For what you want to do, use airbnb. Watch out for the places that are run as a corporate operation by a big company and avoid them. Find somewhere that's actually an individual renting out space in their home and talk to them early about what the situation is and what you want to do. Often they are super helpful and airbnb also has ways people can promote local tours or food experiences or whatever they're into. If you can find a really good local person to stay with that can be absolutely great. Sometimes you can hop around a few airbnbs in the same location to find interesting new people, then if you do get a place you don't love it's only a few nights. It will take a lot of research to do it solo, I usually travel with my partner, but you could do that and in the best case it can be like having a friend in the place you're visiting.

Planning is everything. It's really not that complicated but you do have to take an approach where you have a plan B for absolutely everything, mainly because people are not very reliable. I have done trips from right here in this chair to a hotel room in Tokyo and that was a lot of planning, but it works if you have a backup plan at ever stage. Make sure every single person you meet knows exactly where and when to be - have them repeat it back to you, especially if they're not native english speakers. Make sure they know they have to meet someone else and hand you over.

Make sure you have two phone numbers for everywhere you're going, and make sure you test them out in the few days up to traveling so you know someone actually answers those numbers. Have a backup power bank for your phone and two cables because the cables always die. A whole backup phone is good. Tie coloured webbing on your bags and have an example of that webbing on you so you can show it to someone who maybe doesn't speak english very well, so they can help you find your bags. If you can figure out how to index them you can have printed maps of the places you need to go with a big arrow, though usually it will take help to create those.

Be careful of certain places. For instance, Singapore is really well organised, Dubai is an absolute nightmare. That might matter when you are booking your trip because you will sometimes choose where you route though. Check in online the day before. Have someone help if necessary as it's a whole sequence of stuff at the airport you then don't have to do, although the airport groundside people are usually very good and you can check in on the day without too much hassle if you're in a rush.

If you dress it up a bit and look respectable you will often in my experience be asked if you want to go to the business class lounge, even though you probably just have an economy ticket. Obviously you do want to go for the lounge since there are lots of helpful staff and great free food. Similarly they may offer you a ride in the front of the plane which you definitely want for much the same reasons.

Never under any circumstances let them put you in a wheelchair.

Traveleyes specializes in this - check them out!

https://www.traveleyes-international.com/

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