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One for the Books: 101 Accessible Vacations: Travel Ideas for Wheelers and Slow Walkers

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Book cover of "101 Accessible Vacations: Travel Ideas for Wheelers and Slow Walkers" by Candy B. Harrington, featuring a large cruise ship docked at a sunny coastal port.

TravelAbility’s Candy Harrington of Emerging Horizons has published the first guidebook dedicated exclusively to wheelchair-accessible destinations, lodgings and recreational opportunities. 101 Accessible Vacations contains destination information on over 101 cities, lodging options, national parks, tourist attractions and recreational activities around the country. The book is organized so readers can search for a holiday based on their specific interests or travel styles. 

“There’s a world of travel choices out there for wheelers and slow walkers. And this book contains many of those choices along with updated resources, information and access details to make them a reality.”

Candy Harrington

Unlike other guidebooks that are organized geographically, 101 Accessible Vacations includes sections ranging from road trips and the great outdoors to historic haunts and cruising. 

Candy describes the access of all attractions, lodging options and tourist sights, rather than just stating that something is or isn’t accessible. After all, accessibility is in the eye of the beholder and what may be accessible to one person can be filled with obstacles to someone else.

Harrington says, “There’s a world of travel choices out there for wheelers and slow walkers. And this book contains many of those choices along with updated resources, information and access details to make them a reality.”

Pick up a copy from your favorite book seller or order online.

One for the Books: Route 66: An Accessible Guide to America’s Most Iconic Road Trip

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Book cover for *Route 66: An Accessible Guide to America’s Most Iconic Road Trip* by Amy Tarpein featuring a colorful Route 66 mural and the subtitle “Traveling Route 66 With Confidence, Dignity, and Inclusion.” The article highlights the bestselling guide’s practical accessibility tips, family travel insights, and lived-experience recommendations for inclusive road trips along Route 66.

Amy Tarpein, from TravelAbility’s Influencer Project, has another best seller.

Amy Tarpein’s new book, Route 66: An Accessible Guide to America’s Most Iconic Road Trip, was an Amazon bestseller right from the start. As mom to Elijah of Elijah’s Baby Bucketlist, Amy chose Route 66 as his Make A Wish trip in 2022. They did a two week road trip, but they’ve been back twice since. This guide was born out of experience and necessity. 

Amy traveled Route 66 with her four children including her medically complex son, Elijah, documenting what worked, what didn’t, and what every family deserves to know before setting out.

Route 66: An Accessible Guide to America’s Most Iconic Road Trip is reshaping how families all over the world plan their Mother Road adventures. Written by award‑winning accessible travel writer and international bestselling author Amy Tarpein, this guide is the first of its kind created from real lived-experience.

Amy traveled Route 66 with her four children including her medically complex son, Elijah, documenting what worked, what didn’t, and what every family deserves to know before setting out. The result is a warm, practical, deeply human resource that blends storytelling with actionable tools.

Inside the book, readers will find:

  • Step‑free routes and mobility considerations
  • Sensory notes and family‑tested recommendations
  • Tips for traveling with medical equipment
  • Strategies for multi‑generational trips
  • Interactive reflective sections at the end of each chapter
  • Practical checklists and curated resources to support planning

The book’s impact has already reached far beyond the United States. Readers from Singapore to Australia and across the country have shared that they purchased the guide and are now planning their own Route 66 journeys with confidence. It is also a bestseller on Amazon. It is available on Amazon, Walmart, Barnes and Noble, and wherever books are sold.

Buy Here

This is more than a travel book. It is an invitation for families of all ages and abilities to experience the history, joy, and freedom of America’s most iconic road trip in a way that feels welcoming, informed, and accessible. 

“When we make travel accessible, we make room for more stories, more memories, and more magic.” Amy Tarpein

Lived Experience: How Downs & Towns Is Leading Accessible Travel Through Disability Storytelling

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Houston and Katie of Downs & Towns have been a part of the TravelAbility community from the start. Houston, an award-winning photographer with Down Syndrome, was shot into social media fame when his sisters created an ironic TikTok video in response to the idea that people with Down Syndrome can’t achieve much. Now, as an influencer with over 7 million likes on TikTok alone, Houston and his mom, Katie travel the world capturing destinations, creating art, and raising disability awareness.

“If you want to work with us, we want to work with you,” is their campaign motto because if you’re looking to encourage travelers with disabilities they want to help you in your mission.

@DownsAndTowns

Travel Photographer

ART. ADVENTURE. ADVOCACY.

Photographer with Down syndrome traveling the world | Nikon Creator | GAMUT Talent

Total followers across platforms: 400,000

Houston and Katie have made connection after connection through TravelAbility, helping destinations with authentic storytelling. Over the past year, they’ve gone from one trip to the next. Katie didn’t want to be so bold as to say destinations need them, but she admitted that, “we can truly, authentically showcase what it is that’s working in a way that no one else can.”

“Several places have really enjoyed being able to showcase work that is from somebody else who sees the world differently. Also, the fact that we’re there, interacting with the destinations, gives us the ability to answer questions. We can provide input. We can share our experiences with them to help them grow in access and inclusion as a destination.”

Check out this recent example from their work with Tennessee State Parks. 

