Why Able-Bodied People Need to Recognize Their ‘Travel Privilege’

I love to travel when I can, whether I go for a local weekend getaway or embark on a five-hour road trip with my best friends. Travel is amazing, and I’d love to travel more, but traveling is also difficult for me.

I‘m disabled, so I can’t always travel as freely as I want to.

I see traveling differently than most because of how much extra planning I need to do. Other people might think about what to pack and how early they need to get to the airport, but in addition to those details, I also have to look up accessible hotels, restaurants, and activities anywhere I plan to stop. I also need to figure out transportation, which can easily be inaccessible. I’m a wheelchair user, so that could increase the number of things that could go wrong when I travel, and if something happens to my wheelchair itself, I lose the majority of my independence. That’s why I don’t take travel for granted — it’s a privilege because as a disabled woman, I can’t always go anywhere I want whenever I want.

I recently took my first solo vacation, and it was the most incredible experience. I went to Seattle for the first time in my life to spend some much-needed quality time with my sibling and one of my besties. I’ll never forget the memories I made, and the trip gave me a feeling of freedom that I’ve never had before.

As I was living my best life in Seattle, I realized just how lucky I am to be able to travel.

Staying in one place can feel good if you’re comfortable with that, but it’s fun to explore new places and expand your horizons. Inaccessibility and damaged mobility devices prevent many disabled people from traveling, though. I consider myself fortunate to have enjoyed my trip without any major roadblocks, but that’s not the case for many others with disabilities.

Society doesn’t understand that travel is a privilege that not many disabled people have.

Every day, people plan trips without even considering the things that I and many others have to think about every day we’re away from home. Disabled people have to think about who can assist them when they travel, how long they can realistically stay on vacation without feeling physically exhausted, whether hotels and other destinations can fully accommodate their specific needs, and most importantly, whether the airlines they use will lose or damage their mobility aids.

In 2023, airlines lost or damaged more than 11,000 passenger wheelchairs. Many airlines now face social media backlash for losing passengers’ mobility aids, but most able-bodied people still don’t know the frequency with which airlines break wheelchairs and other medically necessary devices. Airline employees often aren’t careful with mobility equipment because, to them, a wheelchair is just another piece of luggage.

The truth is, though, that wheelchairs and other mobility devices mean independence for us.

They’re also incredibly expensive to repair, and insurance may not even cover repairs after an airline damages a wheelchair. Learning that an airline damaged your mobility device is maddening and heartbreaking, and it’s a big part of the reason that traveling with a disability is so difficult.

If you’re able-bodied and can go anywhere in the world without worrying about accessing your favorite locations, storing your medication, or breaking items that are necessary for your independence, it’s important to recognize your travel privilege. Anyone can develop a disability at any time, so if you’re lucky enough to travel without restrictions, know that others struggle with the parts of travel you may take for granted. If you have friends with disabilities visiting, ask what they need from you on their trip, and research activities ahead of time to make sure that they’re accessible. Recognize that exploring new places is a privilege that not every person with a disability gets to experience in a fulfilling way.

Featured Photo by Atoms on Unsplash.