Guest contribution from Millie Bridger: advocate, writer, community-builder, and Non-Executive Director with Access-air-bility.

She leads milliebridger.com sharing lived experience, tools, and connection under the motto: “Inclusion first, happiness always.”

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 Instagram and TikTok . My motto is simple: Inclusion first, happiness always.

Join Our Accessibility Advisory Panel

Help shape the future of inclusive air travel. We’re building an advisory panel that brings together disabled passengers, carers, frontline staff, airports, airlines, and regulators. Share lived experience, test ideas, and guide practical improvements across the journey.

➤ Register your interest on our Advisory Panel page
➤ Prefer email? Contact us: info@access-air-bility.com

Your insight turns accessibility from a box-tick into a competitive advantage and makes flying fairer for everyone.