Right Whale sploshing about in the ocean. 

After spending some time taking in the views we headed to the beachfront where we were able to find an accessible parking space at the beginning of a rickety old boardwalk. It was also very near to a restaurant called A Lenha, which we frequented for a spot of lunch. I was really happy to find that not only was the restaurant spacious enough for my chair, but they also had a ramp to the upper seating area, as well as an accessible restroom. Sadly though, the food didn’t quite live up to the aesthetically pleasing decor and great access – with the caprese salad coming with only five tiny cherry tomatoes and the bruschetta being barely bigger than a mouthful. 

After lunch we tackled that old boardwalk, making our way slowly and trying our best to navigate over the areas where panels were either broken or just missing entirely. Once we made it to the beach, my wife was able to pull me across the little bit of boardless sand and we plonked ourselves on our respective folding chairs. Of course, in keeping with everything going just a little bit Pete Tong on this vacation, strong winds were blowing sand into just about every nook and cranny you can imagine. My wife told me that she overheard one woman say that she must have been talking too much on the beach because her mouth was now full of sand. Nevertheless, we were determined to enjoy at least one successful stint on the beach, and so with a coconut in one hand and freshly cooked corn-on-the-cob in the other, sat there – we did – for a good couple of hours! 

As we sat there on the beach, finally, we discussed our options for that coming evening. Our main idea was to drive 2 and a half hours inland, to Cambará do Sul, the gateway to the Itaimbézinho Canyon — somewhere we’ve been intending to visit for several months already. Once there, we’d stay in a guest house (hoping to find somewhere fairly accessible in the process) before making our way the further 2 and half hours it would take us to get home the following day — after exploring the Canyons, of course. Our alternative plan was to drive further south and reach home in a little over two hours, cutting short our vacation by 24 hours and putting to bed what had been an ill-planned adventure. With tiredness in our eyes, we opted for the latter, promising to ourselves that we would visit the Canyon soon!

My Accessible Travel Take-Aways:

The biggest lesson that I learned from this trip is that the adage “fail to prepare, prepare to fail” is true. We expected to just show up, with limited time to spare for the trip, and figure everything out on the fly. It didn’t work and we’ll not not be doing it again in a hurry. 

We also learned that traveling at peak high season times is not just a nuisance, it brings with it a whole bunch of additional access problems, such as trying to make your way through overcrowded streets, being unable to secure accessible spots on the beach (as an example), and being crushed by so many cars that you’re not able to make it to where the accessible parking spots are meant to be. One situation in which we found ourselves in saw us attempt to turn around down an extremely tight side street, with cars parked on either side and plant pots spilling out into what felt like the middle of the road, all whilst cars piled up in front of us and behind – horns blaring, and passers-by shaking their heads and making comments such as “that’s the problem with having a big car…” it was just one chaotic attempt after another, and those accessible parking spots never did pass before us. 

I think I’ve also come to terms with the fact that there is a huge difference between traveling to explore and taking a vacation — and if we had been honest with ourselves on this occasion, we needed a vacation more than an opportunity to sightsee. With that in mind, given my access needs, I think I am slowly coming to terms with the fact that we may need to occasionally be the types of folks who stay at resorts. At least then you know that everything will be taken care of and, as long as you choose an accessible one, you don’t need to second guess every little detail. The same can be said for tour holidays. Knowing that all of the leg work is done for you and you can just enjoy the experience and feel secure in the knowledge that everything you see or do on that trip would have already been vetted for access and there should be no nasty surprises – it really does do wonders for your overall experience and relaxation. 

Finally, there is the fact that, like it or lump it, some countries are just better positioned to welcome disabled visitors without them having a prior set agenda or itinerary. Some places take access seriously, with sidewalks that are smooth and easy to roll on, curb cuts on every street corner, shops with level access and automatic doors, etc. Whereas other places, such as here in Brazil, simply do not prioritize these things, and when there is access, it’s not guaranteed to be “up to code”. So perhaps my days of winging it don’t necessarily need to be over forever, I just need to be more selective about where I choose to do it!