Wheelie Inspiring Interview Series: Justin Skeesuck (a.k.a. “The Disabled Traveler”)

A while back, I saw a guy on The Meredith Vieira Show that was in a wheelchair and had just completed an epic 500 mile hike in Spain. I was encouraged at the time that I saw it, but forgot about it over the next few months. Well, a few weeks ago I received an email from Justin Skeesuck, the same guy that I had seen on the show, and we started talking. I immediately knew that I had to interview him for my Wheelie Inspiring Interview Series because his story had been an inspiration to me not too long ago. Check out Justin’s interview below –

 

1. How did your passion for traveling begin?

For as long as I can remember, I have always had a deep passion for traveling. When I was a kid, my parents would take me on long road trips during the summer. We would travel to various places around the US as well as Canada which was my first taste of traveling. I’ve always loved exploring, experiencing and seeing what the world is like. I love experiencing other cultures, food, history, and most important, meeting new people!

In my teens, I was in a car accident which triggered a (then dormant) progressive autoimmune/ neuromuscular disease in my body. That forever changed the way that I live life and I had to make many adjustments (and continue to make) along the way. So, I have used braces on my feet, canes, walkers, manual wheelchairs and now I use a power wheelchair. I have very limited use of my hands and I am unable to walk as well as I require daily assistance for pretty much everything; eating, bathing, bathroom, etc. I have experienced pretty much the full gamut of limited mobility.

Through it all, my passion for traveling has never subsided and I’ve never stopped traveling… Regardless of my disability. I just love it so much that I figure it out as I go!

 

Justin Skeesuck, the disabled traveler

Justin Skeesuck

 

2. What made you decide to start The Disabled Traveler and Access Travel Academy and can you explain a bit about what they are?

For the past 15+ years I had been a graphic designer but the demands of the job were becoming harder and harder due to my disease progression. So, in 2010, I was doing some serious contemplation on what I would do next if I wasn’t doing graphic design.

A good friend of mine had mentioned to me “You travel, why don’t you help other people with disabilities travel?” and I said “That’s a good idea!”… Thus, The Disabled Traveler was born.

At the time, I didn’t know what that meant exactly, but I DID recognize that there were many people with disabilities out there who have the desire to travel but just don’t quite know how to go about it. So, The Disabled Traveler is my company where I help people with disabilities get out of their house and go see the world. I don’t tell them where to go, I just give them the tools,

knowledge, and resources to do so. Additionally, I am also a accessibility consultant where work with organizations worldwide to provide greater accessibility for people with disabilities. I travel around the world speaking on the topic of accessibility too.

Access Travel Academy is a culmination of 20+ years of traveling with limited mobility. It is my video-based, online course where I teach people with limited mobility, step-by-step how to travel virtually anywhere in the world they choose… Regardless of their disability.

When you visit AccessTravelAcademy.com, I have some FREE videos that will give you some good insight on how to get started as well as finding accommodations and flying with a disability.

 

3. How do you go about choosing your destinations?

Believe it or not, I choose where you want to go based on my own desire. It’s as simple as that. I just think where I want to go and… I go!

The hardest decision is to actually say “yes” and from there, it’s just a matter of reverse engineering the accessibility. I’m a huge fan of reverse engineering. I don’t let the unknown scare me when it comes to choosing where I want to go. I just make a decision and then figure it out from there! Luckily, there are wonderful websites like yours that provide insight into destinations around the world.

 

In Maui, Hawaii

In Maui, Hawaii

 

4. What is the most wheelchair friendly place that you have traveled to?

There are certain cities who have accessibility nailed down like Las Vegas and Washington DC (for the most part). In Europe, one of the most accessible cities I have been to recently was Pamplona, Spain. The city where the “running of the bulls” takes place.

In Pamplona, there were wheelchair accessible taxis readily handy, curb cut outs pretty much everywhere and wide boulevards in the downtown area that were mostly flat. Even most stores I could get into pretty easily. That is pretty rare to find a city like that, especially in Europe!

