The busiest season for travel is upon us!

Taking a vacation doesn’t always feel like a break—there’s so much to plan and arrange. It can be even more complicated if you have a disability. We hope that as accessibility and inclusion efforts continue to expand and improve, traveling will be easier and more enjoyable for everyone. 

We all deserve time away from home. We all deserve to explore new places, try new foods, and experience new environments. We all deserve to relax. We all deserve to travel. 

I’ve been seeing some interesting articles and essays about traveling with a disability—some recent, some not so recent. I’m sharing a handful with you today. If for no other reason than to feel a boost—progress is happening, you can do hard things, and traveling with a disability is possible and enjoyable.

Greece Makes Nearly 200 Beaches Accessible with Adaptive Chairs

Andrea Sachs, The Washington Post

“This summer in Europe, beachgoers with mobility issues will have more opportunities to swim in the Mediterranean without having to worry about traversing the sand. Starting in May, more than 200 Seatrac chairs will be installed at beaches to help vacationers access the sea in Greece and a few neighboring countries, including Italy and Cyprus.” 

This Southwestern Destination Is America’s First Autism Certified City

Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure

Mesa, Arizona has been designated an Autism Certified City. The first of its kind in the United States, the city received this designation because at least 80% of guest-facing staff have received training in the field of autism. “In total, more than 500 Mesa Parks, Recreation, and Community Facilities employees completed the training, along with nearly 4,000 community members representing 60 businesses and organizations,” reported Travel + Leisure. 

Go to Visit Mesa to learn more. 

Sunflowers Have a Hidden Meaning for Travelers with Disabilities

Karen Schwartz, The Washington Post

“The yellow sunflowers on a green background are intended to be a signal covering all invisible disabilities, with a goal of alerting airport and airline workers that the person wearing it might need some extra time or assistance.

Launched in 2016 at Britain’s Gatwick Airport, the initiative has grown to include nearly 200 airports worldwide, including 77 in the United States. British Airways and four other airlines, along with a host of other businesses, have also signed on.”

Read more about the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower program for travel. 

For Wheelchair Users, Air Travel Can Be a Nightmare—But It Doesn’t Have to Be

Kelly Dawson, AFAR

“I tend to steel myself for the experience of getting from a curb to my airline seat, regardless of how crowded the airport may be or how long the flight is. My parents met in the travel industry and I have a multicultural family based throughout the world, so it isn’t the overall environment that gives me pause—in fact, ever since I was a kid I knew how to pack and progress through a security line efficiently.

Bracing myself has to do with the fact that I have cerebral palsy, which mostly affects my legs. Because I can’t walk for long distances without pain, I use wheelchairs to make airports more manageable. In these instances, my disability is a thing to be managed by a string of strangers, and I’m tasked with confronting hurdles that are never easy to predict.”

6 Tour Companies Dedicated to Travelers with Disabilities

Arundhati Nath, Conde Nast Traveler

“Growing up, Neha Arora didn’t have the easiest time traveling with her family—her father is visually impaired, and her mother is a wheelchair user. ‘We’d travel 2,000 miles only to realize the place wasn’t accessible or wouldn’t give us the experience we were looking forward to,’ says Arora. In 2016, she founded Planet Abled, a travel company that caters to the needs of people with various disabilities.” 

Photo: Cristina, Victoria, and Winston Might by Laura Jennings Photography