Co-founder of the blog Disability Horizons, Martyn Sibley has always loved travel, new cultures and sunny climates. In this article, Martyn shares his European road trip adventure with us.
I’ve been on holidays to Australia, USA, Singapore, Mexico and parts of Europe. I just love new adventures and experiences.
This all sounds pretty normal, but when you factor in my 150kg wheelchair, battery charger, 24/7 Personal Care Assistant, technology to lift me, accessible accommodation and transfers; the mind boggles.
Having aced these matters, I decided to take a more challenging roadtrip around Europe as part of my magazine www.disabilityhorizons.com. The aim was to discover wheelchair access in nine cities, interview disabled people living there and showcase disability in a positive light.
I took my adapted car and worked hard to find accessible accommodation. Wheelchair access was challenging everywhere, no one city had full access to transport, cafes, restaurants and bars. Whilst there is a lot to improve, every person I met was fantastic.
The project showed the power of a vision, hard work, resilience and the goodness of people. I now truly believe everything is possible, but equally that public access needs improvement.
My roadtrip delivered so many great experiences – visiting my grandfather’s home town in Lithuania, gate crashing the European parliament in Brussels, savouring the architecture in Krakow in Poland, playing harmonica around a campfire and proving that motivation and inspiration are powerful passports.
Those three weeks were the most challenging, exhilarating and rewarding weeks of my life. It achieved so much as a social project, and for me personally.
If you’d like to find out more on Martyn’s European road trip, take a look on the Disability Horizons website.
For more inspiration on days out around the UK, see other Days Out blogs
Find out how to download the brand-new edition of the Rough Guide to Accessible Britain
About the Motability Scheme
The Motability Scheme exists to give customers, their families and carers greater freedom to get out and do the day-to-day things they need and want to do, by enabling them to exchange all or part of their mobility allowance for leasing a car, scooter or powered wheelchair.
If you’d like us to send you more information about the Motability Scheme, request an information pack below or find out how to join.
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