ABOUT

Still Able to Travel is a travel blog from Briar and Mandi, who wanted to chronicle their various travels across the world, while traveling with disabilities, chronic illnesses, and mobility issues. The site, Still Able to Travel, was given the title to show that despite previously thinking their disabilities hindered them from traveling, they both found a way to travel to various places across the world, and hope to show others with similar fears or illnesses that they too, can still travel as they wish.

BRIAR

Briar is a social media consultant and editor-in-chief for the media website, Nerds & Beyond. In 2019, she was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease, an auto-immune disease that effects the digestive track. As someone who used to travel frequently – to different cities, theme parks, etc. – she was worried about maintaining her hobbies with the new diagnosis. As the years have gone by, she’s advocated and researched on how to work around traveling with this disability, by not letting it define her and figuring out some tips and tricks on how to travel (bathroom apps are your best friend!) With this website, she hopes to document her travels to help out those who also are in a similar situation with Crohn’s, Ulcerative Colitis, and other disabilities.

MANDI

Mandi is a photographer for the website Nerds and Beyond, as well as an occupational therapy assistant in a skilled nursing facility with 10 years of experience. In 2014, she suffered a back injury while working and has had chronic pain ever since, as well as other chronic pain issues that have yet to be figured out. She has traveled all over the world since she was 18 and after managing her chronic pain issues, realized that when she was planning her travels, she’d plan around her chronic pain, finding easier ways to still enjoy the adventure and beauty of travel but with less impact to the body. She’s planned trips for family members with chronic pain and those that are wheelchair bound. Her unique views as an occupational therapy assistant has allowed her to be able to plan trips for various abilities. Mandi’s goal of participating in activities when traveling that everyone else does but in a way that doesn’t add pain to her travels is something she wants to share far and wide, so that others may be able to travel in a similar capacity.