explorABLE adventures

explorABLE adventures Sharing our family travel adventures after my husband's neurodegenerative disease diagnosis.

The world doesn't make accessible travel easy, but the joy we get from our explorABLE adventures is worth it every time!...
03/04/2026

The world doesn't make accessible travel easy, but the joy we get from our explorABLE adventures is worth it every time!

As Tom's mobility changed it got harder to do many of the things he/we enjoyed doing. I am grateful that early on he ag...
03/02/2026

As Tom's mobility changed it got harder to do many of the things he/we enjoyed doing. I am grateful that early on he agreed to use a wheelchair because it gave him back his independence.

Part of his chronic illness impacts his energy level and the wheelchair has allowed him to conserve energy for the important things like exploring!

Doctors call patients with complex and confusing medical conditions "zebras'. Tom was first called a zebra 2 years ago ...
02/28/2026

Doctors call patients with complex and confusing medical conditions "zebras'. Tom was first called a zebra 2 years ago after we were told that his original diagnosis of primary progressive multiple sclerosis was incorrect. This was after we pursued treatment for PPMS for 3 years. Unfortunately, the numerous medical systems we have visited have not been able to determine what he does in fact have, other than it is a neurodegenerative disease.

Living with a rare disease and being the family member of someone with a rare disease is a scary and often isolating experience. It is like going on a trip to an unknown land without speaking the language and having no map to help you navigate your way. We are constantly forced to blaze our trail and don't know anyone else who has had a similar experience.

Despite these unknowns we choose to continue to pursue joy. Traveling and exploring are big sources of joy for us even if it looks different than before Tom's illness. It has also been an eye-opening experience to move through the world that was not created with inclusion in mind. We hope sharing our explorABLE adventures with you raises awareness about gaps in accessibility and inspires you to know that you, too can continue to find joy in your own explorABLE adventures.


We are getting excited for our next explorABLE adventure coming up at the end of March, when we travel to Southern Calif...
02/28/2026

We are getting excited for our next explorABLE adventure coming up at the end of March, when we travel to Southern California.

It will be my first time visiting San Diego and L.A (with the exception of 1 trip to Disneyland 10 years ago). As an Aquarius, I am drawn to the ocean, so I decided to stay in La Jolla & Santa Monica to sneak in a little beach time. I did compromise with the kids and added 1 day at Disneyland/California Adventure.

Do you have any suggestions for must do accessible activities or restaurants? What about places we should avoid?

Have you heard of what we call "the disability tax"? Or maybe experienced but yourself? Here is an example of us trying...
02/27/2026

Have you heard of what we call "the disability tax"? Or maybe experienced but yourself?

Here is an example of us trying to rent a car for our upcoming spring break trip.

It would cost us approximately $1000 more to rent the accessible van for the same time period. That is more than 2x the cost of the standard mini -van rental!

I was actually pleasantly surprised that renting the accessible van was even an option.

We are lucky that currently Tom can still transfer to the front seat of the mini -van. So for this trip we can save the $1000 to spend on something fun.

02/26/2026

Welcome to "watch us Wednesday!"

In these segments we will share stories of us doing things that we were told weren't accessible.

When planning our trip down under the cruise company said that The Phillip's Island Penguin Parade shore excursion was not accessible.

Here we are proving them wrong!

I was talking to Tom today about an upcoming trip and asked him what makes traveling easier for him and what makes it ha...
02/24/2026

I was talking to Tom today about an upcoming trip and asked him what makes traveling easier for him and what makes it harder.

He quickly noted that throughout the course of our travels we have encountered many strangers who are quick to go out of their way to lend a hand.

On the flip side, nearly everything feels more laborious than it used to, even when we are able to modify the activity. For example, when we visited Universal Studios in Orlando, Tom's ticket was the same price but he was only able to ride a fraction of the rides and spent most of his time waiting for the rest of us. Did he enjoy the day with his family? Yes (I think??). But it sure would have been great if there were more accessible rides or a discount at the very least. Times like these are reminders that accessibility is an afterthought, not a true value of inclusion.

A gentle reminder for the days when it feels easier to stay at home. This is especially true, now that trip planning re...
02/23/2026

A gentle reminder for the days when it feels easier to stay at home. This is especially true, now that trip planning requires so much more research on the front end to make sure that activities and lodging can accommodate our family's needs.

While I find the extra work of tracking down accessibility information to be somewhere from a mild inconvenience to maddening at times, I agree with Twain. We only get one life. So our family will continue to choose to:

" Explore. Dream. Discover."

And I hope you know that you can too.

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As a caregiver, I find it easier to cope when I have fun things to look forward to. I don't recall now if I was like t...
02/22/2026

As a caregiver, I find it easier to cope when I have fun things to look forward to. I don't recall now if I was like this before Tom got sick (that was pre-pandemic and who can remember back that far)? But now, I always have at least one trip on the calendar at all times.

Can you guess the destination of our next explorABLE adventure?

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Indianapolis, IN

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