Over the past few years, the demand for travel scooter has risen substantially. This is partly due to new technologies beeing made available as well as a change of attitude towards enjoying the later years in life.
I remember my grandmother was living with us and helping my mum with us four children, but she rarely went out or joined us on family vacations as it was too difficult for her to move around and she was simply more comfortable in her four walls! These days the change is astonishing, my partner's parents have a busier social Calendar then what we do, they spent six months of the year in the North or South-West of WA to avoid the extremes in temperatures and went on a two-month vacation in Italy last year. While they are lucky enough to both be of good health and fitness, the attitude towards truly enjoying life is the same whether you are wheelchair bound or not.

There are many different brands all offering the latest and best technology, but especially with travel scooters, there is not one model that is right for everyone. I have outlined the most important things to take into consideration when choosing your mobility scooter.

Stability 3 wheels vs. four wheel
It is commonly known that 4-wheel mobility-scooters offer more security than any 3-wheel options. The only two reasons that make people choose a 3-wheel option are weight and manoeuvrability. If you are considering a three wheel option make sure to check the below
-predominantly used indoor and on smooth surfaces
-the user has a good sense of balance and can sit down and get up without assistance
-scooter is fitted with a G-sensor (it slows down automatically when going around corners to minimise the risk of tipping)
-has sufficiently high anti-tip wheels
-is built low to allow for a lower centre of gravity, hence adds stability

Folding vs. pull apart
This is where size, weight capacity and the total weight comes into play. The pull apart models are more work to dismantle than the folding models, however, as a rule of thumb, they will offer more stability (due to a wider base) more comfort (swivel seats, adjustable seat height) and a higher weight capacity (large motor and batteries).

Weight
If weight is your primary consideration the easy move, Brio Delux, Zen and Mini LS would be best suited for you as the heaviest part/scooter weighs in between 19kg and 21kg

Weight Capacity
If you want a mobility-scooter that can support a high weight limit your best option is the Zen with 135kg shortly followed by the Mini LS with 127kg. The folding gophers with the highest weight capacity are the Transformer and the Mobie with 120kg.

Outdoor use
A lot of the smaller travel-scooters are mainly suited for indoor use and well-paved surfaces. If you want something more versatile, that you can use outdoors for shorter trips the Zen comes in on top as it is the only travel scooter with rear suspension

Ease of transport
The automatic fold is truly wonderful; it allows the machine to fold at the push of a button. The two models that offer this feature are the Easy Move Automatic and the Transformer.

Travel Range
The Mini LS offers the furthermost travel range of 26km. However, the Mobie and Transformer allow for an optional second battery, which extends it from the regular 15km to a 30km reach.