Covering everything from travel and holiday guides to beauty tips and accessible concerts for the disabled, Simply Emma is one of the most well-rounded blogs out there regardless of whether you’re a disabled reader or not. As a self-proclaimed travel and disability blog, the author is a wheelchair-bound writer and explorer who simply wants to encourage those, with or without disabilities, to explore the world around them. She uses the perfect mixture of personal experience and practical tips to craft articles that are useful while always ensuring to keep them geared towards her disable peers by providing tips on accessibility or her own personal insight into the experience. With photos and content from various different countries and a lot of posts about concerts and other live events, you’ll catch wanderlust as soon as you begin to read. As an added plus, Emma puts out a "Things I've Loved" post each month that is especially helpful, enlightening and cheerful for others who might be looking for a source of inspiration.
Any traveller who has visited over forty countries and been to six continents is one to listen to with open ears. The thing about Ed Rex is that he can’t hear, and that’s what makes his blog so special. After quitting his corporate job and deciding to become the “Handsome Luxury Backpacker Travelling the Unexpected,” Rex has racked up seven years of travelling experience and wisdom that he kindly passes on to readers in his blog posts. Covering general travel tips in cities all around the world to discussing his cochlear implant journey and deaf travel tips, Rex provides a comprehensive travel guide to anybody looking for a unique take on travelling off the beaten path. Rex specialises in luxury budget travel tips as well as adventure travel and deaf travel, so there’s something for everybody. Complete with photos, guides, tips, tricks, and bizarre personal stories, we could have spent hours browsing through his material without getting bored.
This one tops the list simply due to the diverse cultural content and the unique background of the blogger. The author of Jay on Life is a Nigerian woman who contracted Polio before moving to London at the age of five. Her experiences since then have allowed her to craft a unique view on life which she has decided to share on her blog in the form of insightful articles about women, people of color, accessibility in London and her struggle with Polio. Jay’s blogs provide insight into the Polio epidemic while also ensuring that the content is relevant to anybody looking for a great way to get around London and beyond. The “Travelling While Crip” section is particularly helpful for other people with disabilities, and she uses her unique writing skills to delve deep into the different sights, sounds and smells of the places she visits. If you’re looking for a travel blog that focuses on diversity and accessibility while also providing insightful cultural content, this is it.
Focus on Disability is home to ample amounts of information, data and resources for online disabled people, the elderly and caregivers in the UK. From hot-off-the-press statistics released by the NHS to employment resources and travel guides, Focus on Disability should be your go-to source for everything related to living with a disability in the UK. After you’re done browsing through all of the important information regarding employment, the government and legal rights, you’ll want to head over to the travel section, where they have information regarding transport, holidays and motoring. With articles ranging from how to get a passport as a disabled person to a guide to the best accessible holidays, this blog provides practical information that’s more geared towards helping you plan and execute travel as opposed to personal guides and city-specific travel tips. If you’ve got questions about how to travel, where to go, or what you need to think about beforehand, you’ll want to check this blog out first and then look for city or holiday-specific guides.
By offering simple, practical advice for anybody living with a long-term illness or chronic medical condition JB Occupational Therapy produces relevant content for people who are not only wheelchair bound, but who might suffer from chronic pain or fatigue that makes travelling difficult. Jo, the author, is actually the UK’s first OT practitioner to work in the travel industry, making her the perfect guide for everything travel and disability-related. The sheer knowledge she poses about the medical side of her disability and other chronic illnesses really shines through in her writing and her posts are informative and incredibly practical, such as a beginner’s guide to wheelchair use and even self-management tips. The author has crafted a well put-together map of all of the locations where you can find Trampers, scooters and power chairs available to borrow in the UK, as well as “handy accessible travel in the UK” map. She’s conveniently separated the travel destinations into categories, such as nature reserves, restaurants, hotels near Port of Galveston and excursions to make it easy to read.
If inspiring quotes, a positive attitude and constant motivation backed by science don’t make you want to get up and travel, then we don’t know what will. Girl with MS is run by Caroline Craven, who has been living with her diagnosis since 2001. A certified life coach, motivational speaker and journalist, Craven’s talent and experience are present in each of her posts, as they’re always written in a professional manner that not only exudes positivity but also expertise. Girl with MS is particularly inspiring for the manner in which Craven uses emotional well-being and other natural techniques to help others living with a disability cope with their disease on a daily basis. The blog is home to a lot of resources, including helpful life hacks you can use while travelling and even links to a YouTube channel that shows Craven up and out in nature talking about her personal experiences and individual journey.
