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6 min read 6 stepsMay 9, 2026Verified May 2026

Renting Medical Equipment at Your Destination: Scootaround, Cloud of Goods, and Cheaper Options

Why hauling your own wheelchair or shower chair across the country is rarely the smart move — and the rental services that deliver to your hotel.

At a Glance

Decide what to rent versus what to bring

~34s

Bring with you: any seating cushion or custom backrest that fits your body, your own walker if it is lightweight and you depend on it daily, any specialized item like a transfer board you have practiced with. Rent at the destination: standard wheelchairs, mobility scooters, shower chairs, bedside commodes, raised toilet seats, hospital beds for vacation rentals, knee scooters for recent leg injuries. The rule is bring what fits your body, rent what is generic.

Quick Tip

Quick Tip: If you are unsure whether your own scooter is worth the airline hassle, weigh it. Anything over 50 pounds is usually worth renting at the destination instead.

Compare prices on Scootaround and Cloud of Goods

~24s

Go to scootaround.com and cloudofgoods.com and enter your destination city and dates. Both sites show a price per day and a total including delivery. For most U.S. cities, Cloud of Goods is slightly cheaper. For cruise port pickups and theme parks, Scootaround is usually faster and has more partner discounts. Check both before booking. Prices in 2026 are still well below what hauling and risking your own equipment costs.

Reserve at least seven days in advance

~21s

Last-minute rentals are sometimes available but cost more and have less selection. Reserve a week ahead and you will get the model you want at the lowest published rate. Both services accept all major credit cards, and most allow free cancellation up to 24 hours before delivery. Save the reservation confirmation email and a screenshot in case Wi-Fi fails at the destination.

Arrange delivery to your hotel, cruise pier, or vacation rental

~38s

When you book, enter the destination address. For hotels, ask the rental company to deliver to the front desk and label it with your name. For cruises, choose the embarkation pier as the delivery address — the cruise line will hold it for you. For vacation rentals, give the property's address and have the rental company coordinate with the host. Most services deliver between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. and can text a one-hour arrival window on the day.

Warning

Some hotels charge a handling fee (5 to 25 dollars) for accepting deliveries. Call the hotel ahead and ask. If the fee is high, have the equipment delivered directly to your room after check-in instead.

Inspect the equipment when it arrives

~26s

Before signing the delivery receipt, test the equipment. For a wheelchair: check that the brakes lock firmly and that the wheels do not wobble. For a scooter: turn it on, drive a few feet, and confirm the battery is charged to at least 80 percent. For a shower chair: check that all four legs are stable and the rubber feet are intact. If anything is wrong, refuse the delivery — the company will send a replacement within hours.

Schedule pickup before you leave

~32s

At the end of the trip, leave the equipment at the front desk, the cruise pier, or the vacation rental's pickup location at the agreed time. Most companies pick up free of charge. Take a phone photo of the equipment in the pickup spot — your timestamped photo protects you if any later dispute about damage or late return comes up. Most rentals close out within 24 hours and the deposit is released to your card.

Quick Tip

Quick Tip: If your trip extends unexpectedly, call the rental company. Most will add days at the same daily rate without penalty.

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Most older travelers who use mobility equipment assume they have to bring their own gear on every trip. That used to be true. In 2026, a strong network of medical equipment rental services delivers wheelchairs, scooters, shower chairs, hospital beds, and oxygen concentrators directly to your hotel, cruise ship, or vacation rental, picks them up at the end of the trip, and costs less than airline fees and gas to haul your own equipment.

The two biggest national services are Scootaround and Cloud of Goods. Scootaround has been around the longest, partners with cruise lines and theme parks, and rents to all 50 states plus most Caribbean ports. Their pricing for a manual wheelchair runs about 12 dollars a day, a standard mobility scooter 35 dollars a day, and a heavy-duty bariatric scooter 45 dollars a day. Delivery is free at most major airports and hotels in their network. They are the official rental partner of Disney, Universal Studios, and several major cruise lines.

Cloud of Goods is newer, has lower prices in many cities, and offers a wider catalog including baby gear and beach equipment in addition to medical items. A manual wheelchair from Cloud of Goods averages 8 to 10 dollars a day. They cover about 80 U.S. cities and ship by FedEx for delivery to addresses outside their core service area. Their app lets you reserve, track, and confirm delivery on a phone.

The math is straightforward. Bringing your own power wheelchair on a flight is technically free. But it adds at least one hour of airport time, exposes the chair to handling damage (one in four power chairs is damaged in flight per a 2023 DOT report), and means you arrive without a backup if anything goes wrong. Renting at the destination costs about 12 to 35 dollars a day, requires no airport handling, and includes free replacement if the rented chair breaks during the trip. For a one-week trip, the rental is often cheaper than the gas, mileage, and rental car upgrade needed to haul your own.

What works for renting: standard manual wheelchairs, standard mobility scooters, hospital-grade shower chairs, bedside commodes, hospital beds, walkers, transport chairs. What does not work for renting: custom-fitted power wheelchairs (the seating must match your body), specialized seating cushions (bring your own and put it on the rental), and complex respiratory equipment (use a specialized oxygen rental service instead).

Medicare does not pay for rentals on vacations, but a few private supplement plans will reimburse if the rental is prescribed in writing by your doctor. Ask your supplement plan before the trip. Even if it is out of pocket, the total cost for a week is usually under 200 dollars, and most travelers find it worth every dollar.

(Sources: Scootaround pricing and coverage map, scootaround.com; Cloud of Goods rental catalog, cloudofgoods.com; U.S. Department of Transportation Air Travel Consumer Reports 2023-2025. Medicare.gov coverage rules for durable medical equipment, accessed May 2026)

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