Ayleen lives with a spinal cord injury and walks with the support of her C-Braces. On longer trips or difficult days, she relies on her wheelchair. Her favorite escape is snorkeling, where the feeling of weightlessness lets her forget barriers and truly feel free.

Traveling is her passion, but it often comes with extra worries—calling airlines to share wheelchair details only to find it scratched or damaged upon arrival, or depending on train support that can be delayed or canceled without warning.

Despite these challenges, Ayleen continues to pursue her love of travel. She shares her experiences on social media to raise awareness, helping others feel seen and less alone on their own journeys.

Zainab is a globe-trotting model, TV personality, and businesswoman who moves with confidence using her prosthetic leg. But travel isn’t always seamless. She knows the frustration of being treated like a security risk: facing rigorous pat-downs or requests to remove her prosthesis. Last-minute gate or platform changes demand extra energy, effort that often goes unseen.

Instead of hiding her prosthesis, Zainab embraces it by choosing outfits that celebrate who she is. She’s adapted, but she also hopes for greater awareness and empathy from the world around her.

Davide is a Paralympic athlete who knows how to push through limits on and off the track. Living with arm and leg prostheses, he’s familiar with the vulnerability that travel can bring: hoping security checks go smoothly, or finding elevators out of service when he needs them most. Even everyday technology, like touchscreens or automated check-ins, can turn simple steps into exhausting challenges.

What some might see as small inconveniences are, for Davide, extra races to run.

Did you know that in the U.S. alone, more than 12,000 wheelchairs are lost or damaged each year during air travel? For travelers with disabilities, a broken wheelchair isn’t just an inconvenience. It can mean the difference between taking a trip or canceling it altogether, or even being stranded overnight at the airport.

A study by the National Disability Authority found that up to 50% of hotel rooms labeled as “accessible” fail to meet basic accessibility standards, leaving travelers with disabilities in challenging situations.

Lengthy paperwork—whether applying for travel assistance, arranging wheelchair transport, or carrying detailed information about prostheses—adds stress and delays for travelers with disabilities. And when support at airports, train stations, or hotels is slow or unreliable, what should be a simple trip quickly turns into a frustrating challenge.

Whether taking a taxi, ride-hailing service, or public transit, travelers with disabilities often face long wait times, or even no service at all. Accessible vehicles are limited, and some drivers even cancel rides when they see a passenger using a wheelchair or needing extra support—leaving travelers stranded.

Nature tours, beaches, hiking trails, and boat rides are rarely adapted for travelers with mobility impairments. This excludes many people from experiencing natural attractions—especially when terrain, lack of adaptive equipment, or safety concerns are not taken into account.