Yes, I remembered that Forevryoung was the caregiver, not the mom.
Sad to hear that the trip was kind of "bumpy".
For our own situation, we have not brought DD's power wheelchair yet, which would give her maximum independence, but she has some issues that make her dangerous when she is in her power wheelchair. She can't drive her manual wheelchair long distances, so she does need us to push her in it. She is capable of propelling it short distances and is independent in the house/hotel room.(Plus she VERY CLEARLY lets us know if she doesn't want to go the direction we are going).
I can't imagine putting DD in a situation where she would have no opportunity to move herself. When she was just over 2 years old and looking at her first mobility device, a special needs stroller was suggested. We made the case for getting a wheelchair instead, and even though it was huge and heavy compared with children's chairs you can get now, she learned how to drive it.