Last month, I was invited to write a guest blog for Access-Air-Bility, a social enterprise working to make air travel more accessible, inclusive, and empowering for everyone.
Finding Freedom in the Skies is a story about what travel really means when you live with disability, the balance between freedom and fragility, preparation and possibility. I wrote it with hope that others might see themselves reflected, and know that travel can still hold magic, even when it looks a little different.
You can also read the full piece on the Access-Air-Bility website here.
Travel has always felt like magic to me. The moment a plane lifts into the air, the world expands. Horizons open. You feel part of something bigger than your everyday life.
For disabled people, though, that magic can feel fragile. Travel connects us to the world, yet it also reminds us how much we must rely on others: strangers at security, staff at the gate, people we may never see again but who hold the power to make or break our journey.
Freedom and Fragility
When I travel with feeding tubes and mobility aids, I carry more than luggage. I carry preparation, letters, lists, supplies, and the quiet hope that everything will go smoothly. Organisation is essential, but so is courage.
I’ve learned that travel as a disabled person is both freedom and fragility. It gives me joy, but it demands resilience. It connects me to the wider world, yet it also shows me how quickly a lack of awareness can make someone feel excluded.
Over time, I’ve found what works for me. I carry most of my medical supplies with me and keep backups in the hold. I explain my needs early, so staff are aware. I use visible aids and the sunflower lanyard to help others recognise my condition. These small steps ease the process and reduce my anxiety, though I know not everyone feels able to take them.
The Role of Compassion
Accessibility isn’t only about ramps or policies. It’s about people. It’s about the staff member who takes time to listen, the gentle reassurance from someone who understands, the willingness to treat a disabled passenger not as a burden but as a traveller who belongs there just like everyone else.
Compassion has carried me through so many journeys. A kind word, a supportive attitude, those small moments can transform what might otherwise feel overwhelming.
That’s also why I share resources and encouragement through my help guides on milliebridger.com, because sometimes, knowing you’re entitled to ask for help, or seeing someone else’s journey, can be the difference between staying home and booking the ticket.
Why Travel Matters
I never expected my life to look like this. Before my conditions took over, I dreamed of travelling freely, backpacking, exploring the world without limits. That isn’t my reality now; I can’t just sling a bag over my shoulder and go. My trips look different: shorter, slower, more carefully planned.
But they are no less meaningful. In fact, they mean so much more. Because travel gives me what illness so often takes away: joy, rest, connection, a sense of possibility.
Disabled people don’t just want holidays, we need them. We need them because our daily lives require the kind of strength most people never have to find. That’s why it’s vital that travel becomes more accessible, more welcoming, and more consistent across the world.
Different Journeys, Shared Struggles
I know not everyone feels able to fly. For some, the barriers are too high; the planning, the costs, the lack of confidence in support systems. For others, anxiety about being judged or not believed stops them from even trying.
Every disabled person’s journey looks different, and that’s why community matters so much. It’s the reason I created my support group, Finding Happiness, Together, a space where we share encouragement, advice, and reminders to one another that joy is still possible, even if life looks different to what we once imagined.
If you’ve ever felt that flying is impossible, I want you to know that it can be done. Maybe not in the way you once pictured, but in a way that still brings freedom, connection, and joy.
Moving Forward
True accessibility in travel will only happen when disabled voices are heard and valued. It’s not enough to tick boxes, we need consistent policies, staff training in hidden disabilities, and compassion built into the culture of travel.
That’s why I believe so strongly in Access-air-bility’s mission. By sharing lived experiences and pushing for change, we can create a travel system where every disabled traveller, whether they use feeding tubes, rely on mobility aids, or live with hidden conditions, feels safe, supported, and welcome in the skies.
Closing Thought
Travel should never be out of reach. The world belongs to all of us, and when doors open, joy follows.
If you’d like to stay connected, you’ll find more resources and encouragement at milliebridger.com, or you can follow my journey on Instagramand TikTok . My motto is simple: Inclusion first, happiness always.
Thank you for taking the time to read my blog and visit my website, it truly means the world to me. If it offered comfort, or helped you feel even a little less alone, I hope you’ll stay close.
You’re warmly invited to subscribe to my Monthly Newsletter, where you can find the latest help guides, community updates and product recommendations. You’re also welcome to join our Support Group “Finding Happiness, Together”, or connect with others through our Facebook Community, to be part of the conversation with others that truly understand. If you’re able to, a donation to my JustGiving page helps fund the private treatment I urgently need, while keeping these free resources going for those who rely on them. It means more than I can say.
Thank you for being here. Your support keeps this going, and reminds me why I keep going, too. Wherever you are in your journey, please know, you’re not walking it alone.
