As the Danish philosopher and "Father of Existentialism" Søren Kierkegaard once wrote, “Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.”
The content of this website is drawn from my own experiences. Unlike the 'hot takes' so often found on social media, I believe that the perspectives on accessible travel shared here are the product of life being "understood backwards;" stories published only after thought and reflection. Each year, I look forward to the holiday season as an opportunity to take a break and look back on the year — now, I share that annual reflection with you, right here in this article!
2025 was a special year in which I traveled around the world, flew more than 100,000 miles across 100+ flights, visited nine countries (including a new one — Morocco!), and "popped the question" (she said yes!).
I share my top 10 trips of 2025 below, with the aim of inspiring your own adventures and revealing what is important to me as a traveler. The list is presented in chronological order rather than as a ranking (though the first trip on this list was certainly the year's best).
Knoxville, Tennessee — My Engagement to Stevie
On March 16, 2025 (I make note of that date here because I think it is one I am supposed to remember), I asked Stevie to marry me. That I would formally ask the question on a certain day was not a surprise (we believe marriage should be deeply, thoughtfully and prayerfully discerned), but her expectation of the question and my knowing how she would answer did not quell my nerves. This is one of many once-in-a-lifetime moments that we experience, well, once.
Shortly after our engagement, I shared the news and introduced Stevie to you in the story, The Biggest Adventure of My Life. The article hit the main points, but was short on details, like the fact that I popped the question in the most romantic location imaginable, the Locust Street Parking Garage in downtown Knoxville (it was the site of our first kiss). If you haven't yet, please check out Stevie's first blog post, an introduction in her own words.
Stevie Gleason
Nuremberg, Germany — An unexpected destination
In early April, I traveled to London, England with Stevie and Robert, then on to Nuremberg, Germany, where we planned to catch a train to see Stevie's sister. That air and rail journey from the U.K. to Germany was a legitimate disaster catalogued for your reading entertainment in How a Dutch Airline and Deutsche Bahn Broke Us.
The TLDR version of that article is that, due to a ridiculous series of advance notification policies (some of which are undisclosed) by the German rail operator, I was left stranded in Nuremberg for three days, while Stevie and Robert were able to ride the train as planned.
Left to occupy myself, I decided to make the most of the situation and saw as much of the Bavarian city as I could. The result of my exploration is the Nuremberg, Germany Wheelchair Accessible Travel Guide. It's a great city, and one I would love to visit again in the future!
Innsbruck, Austria — Exploring the Austrian Alps
Following our unexpected family separation in Nuremberg, Germany, we reunited in the beautiful city of Innsbruck, Austria. The picturesque town at the foot of the Austrian Alps proved to be a wonderful weekend destination for our family with both indoor and outdoor activities.
We enjoyed riding the funicular and cable car to the top of the mountain range. There, Robert was able to have some fun on the children's sledding hill. The picturesque surroundings elevated our spirits and made for an incredible day of exploration.
If you would like to learn about other aspects of our trip — including where we stayed and how we got around the city — check out our Innsbruck, Austria Wheelchair Accessible Trip Report.
Athens, Greece — Experiencing Ancient Greece Across Three Wheelchair Travel Group Tours
In 2025, more than 20 Wheelchair Travel readers joined me in Greece, where I spent more than a month leading three separate group tours in May, June and September! Each group had a thrilling time exploring the ancient ruins, including the Temple of Poseidon, the Pella Archaeological Site and of course, the Athens Acropolis and Parthenon!
Greece is a timeless destination that I never tire of visiting — even after three tours in 2025, I am looking forward to taking the next group there in March 2026. I am clearly not the only one excited about Greece, since that tour sold out in just a couple of days!
Don't miss out on a future Wheelchair Travel Group Trip to Greece or another destination! You can secure early access to future group tour itineraries by upgrading to a paid membership.
Richmond, Virginia — Taking the Wheelchair Travel Family on the Road
During the month of July, Stevie and Robert joined me on a work trip for the very first time — our 5-day tour of Richmond, Virginia and the wider region taught us a lot about each other and informed our thoughts on how this website and newsletter can become a family business.
Photo Credits: Houston Vandergriff
The work trip was a familiarization tour or "FAM trip" — sponsored by the local tourism authority, it gave us the opportunity to write about Richmond as an accessible travel destination. I had worked with Richmond Region Tourism previously, and I appreciated their willingness to serve as the test case for our first true work trip as a family. The result was an updated accessible travel guide for the River City, which you can find here (it's free!):
John Morris
If you would like to take a peek behind the curtain of our family business and how we took this critical step together, check out Stevie's motherly reflection here:
Stevie Gleason
I think you will find that Stevie's unique voice and perspective adds an entirely new dimension to this website, and her perspective compliments my own extremely well. To say that I am proud of her — and excited for our future together as business partners (and husband & wife) — is a dramatic understatement!
Tallahassee, Florida — Florida State Stuns Alabama, 31-17
During Labor Day weekend, Stevie and I traveled to Tallahassee, Florida to kick-off the college football season, where my Florida State Seminoles hosted the Alabama Crimson Tide. According to the betting lines, Alabama was favored by 13.5 points, but the 'Noles surprised the nation with a dominant victory, 31-17. Following that victory, I expected a return to glory.
In the newsletter that followed, I wrote "And yes, you heard it here first — the Florida State Seminoles will be among the 12 teams represented in this year's College Football Playoff. Book it!" I hope you didn't place that bet.
