Catching the Travel Bug: How Berlin Paved the Way for My Accessible Travel Passion

It was 2007, and I was still a fresh-faced teenager struggling to find my place in the world. My father had planned a trip to Berlin with my older sister, her family, my younger brother, and me to see the sights and experience the culture of the German capital. Believe it or not, back then, my attitude toward traveling was nowhere near what it is today. Instead of excitement, I was filled with anxiety and dread. I wanted nothing more than to say, “NO! I do not want to go!” and head back home. Looking back, I have no idea why I had such an adverse reaction to the idea of going on holiday, but I’m sure glad my dad held firm and persuaded me to board that flight!

The week we spent in Berlin changed me as a person. It opened my eyes to the possibility of travel and exploration. Now, I wasn’t given free rein to go wherever I wanted. My father was still fairly nervous about the fact that I was a young chair user in a foreign land, but he did afford me some freedom, and with that, I got a taste of what life might be like if catching the travel bug developed into a full-blown travel addiction.

We saw a heap of awesome tourist spots on that trip, including the Brandenburg Gate, Berlin Zoo, the Reichstag Building, and Checkpoint Charlie, just to name a few. It also transpired to be my first experience of wanting to find accessible places to visit as a tourist and recognizing that, at least at that time, there was a severe dearth of information. I faced many barriers on that trip and found myself struggling to navigate certain areas of the city as a disabled person. Naturally, things have improved a lot since then, but we still have work to do to get critical access information out to the masses, which is why sites like tabifolk are so incredibly important, in my opinion.

I know it might sound rather contrite to describe that trip to Berlin as a ‘coming of age’ moment, but one of my core memories that I always replay, and which feels, in my soul, like a bit of a ‘lightbulb moment,’ is when we were heading back to our hotel one warm evening. I was pushing my wheelchair way out ahead of the rest of my family, with a band called We Are Scientists blasting through my headphones. I could feel a significant euphoric buzz coursing through my veins. The adrenaline from the song (Nobody Move Nobody Get Hurt — one of my favorites at the time), coupled with the marvel of seeing streets previously alien to me, made me feel like, “Yes, this… THIS is what I want to do in my life.” Granted, I didn’t quite know at the time what ‘this’ would turn out to be, but I knew it had to involve seeing more of the world.

Since then, I’ve not only returned to Berlin a couple of times (proudly boasting it as my favorite city in Europe), but I’ve also been all over the world — fully embracing the travel bug that bit me on that initial trip with my family. Within a year of that Berlin trip, I was flying out to Spain by myself to meet an old classmate, and from then on, it was always a case of “Where next?”

I started writing about my travels in 2013, further propelling my desire to see more of the world. I have also become increasingly interested in all aspects of accessible travel, culminating in the creation of my other brand name that some of you might be familiar with — The World is Accessible!

Reflecting on that transformative trip to Berlin, I realize it was more than just a holiday; it sparked a lifelong passion for travel and a commitment to accessibility. That journey ignited a spark that has driven me to explore new destinations and advocate for accessible travel. I hope that by sharing my experiences, I can help encourage others to embrace the world around them and help work towards making travel truly accessible for all.