The pro­ject: Travel without bar­ri­ers

“Reis­en für Alle” (Travel for All) provides in­form­a­tion on bar­ri­er-free of­fers.

Holiday from the word go

The bags are packed, the tank is full and the nice neighbour has promised to water the flowers for the next two weeks. The trip can begin. But as soon as you arrive at the hotel, the steep steps at the entrance present the first hurdle. The door into the restaurant is also far too narrow for a pushchair. And if, on top of everything else, there is no changing table for the youngest member of the family, the holiday immediately starts out with problems. If only you had known. You certainly would have planned the trip differently.

The “Reisen für Alle” (Travel for All) nationwide certification system should help to prevent such hiccups in advance when planning a trip, so that every guest can have a relaxing and comfortable stay at their holiday destination. Regardless of whether the guest uses a wheelchair, is visually or hearing impaired or is simply travelling with a pushchair. Because being barrier-free means something different to everyone and, unfortunately, only becomes a consideration when it concerns us personally. It often takes a broken leg to make us aware of just how important the ramp outside the hotel and the elevator that comfortably takes you to the third floor are. So information on barrier-free access is generally helpful when planning a holiday, a short break or a day trip.

The information is honest and reliable

Reliable certainty for guests when making plans is therefore one of the main objectives of the “Reisen für Alle” (Travel for All) initiative, which was jointly initiated by the Deutsche Seminar für Tourismus (DSFT) Berlin e.V. (German Seminar for Tourism) and the Verein Tourismus für Alle Deutschland e.V. (NatKo) (Tourism Association for All of Germany) several years ago and is to be expanded nationwide. Therefore, Tourism NRW, all of the German states and the German National Tourist Board provide access to an extensive online database of certified establishments and offerings.

Here, travellers can find out everything they need to know in order to set out on their holiday with peace of mind and avoid being surprised by unexpected hurdles at their destination. Above all, they can rely one hundred percent on the detailed information so they can then decide for themselves whether they will be able to manage the route as described or use the swimming pool without assistance. Because there is no “information without guarantee” with the “Reisen für Alle” (Travel for All) certification.

Specially trained personnel visit the hotels, restaurants and guesthouses as well as leisure facilities, museums and theatres, and check whether they really are barrier-free according to standardised criteria for the whole of Germany. Nature and experience offerings or UNESCO World Heritage sites such as the Zeche Zollverein coal mine are also subjected to close inspection.

Example: Wilder Kermeter nature experience area in Eifel National Park. If the database states that “the entire loop trail is easy to walk or ride and the maximum gradient is 6 percent over 5 metres”, then this maximum gradient is exactly six percent – not five or seven.

2,200 certified offerings

Throughout Germany, around 2,200 establishments and offerings have already been certified by “Reisen für Alle” (Travel for All) and at least one employee has been trained on “barrier-free accessibility as a mark of quality and comfort”. Because it is worth the effort. For both the guest and the provider. A study by the Federal Ministry of Economics found that “an environment that is accessible without barriers is absolutely essential for about ten percent of the population and necessary for 40 percent”. And it is comfortable for all of us who like to travel. Without having to break a leg.

Further information on the nationwide “Reisen für Alle” (Travel for All) project and explanations of the marking system requirements are available at:
www.reisen-fuer-alle.de

Our website itself meets the first priority requirements of BITV 2.0 (Barrier-free Information Technology Ordinance 2.0) and is therefore easily accessible. Among other things, it is high-contrast and can be navigated using a keyboard.