Who Am I?
Hi! I’m Kristin. I have always enjoyed travelling, ever since my parents took me on family vacations as a child. The idea of exploring new places and having new experiences is thrilling and exciting.
When I took my first trip outside of North America I was officially “hooked” and caught the travel bug. I love learning about new cultures, seeing ancient architecture, and experiencing a different way of life. Now, I want to see as much of the world as possible!
So, it’s obvious that I love to travel but I also happen to be differently-abled (disabled). I was born with a rare form of Muscular Dystrophy (congenital myopathy with SEPN1 abnormality to be exact), which affects my muscle strength, mobility, stamina, endurance, balance, and respiratory muscles.
As a result, I’m on a ventilator to assist me in breathing. I’ve also always had scoliosis (thanks MD) and had to have metal rods put in my back. In general, my form of Muscular Dystrophy progresses very slowly, so when I was younger, I was more able-bodied than I am now. Some challenges have always been the same (stairs have always been my nemesis) but as I get older, more and new challenges arise.
For example, I now use a wheelchair when I’m not in my own house. I can walk a little with a cane for very short distances, but usually only on perfectly flat ground. Previously, I could walk independently, then eventually I had to start using a cane, and now I walk very little and use a wheelchair or mobility scooter when I’m out and about.
Despite being differently able, I don’t let it keep me from traveling. I won’t say that it isn’t a challenge, but with a lot of research and determination, I make it happen.
Luckily, the world has come a long way in realizing that people with challenges still like to travel. Finding all of the resources needed to make a trip successful, however, can take a lot of time, research, and patience.
That is one of the reasons why I decided to start this wheelchair travel blog. I want to not only inspire people of all abilities to travel, but to help provide the resources and information needed to make the planning aspect a little less stressful.
In this blog, I plan to post trip reports about where I’ve been (and their accessibility), ideas and inspiration to help you discover new accessible places to journey to, as well as some general resources and things to think about when planning your next trip.
If you want to see more of my travels and information, feel free to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and coming soon… YouTube!