Travelling the World by Wheelchair: Access, Choice and Adventure

At SWAA, we believe some of the most important conversations about support work begin by listening to the people receiving support.

Martha brings her own lived experience of disability, independence and navigating the world with a wheelchair. She is also the voice behind our regular Moments with Martha series, where she shares reflections, perspectives and questions that invite us to think more deeply about what good support can look like.

In this piece, Martha shares what she discovered while travelling around the world by cruise ship - from the practical realities of accessibility to the role support workers can play in helping people explore, take considered risks and make their own choices.

These are Martha’s experiences and perspectives, shared in her own voice. We’re grateful to be able to create space for them - and very excited to welcome Moments with Martha back to the SWAA community.

Moments with Martha - Travel Blog:

“I took the opportunity to cruise around the world on a ship. This was my chosen mode of travel because I wanted to take my big heavy power wheelchair that was not going to get onto any aeroplane easily due to its weight (200kg) and the big bulky batteries.

I’ve cruised before for two week stretches. This cruise around the world was for four months!

It was the first time I would be traveling outside of Oceania by ship and I couldn’t wait!

I wondered how accessible countries would be. Their paths with lay-backs, ramps, disabled toilets, wheelchair accessible public and private transport?

I don’t like researching what countries have to offer, as lack of information, ends in tears and frustration. I like to see it with my own eyes and take it from there.

Most countries surprised me with what they had to offer in way of lay-backs and ramps, so getting around on foot was going to be okay.

Disabled toilets were a bit trickier as firstly finding them was a bit hit and miss and secondly not having a railing mounted to the wall but instead having arms on either side of the toilet that can be in a raised or lowered down became unstable for me to rely on.

I chose not to drink much in the morning on days we were going ashore. I made sure I drank lots when I came back to the ship. Not my ideal way to run my body but you do what you must to stay out longer.

Most stops we had at the different countries were within walking distance into town and so we could go along and see for ourselves.

Other times the cruise ship provided wheelchair accessible transport or at least attempted to.

I felt traveling to and from places using wheelchair accessible taxis was a bit risky. What if I was driven somewhere in an accessible vehicle but could not get an appropriate vehicle to take me back to the ship on time?

I loved using Hop-On, Hop Off busses as most where wheelchair accessible and there were lots of them around taking you to great destinations and the drivers were able to speak English..

Looking back on how my husband and I explored countries, we discovered that if we were at a stop for two days, we could become more comfortable with what the country had to offer in terms of accessibility and we could be braver and take bigger ‘risks’ and explore more.

I had to be comfortable that the stop could support me and my wheelchair.

There were times I could not explore stops due having to get on a tender (small boat) to get ashore or not having accessible transport to drive us off the container terminal which we had docked at that prohibited walking through.

There were a few times the gangplanks off the ship were too steep for my power wheelchair so I had to use my manual wheelchair to get off the ship. I was frustrated that the ship thought the angle of the gangplank was safe for anyone at all.

I have been enriched by my experience of traveling the world – countries have vastly different weather. I was intrigued by the cooler weather countries, such as, Iceland, Helsinki, Finland, Denmark and Sweden.

Ways of providing access are becoming more universal depending on the country’s wealth. Poorer country’s like to use manpower but I will not allow someone the risk of hurting themselves to lift my chair.

My tip to support workers traveling with a person with a disability, particularly on a cruse ship in this instance, is to follow the lead of the person you are supporting as to what they feel comfortable doing and trying unless you are sure of the lay of the land and what supports are provided. Either way the person you are supporting has the final say.”

Martha’s reflections are a powerful reminder that good support isn’t about deciding what is possible for someone - it’s about listening, adapting and following their lead. We’re excited to have Moments with Martha returning for SWAA members, creating more space for thoughtful conversations, real-world insight and the perspectives that shape better support.

Want to hear more from Martha? Buy Martha’s book here and keep an eye on the SWAA member community for the return of Moments with Martha.