Have Chair, Will Travel

Chicxulub, Mexico; 3/2009

For as long as I can remember, I have always loved to travel. Sunday drives, road trips, buses, long weekends, overseas vacations… nothing compares. I am especially addicted to that feeling that I get when I fasten my seatbelt and the plane begins to taxi down the runway. It is exciting, full of anticipation… and for some reason, I feel happy and special. I suppose if I traveled for work it would seem more mundane, but I don’t. 🙂

Now that I use a wheelchair, however, I have to spend exponentially more time planning trips and although that has become part of the travel experience – problem-solving, researching – sometimes I miss just being able to get up and go, stay wherever I want, walk everywhere, and not worry about stairs or grab bars. I was fortunate enough to travel to Mexico, Honduras, Egypt, Israel, and Peru before I needed a wheelchair, and since then I’ve made it to Peru again, France, Italy, Canada, and many more cities in Mexico. And of course there’s been domestic travel too.

I envisioned this site as somewhere I could express my joy of travel, tempered with the realities of traveling with a disability, and where I could share a little bit of what I’ve learned. My personal experiences may or may not reflect your own, but I hope they are entertaining.

Please explore, and let me know what you think!