Travel blogger with disability uses ‘challenges’ to help others explore the world

by Admin
July 30, 2024

In short:

Australian travel blogger and wheelchair user Shane Hryhorec has been capturing his travel experiences to help others with a disability explore the world.

Mr Hryhorec recently documented some of the challenges he faced while trying to board an Asiana Airlines flight from Tokyo to South Korea.

What’s next?

The ABC’s Charles Brice, who uses a wheelchair, says there should be an international standard for hotels for people navigating travel with a disability.

An Australian blogger has gained online popularity after documenting his travel experiences as a wheelchair user.

Shane Hryhorec, who often travels for work and leisure, said he aims to capture “the good, the bad and the ugly,” while he visits “dream holiday destinations” overseas.

“There is absolutely no mainstream travel content that is supportive of people with disabilities,” Mr Hryhorec said from Lake Como in Italy.

“What is crazy is that nearly 20 per cent of the population has disabilities.

“In my opinion it’s a huge gap in the market.”

A TikTok video he recently published received more than a million views and nearly 70,000 likes after he was almost “not allowed” on an Asiana Airlines flight due to his two wheelchair batteries.

Mr Hryhorec said he was the first passenger to check-in for the flight from Tokyo to South Korea.

He planned to film the check-in process for his TikTok channel “Wheel Around the World” before things “started to go wrong”.

“One of the first questions they [the staff] asked was ‘Why are you in a wheelchair?’,” he said.

He replied: “Why do you need to know why I am in a wheelchair? I just am in one.”

He was told he could not travel with two batteries, as it was against airline policy.

In a statement to the ABC, an Asiana Airlines spokesperson said it “did not resist allowing Mr Hryhorec on his flight at any time”.

“Passengers with their own electric wheelchair must remove the batteries from the wheelchair, so please notify us in advance upon booking,” the statement said.

But Mr Hryhorec said he checked the company’s policies before booking the flight to see if the batteries would be allowed.

‘Pretty tricky’

Eventually he was allowed on the flight and he used the footage from that experience as a way to connect with his audience.

“A lot of the comments are from people with disabilities who have had similar experiences,” he said.

“It is these traumatic moments that make people feel disabled, it makes people feel excluded and discriminated and it’s sad.”

Mr Hryhorec said those living with a disability should do research before they travel.

Shane Hryhorec shared his experience while trying to board a flight from Tokyo to South Korea.(Supplied: Shane Hryhorec)

The ABC’s Charles Brice, who also uses a wheelchair, often consults Mr Hryhorec for overseas travel “tips and tricks”.

He says that Mr Hryhorec’s “travel blog” on TikTok is one of few channels available to assist with accessible travel.

“I’ve had to ask for photos to be provided at different resorts and hotels just to make sure it will work for me,” Brice said.

“Everybody has their different requirements.”

‘You’ve got to pick and choose’

Accessibility is an issue that Brice will face while he travels to cover the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games.

“Booking for the Paris Olympics was pretty tricky,” he said.

“Being an old city it doesn’t take into account the accessibility requirements of a wheelchair user.”

Charles Brice says travel options for people with a disability can be limiting.(Supplied: Charles Brice)

Brice said he has made a conscious effort to double check the locations he will stay to avoid accessibility issues.

“One hotel was booked for me and I received photos and there was a step going into the hotel,” he said.

“You’ve got to pick and choose where you can and can’t go which is a bit of a shame as the world is a beautiful place.

“There’s no chance of me being able to go to the Greek Islands or Mykonos, to be up over the stairs and looking over the islands — it looks great but there’s no chance I’m getting there unfortunately.

“Machu Picchu looks amazing but I don’t have that good of friends that would carry me up there.

“You have to do what you can with limitations.”

He believes there should be an international standard for hotels.

“So many places will tick the accessible box, for me that means no stairs, a roll-in shower, something that’s really accessible but often that’s not the case,” Brice said.

Rating experiences

Mr Hryhorec has endeavoured to give each location he visits a rating on different elements that contributes to better accessibility.

“Every destination has it’s good, bad and ugly,” he said.

But Mr Hryhorec said there were some destinations that have stood out.

“Accommodation for instance, probably one of the worse is Japan,” he said.

“What they do is they have a normal standard hotel room and they put a shower chair in the bathtub and then they call it an accessible room when it’s not.”