‘Maybe I can still do those things after all’.
This is what Joanna, from the south of Sydney, tentatively thought the first time she learnt about travel scooters. She is one of many Australians who no longer find it so easy to get around. In Joanna’s case, she hasn’t been able to walk for longer than a few minutes since her early 40s. Overseas travel seemed like an impossible venture.
It took a glossy photo in a magazine, of a woman smiling from an exotic location, to show her otherwise. What was special about that photo? The woman was seated on a Luggie Scooter, a relatively new piece of technology designed for travel. It is one of many models that can be transported in a car, on a cruise ship, and on international flights. Unobtrusive, manoeuvrable, and small, this new type of scooter is as at home in a café as it is in an airport lounge.
Not long after, Joanna and her husband made the drive to a Sydney retailer, where they took the Luggie for a test-drive. A week later she was on her way. Since then the couple have visited New Zealand and have made plans to go further afield.
‘It’s like a mental blockage has gone. I catch myself daydreaming about new places to go. Plus, the kids think it’s a laugh’, she said.
Travel scooters have been sold in Australia since 2010. Maureen Corrigan (pictured), a former health professional, was an early adopter. She was one of the first Australians to really push the Luggie to its limits. She took hers all over the world: to glaciers in Iceland, to Hong Kong, Japan, even Vietnam. For Maureen, it’s the self-sufficiency she relishes.
‘The scooter lets me go where I want, when I want. It’s perfect for that. There’s none of this waiting around for someone else to push me,’ Ms Corrigan said.
Since those early days, the quality has only improved. Some models have clever auto-folding mechanisms, others have sleek designs. The Luggie now has 8 models, the latest adding suspension and soft ride tyres while maintaining its lightweight frame.
‘There are trade-offs for all the various designs’, said Peter Fraser, managing director of Scooters Australia. They import and distribute the full Luggie range.
‘But after experimenting with quite a few, we decided to only stock the Luggie. It can be levered in to the boot because of the way it folds, which makes it easier to lift. Others can’t, and for many people that’s a deal breaker. It also has rear wheel drive which gives it that extra grunt to tackle bumps and slopes’, he said.
Joanna’s and Maureen’s stories are far from unique. Thousands of travel scooters have been sold in Australia, and airlines now have clear procedures in place to accommodate them. The world is becoming more accessible, and the hunger to travel isn’t going anywhere. Expect to see more Luggies in exotic locations!
More information can be found at www.luggieaustralia.com.au
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