Though the 'Noles finished the season with a far from glorious 5-7 record and I was left with egg on my face, I will cherish that season-opening rout of Bama long into the future!
Barcelona, Spain — 2025 Wheelchair Travel Group Trip to Catalonia
Readers from around the country met me in Spain in September for what proved to be a truly memorable trip. It was my second group tour in Spain, and I was eager to share Barcelona with a truly wonderful group of people — including some returning travelers who had joined me on past group trips (and one couple who loved Barcelona so much, they came along a second time)!
We visited iconic places, including the Benedict Sanctuary of Montserrat, founded in 1025 and built atop the mountain of Montserrat, which reaches a height of 4,051 feet (1,236 meters) above sea level. There we enjoyed a performance by the Escolania de Montserrat, one of the oldest boys’ choirs in Europe that has existed since the 14th century.
Another of the many highlights of the Spain group trip was the gastronomy — we enjoyed exceptional meals throughout the tour, and tasted local dishes like paella, served in a centuries old family restaurant that produces its own olive oil. Group trips have absolutely become my favorite part of the year, and I look forward to meeting you on a future tour!
If you would like to get early access to future group tour itineraries, please consider upgrading to a paid membership. Paid subscribers are the first to receive tour announcements, and trips often sell out before being made available to free subscribers. Your readership and support are instrumental in supporting my work in accessible travel.
Turin, Italy — Powerhouse Panel at the World Summit on Accessible Tourism
After a long hiatus of nearly seven years, the Destinations for All World Summit on Accessible Tourism reconvened in Turin, Italy — this gathering of the world's leading voices in accessible travel attracted 500+ attendees from more than 25 countries.
I presented twice at the conference, but my most privileged position was on a powerhouse panel with the CEOs of the Italian rail company Trenitalia and the Torino Airport, as well as an executive from the Italian Civil Aviation Authority (Italy's version of the FAA).
Although I had only a limited amount of time, I used every minute of it, and made key points that were the subject of continued discussion throughout the conference. To learn more about my experience at the summit, you can read my reflection (and see my presentation slides) here:
John Morris
I have extensive experience speaking to audiences both large and small about a variety of topics relating to my life with disability and the business case for accessible tourism. Learn how to hire me to speak at your event!
Rome, Italy — Meeting Pope Leo XIV
In April, on Easter Monday, Pope Francis died. I appreciated Pope Francis for his comments in support of disabled people, and I even had the opportunity to meet him in 2023. Life in the Church must go on, though, and on May 8, 2025 the words "Habemus Papam!" ("We have a pope!") echoed across St. Peter's Square. Chicago-born Cardinal Robert Prevost emerged from St. Peter's Basilica as Pope Leo XIV.
Following my participation at the World Summit on Accessible Tourism in October, I hopped on a flight to Rome, Italy with the aim of meeting Pope Leo. I attended his Wednesday General Audience and received preferential seating as a result of my disability. In the minute I had with him, we talked baseball and I shared my sincere hope that the Church might become more welcoming to disabled people.
To learn more about how I managed to meet the pope, check out my guide here:
John Morris
If you value my reporting on accessible travel, please consider upgrading to a paid newsletter subscription. Thanks to the support of paid subscribers, I’m able to cover important events in the travel industry — delivering critical analysis from a disability perspective.
Morocco — First Wheelchair Travel Group Trip on the African Continent
Wheelchair Travel Tours broke new ground this year, as I led my first group tour on the continent of Africa! The 11-day tour of Morocco was a magical excursion into the heart of a foreign land and it is one that left me inspired by the adventurous spirit of our travelers.
Travelers watched the Sun set over the Agafay Desert, toured one of the world's largest mosques, haggled with vendors in the Marrakesh Medina and enjoyed authentic Moroccan food in local restaurants. The memorable journey took us from Casablanca to Rabat, Marrakesh, Essaouira and El Jadida — a well-rounded tour that highlighted the best of Morocco in an accessible format. The tour was a great way to end the year, and I hope it will be the first of many group trips in Morocco!
If you would like to get early access to future group tour itineraries, please consider upgrading to a paid membership. Paid subscribers are the first to receive tour announcements, and trips often sell out before being made available to free subscribers. Your readership and support are instrumental in supporting my work in accessible travel.
Final Thoughts and Plans for 2026
The ten trips listed here are highlights from a whirlwind year of accessible travel (and, for the first time, accessible family travel!), but they don’t provide the full story. Trips to Washington, D.C. to speak before the National Council on Disability, to Atlanta to tour the Delta Flight Products Headquarters, to Seattle for the All Wheels Up Global Forum on Wheelchair Accessible Air Travel, to Oregon to present at the TravelAbility Summit, and to Hamburg, Germany for the Passenger Experience Conference and Aircraft Interiors Expo were critically important. Much of the work I do is not flashy, but advocating for a more accessible world — and showing you how to navigate the one we have — is my mission and purpose.
In the New Year, I hope to bring more of that work into focus, providing opportunities for you to get involved in advocating for the accessible world we dream of, while continuing to inspire disabled people to travel, move and explore.
Look out for some big news to come from our family and, if you’d like to support our work, you can join the team by upgrading to a paid membership or, if you're already a member, by making an end-of-year gift to support us in the new year. Your support makes everything that I do possible, so thank you!
