Travel

Data from the United Nations reveals that 15% of the global population has one or more disabilities, and there is an increasing demand for accessible travel and tour opportunities. The industry is recognizing this opportunity, and an increasing number of tour businesses are working to make their offerings accessible to disabled travelers.

In an article for Arrival, Jenna Blumenfeld offers tips to operators of tours, activities and attractions on how to make their products accessible.

Blumenfeld suggest that operators should carefully scrutinize the tour route to check for potential accessibility barriers, such as steps, and to plan alternate routes that are more accessible. She also suggests that operators should secure or contract accessible transportation to meet the needs of mobility-challenged guests, and to ensure that every employee and tour guide treats customers with compassion – their journey was not an easy one!

To read the full article and to learn more tips for making tours and attractions disability-friendly, visit the Arrival website.

TravelAbility announces its strategic partnership with Mélange Magazines for the publication of a quarterly digital magazine specifically aimed at travellers with disabilities and seniors. Mélange Accessible Journeys, will publish its first issue on March 1^st, 2022. Designed to be an accessible travel and tourism resource, the magazine will enhance the travel experiences for travellers with special requirements. 

“We are very excited about the collaboration with Mélange,” commented TravelAbility’s Jake Steinman. “They have the publishing expertise and the experience building a successful Travel & Lifestyle magazine as well as, publishing Accessibility for All, a sister publication that reaches over 800,000 readers in 63 countries.”

TravelAbility is dedicated to training the travel industry – destinations, attractions and hotels – about how they can become more welcoming to people with disabilities,” said Steinman. “Now, working with Mélange, we will be able to expand our archives of over 300 newsletter items into full stories that travellers with disabilities will enjoy and use.”

Mélange Accessible Journeys will be the ultimate starting point for travellers seeking destinations that are equipped with the conveniences people with disabilities and seniors need for a comfortable and enjoyable vacation experience. The magazine will reside on digital newsstands, easily accessed from any digital device. It will also be available on both the TravelAbility and Mélange’s websites.

“Multiple synergies exist between our two companies in the collective passion to enrich the lives of people with disabilities and seniors,” Mélange’s Debbie Austin stated, “and we’re delighted to launch this partnership with TravelAbility, a recognized leader in the accessible travel space.”  

Leveraging the capabilities of both companies, Accessible Journeys will deliver valuable content in a user-friendly format, highlighting accessible travel possibilities around the world. Debbie Austin added: “We are indeed excited about the journey ahead.”

Note: Be the first to learn about marketing and promotional opportunities with the magazine contact: daustin@readmelange.com

Accessible travel without a plan? One family has figured it out.

Jennifer Allen and her husband recently took a trip to Boston with their children (one of whom uses a wheelchair), but didn’t have time to plan for accessibility.

Based on things they’d learned over previous trips to Nashville and St. Augustine, and positive experiences with a hop-on/hop-off trolley tour company, they were confident in having a good time, even without a thoroughly researched itinerary.

Their past experiences with Old Town Trolley Tours had been a hit, and the same held true in Boston, with the company offering trolleys with wheelchair accessible lifts.

For more information about their trip, and how they made it possible, check out Jennifer’s article on Wonders Within Reach.

Anna Miller, a Washington, D.C.-based teenager who uses a wheelchair, was recently selected by Airbnb to travel with her family as part of Airbnb’s “Live Anywhere with Airbnb” program.

As the family travels across the United States, they hope to highlight the barriers to accessible travel, while also broadcasting the opportunities afforded to people with disabilities.

In an interview with the website Well + Good, Anna said that “It’s an amazing opportunity to show other people that just because you’re in a wheelchair, you can still have this really cool life.” She continued. “I think a lot of people tend to forget that, especially since we don’t really see a lot of people in wheelchairs leading cool lives in movies or books or TV or anything like that.” Her mission is to change people’s perspectives on the capability of disabled people, and to show members of the disability community what’s possible.

Airbnb also hopes to gain something from her experiences, as it learns more about what constitutes accessibility in the homes that are available through its platform.

To read more about Anna’s plans and her unique opportunity, read the full article from Well + Good.