Houston was the first ever disabled artist-in-residence for Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park and was recently featured in Artists in Parks, with his photo on the magazine cover.

With content from all 50 states and 32 countries, the accolades for Downs and Towns are never ending. Their passion remains to help any destination with a heart for accessibility and inclusion.

A Note for Creators:

Katie and Houston shared that a lot of their opportunities have come through working with TravelAbility.

“TravelAbility is just kind of everywhere, and the relationships are everywhere,” Katie highlighted.” In all of their experiences, they’ve never found a community like TravelAbility for finding like-minded destinations and building authentic community. This is a great place to start for anyone looking to make a difference.

If you’re a creator making accessible travel content and would like to join our community of disabled content creators, fill out the form below.

Join the Creator Community

Lived Experience: Learn Through Real Travels of Disabled Content Creators with Emily Davison

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@fashioneyesta2012

Writer
💄 Fashion | Beauty | Travel | London
💻 Content creator
✍🏻 Award Winning SE London Journalist
👩🏻‍🦯Disabled

Total followers across platforms: 25,000

Emily Davison is a London-based journalist and content creator behind Fashioneyesta, with 10 years’ experience creating travel, fashion, and lifestyle content.  

Living with a visual impairment, Emily specializes in sensory-led storytelling and accessible travel that helps disabled audiences explore with confidence.  

Her work spotlights inclusive days out, stays, and food experiences—sharing practical access notes alongside atmosphere, sound, and seasonal detail.  

Through her website and social channels (including Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok), she connects with a community seeking disability-positive inspiration and honest recommendations.

Emily collaborates with brands to create thoughtful campaigns that champion inclusion and make travel feel more open to everyone. 

Check out her accessible trip to Antwerp on Instagram and then scroll through her other adventures at @fashioneyesta2012.

Emily is currently seeking to partner with destinations who are interested in highlighting “How I made my trip to X accessible as a visually impaired person” – sharing  sensory experiences, foodie things to do and other things that are more inclusive for visually impaired people.

To work with Emily, check out her website, https://fashioneyesta.com, or email her at Fashioneyesta@gmail.com.

Lived Experience: Learn Through Real Travels of Disabled Content Creators with Learners and Makers

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Jodie standing by a scenic river overlook wearing a yellow dress and using a cane.

@LearnersandMakers

🗺️ Nomad Fam: 14 Countries | 🦿 Mom Amputee
📷 Tips for stress-free family travel
⏳ Slow down ~ enjoy ~ connect
✈️ If We Can, You Can!
Total followers across platforms: 20,000
Accessible Nature in North Alabama

We are the Learners and Makers: Jodie, Anthony, Connor, and Aster. Jodie is an above-knee amputee who uses a prosthetic leg. We empower families and people with mobility disabilities to travel confidently, their way. With a cozy vibe that focuses on how to slow down, connect, and enjoy each day, our worldschooling family of four has been traveling the world full time since 2022.

Hills, trails, lakes, and gardens open green space to visitors who have mobility disabilities

When seeking outdoor recreation, a traveler with a mobility disability isn’t just looking for green space, but a welcoming space. Fortunately, from gardens in urban Huntsville to state parks throughout North Alabama, you can find not only Southern hospitality, but accessibility.

6 accessible natural wonders in North Alabama

As an above-knee amputee who uses a prosthetic leg for walking mobility, Jodie visited 6 natural spaces in North Alabama, along with husband Anthony, 13-year-old son Connor, and 11-year-old daughter Aster:

  1. Cathedral Caverns State Park
  2. Talmadge Butler Boardwalk Trail at DeSoto State Park
  3. Little River Falls
  4. Huntsville Botanical Garden
  5. Bridgeport Walking Bridge
  6. Lake Guntersville State Park

Each destination considers accessibility a priority, with constant improvements made and more underway to continue increasing access for people with disabilities, impairments, or other mobility conditions.

Cave Tour at Cathedral Caverns State Park

Our family of four has visited caves throughout the USA, and even one in Vietnam, but never have we encountered a cave as accessible as Cathedral Caverns.

Uneven stone steps? Nope. The cave is also devoid of the metal staircases often present in other public caves. A 25-foot-tall, 126-foot-wide natural entrance also made it easy for staff to add a paved, gently inclined slope for visitors.

Large illuminated rock formations reflected in water inside a cave.

The there-and-back tour totals a little over half a mile. Ever since becoming part of the state park system in 2000, Cathedral Caverns has had many improvements to its access, including:

  • Visitors with mobility disabilities can ride in an electric vehicle with the tour guide
  • A wide paved asphalt path takes visitors through the cave. Most of the way is level, with some slope, and a couple of steep sections
  • Ambient lighting so visitors can focus on the sights and features, and less on monitoring how they move through the cave

There are no tight spaces throughout the 3,350 feet you head into the cave, either. Intriguing rock formations come to life with lore throughout the large passages and caverns. Each guide has their own stories to tell and highlights distinct features of the cave and its history, from once storing barrels of Cold War survival supplies, to the shark teeth in the ceiling that remind us this once was sea floor.

While here, also visit the Unclaimed Baggage Center

Nearby Scottsboro is home to one of the region’s most famed attractions. Unclaimed Baggage Center has become a bargain store repository for items left on planes, trains, buses, and more.

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