 

5. What is the least accessible place that you have been to?

The least accessible place I have been to I’d say is Mexico! Is a third world country with pretty much no accessibility embedded within its infrastructure. One time, I was on a sidewalk that was barely wide enough for my wheelchair with a 3 foot drop down to the street on one side. One wrong turn, and I’m done. Pretty nuts but I still had fun though…

 

6. What kind of problems have you came across while traveling in a wheelchair? How did you overcome them?

Well, I have had plenty of problems traveling in a wheelchair! Traveling is never 100% smooth for anyone… Disabled or not! Most of my challenges occur in general accessibility. What I mean by this is just getting basic access into a building.

I travel with a power chair now so whenever I have to leave the US borders, I typically bring a small portable “travel ramp.” It’s 3 feet wide by 18 inches long and very light. My wife made a bag where I put it on the back of my wheelchair so whenever I try to access a building that has a step (or sometimes two small steps), it allows me to quickly get access. In addition, it has also acted as a “bridge” where I had needed to cross a gap in the road. By far, it has been my most valuable tool when it comes to traveling abroad. And for only $75, it’s a great purchase!

Here’s a quick story along this line… In the spring of 2013, I was living in Italy for a few months with my family and I was using my small travel ramp to access my favorite pizza place. I came the first couple times and used the ramp as I would naturally do. The third time I came back, the owners actually made a ramp for me! Pretty cool to see how people can recognize a need and then do something so kind to make my life easier.

 

The Skeesuck family in Venice, Italy

The Skeesuck family in Venice, Italy

 

7. What are some of the top items on your bucket list?

Well, I just crossed off one of my bucket list items! Last year, I successfully completed the epic 500 mile pilgrimage called the Camino de Santiago in Spain! My best friend, Patrick Gray, pushed me (along with friends and even strangers!) in a specialized off-road wheelchair. It was by far the hardest, but most rewarding, thing I’ve ever done! To learn more about our journey, you can visit: illpushyou.com

Next on the list is to live in Scandinavia (Sweden, Norway, and Denmark) for a bit with my family. My wife is Swedish so she has been wanting to go there.

I also have a friend who has offered to sail me around the British Virgin Islands (Caribbean) for a couple weeks in a catamaran if I’d like. I think I might have to take him up on the offer, what do you think?

After that, I’m thinking maybe Japan or maybe back to Italy (I’m missing my Italian coffee!).

 

Conquering the Camino de Santiago

Conquering the Camino de Santiago

 

8. Do you have any tips for other wheelchair users that might not think traveling is possible?

One of the best tips I could ever give somebody is to start small! If you want to travel but you are on the fence, starting small is by far, the best way to get your feet wet. I recommend having a “stay-cation” where you have a vacation in your hometown (or nearby town).

I recommend driving to and staying in a local hotel (with a wheelchair accessible room if needed) for at least one night. If it becomes too difficult for you, you can always go home! Plus, you won’t be committed to a long vacation if it’s not quite right. If you can make it for at least one night, that will at least give you a baseline from which to measure yourself.

You can ask yourself these questions afterwards… How was it? What were the challenges I had? What would I do differently?

The key to traveling is to know what it’s like outside of your own environment. When you are at home, you know exactly where things are and how this impacts your life with a disability. By getting outside of your comfort zone, starting small allows you to experience what it’s like to travel and the more you do it, the more comfortable and confident you get!

 

9. Most importantly, where to next?

For the rest of 2015, it looks like I will be traveling around quite a bit in the US, potentially Dubai. I have a potential speaking/consulting opportunity there so, we’ll see. Mostly, I will be traveling around speaking and working with organizations to provide greater accessibility for people with disabilities. I do know that I will be going back to Maui in November which is also one of my favorite places!

 

If you’d like to connect with Justin, check out his website, Facebook page, or Twitter.

2 Comments

  • Mitch Weiner says:

    I beg to differ a little on Mexico being so unfriendly to wheelchairs. I did a Mexican Riviera cruise and little trouble in my manual wheelchair. Some ports were, indeed, better suited than others but overall I did fine. Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta were particularly good to get around while Zihuatanejo/Ixtapa were not. I guess it’s all about the approach you take and dependent on that disabled person’s mobility.

  • Hazel Owens says:

    I like your tip to start small when traveling with a disability. There are a lot of tools out there for people with handicaps that can allow them to travel more easily. Like you said, driving to a local hotel room and staying for the night can be a great way to get some low-risk traveling experience. Thanks for sharing!

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