Disabled Blogger’s Guide for Planning an Accessible Trip This Year as Lockdown Eases

Post COVID19, accessible travel for disabled and older people will be more important than ever

I’d like to put together a feature with tips for travellers with accessibility needs on planning ahead – how best to plan and book trips, the most helpful websites and apps to use, destinations that are leading the way on accessibility, and insider tips from a seasoned disabled traveller.

My most read and engaged with blog post explored ‘Why Terms Like Fully Accessible Don’t Help Disabled People’ – demonstrating that even a short day trip can be anxiety-inducing without factual information on what the accessibility will be like when you get there. Fast-forward however many months until we can all start going out again, and millions of disabled people who’ve been isolating at home much longer than others will want to regain their independence, travel again and support the economy. There are over 13 million disabled people in the UK and 4.5 million carers. Disabled people contribute £249 billion to the UK economy every year.

So, why me?

I’m a wheelchair user who has worked in the accessible travel industry for 15 years, formally as a charity manager supporting disabled people to find accessible holidays and these days as a freelance writer and marketing manager for a national disability organisation. I have an acclaimed travel blog – https://www.carrieannlightley.com/ – and I’ve written for The Guardian, HuffPost and TripAdvisor, amongst others (examples here: https://www.carrieannlightley.com/press). In 2019 I was named as one of the top 100 most influential disabled people in the UK on the Shaw Trust Disability Power 100 List.