May 2016 Wheelchair Travel Newsletter

Hello, Accessible Travelers!

I have been busy preparing for my trip around the world, which begins in just a few days! Before I dig into that, I wanted to share a few updates and news from WheelchairTravel.org.

Last month, I had the pleasure of attending the Freddie Awards in Las Vegas. The Freddies focus on travel rewards programs, which I maximize to make my own trips affordable. Check out my post detailing the event, 2016 Freddie Awards: Takeaways for the Wheelchair Traveler.

After Vegas, I headed to New York City for the Abilities Expo. If you're wondering why you didn't see me there, read my article on how the host city's barriers to inclusion kept me from the conference: Edison, New Jersey - A 'Poster Child' for Inaccessibility. I offered a number of recommendations that I hope the city and state will act on.

Around the World Trip

I'm excited to take off in a few days on a trip to circumnavigate the globe. Check out this cool map of my flights and routing:



16 individual flights are shown on that map, totaling 29,274 flown miles (47,112 kilometers)! I will have layovers and connections in a lot of cities on this trip, but my actual destinations are Seattle, Bangkok, Phnom Penh, Kuala Lumpur, Berlin and Washington, D.C. It will be my first time in both Phnom Penh, Cambodia and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and I can't wait to share my experiences on the blog!

I'm also excited for the opportunity to fly with Malaysia Airlines (3 flights) and Vietnam Airlines (2 flights) for the first time. After this trip, I will have flown on a total of 22 different air carriers as a wheelchair user.

You can keep up with my trip around the world (and support my mission of making travel accessible to everyone) by following me on social media:  Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram! I plan to broadcast some live videos on my Facebook page. :)

Thank you for sharing in my wheelchair accessible travel journey. If you have any questions about planning your own getaway, drop me an e-mail at john@wheelchairtravel.org. I'll do my best to respond quickly!

All the best,

John