We’re venturing off the beaten path to explore the wonders and delights that are found on Pretty Cripple, a fashion, entertainment and artistic blog that details one woman’s journey on wheels. Wheelchair wheels that is. An artist who loves fashion, hats and animals, the author is a bright, eccentric woman who uses her blog as a space to encourage others to get out of the house and exploring the world around them. Mainly focused on the sights, sounds and fashion-forward aspects of living life in a wheelchair, the blog reads like a high-end fashion editorial in which the author provides tips and tricks to others with limited mobility. Covering everything from Paris Fashion Week to her own knitting creations, Pretty Cripple writes in style and will leave you rushing to snag that hot new top for your next trip. As an added bonus, the blog features a lot of how-to knitting tips, which is great if you’re especially keen on DIY projects that keep you busy in-between adventures.
There’s no greater comfort than the warm advice of a loving mother, and that’s exactly what we get out of Different Dream, a blog created by one mother and elementary teacher who’s been surrounded by illness her whole life. Jolene Philo became a reluctant caregiver when her father was diagnosed with MS at the age of 29 and later when her firstborn child was rushed to the hospital as a newborn with a life-threatening illness. Her unique life experience and motherly wisdom make her articles especially touching and insightful as she works to provide a safe space for other parents struggling to come to terms with their children’s illnesses. While not necessarily travel-focused, the blogs are great for parents who are looking to travel with their disabled children and might need advice beforehand whether that be behavioural tips, book recommendations or simply insightful news into the life of a parent dealing with a special needs child or even PTSD.
Zachary Fenell is the self-proclaimed Cerebral Palsy Vigilante on a mission to educate and dispel cerebral palsy misconceptions in a fun, engaging way. With photos of Fenell participating in a half-marathon and standing up in front of various classrooms giving presentations, you’ll most likely feel a burst of energy simply from visiting the blog. In an effort to dispel misconceptions about those living with cerebral palsy and other disabilities, Fenell provides a variety of information and uses his personal speaking and writing skills to do so. Articles are honest, insightful and touching at times as he covers topics such as developing a great support system and finding hope even in the worst situations. The great thing about this blog is that the energy is contagious, so if you hadn’t previously thought about planning to sign up for a half-marathon or travel the world, you’ll probably want to do so after reading through some of the articles here.
A former chemical engineer turned writer and author, Mitch Sturgeon employs a healthy mixture of humor, inspiration, and straight-talk to share his experiences as a disabled person in Enjoying the Ride. His blog is filled with practical guides not only for those living with a disability but also their loved ones. With articles that range from tips on how to select the ideal life partner as a disabled person to a guide on what the disabled person in your life might want for Christmas, Enjoying the Ride is a light-hearted blog that any traveller will enjoy as it provides practical life tips and insightful reviews that will come in handy at home or out on the open road. If you’re particularly fond of his content, the author has recently released an audio version of his latest book that covers his two-decade journey and struggles with MS and other related health difficulties. It’s a great option for a long train ride or plane trip that will leave you feeling inspired.
Perhaps one of the most personal blogs on this list, My New Normals follows the creative musings of Nicole Lemelle, a writer, activist, and person living with Multiple Sclerosis. Focused on educating, inspiring and reassuring those with or without disabilities, My New Normals is touching, emotional and brutally honest. Lemelle, who has worked as a chemist and ICU staff nurse, has been featured in print, on the radio and even on television due to her expertise and incredible storytelling skills. The health-related expertise found in this blog is impressive and resourceful, especially for those who are looking to find unique ways to learn about their own disease or learn from the stories of others before a big trip that might feel overwhelming or a little too big to take on. If you feel anxious before planning your next adventure, read through a few of these blogs to calm your nerves as you’ll find that Lemelle talks openly about her emotional struggles with MS as well.
A disabled mom who openly talks about her use of cannabis and her love of boots, boobs and hair? Yes, please! Meg is a mother of three who has recently taken to treating her MS flare-ups with CBD oil and medicinal marijuana, so her unique take on her disability is peppered with comedic mom-like content that feels fresh and interesting to read. The sheer positivity that Meg exudes in her writing makes for a delightful read. Her recent book is titled Segway into My Life as she uses a Segway to get around, making for a unique spin on mobility and an interesting way to travel if you’re considering doing so. Her segway posts are particularly helpful for those who have limited mobility but still want to find an easy way to get around town, and her posts and opinions surrounding cannabis and CBD oil as alternative medicine is refreshing to say the least.
While Wheelchair Kamikaze doesn’t necessarily cover travel tips for people with disabilities, it is about “the rants, ruminations, and reflections of a mad MStery patient,” and that title alone should have you hooked. This blog makes the list for the pure amount of quality writing it is home to and for the unique way in which the author chronicles his life with MS. Great for a good, insightful read while on an overnight train or even when you’re stuck inside your hotel close to Port Everglades on a rainy travel day, this blog should be on your reading list for sure. What really makes this blog stand out is the fact that Marc, the blog’s author, has managed to rig a camera to his chair in order to take videos and still photos from the unique vantage point of a wheelchair. He posts his artistic shots along with his articles and will leave you feeling inspired to do the same whether you’re traveling to exotic, faraway lands or simply venturing out into your hometown.