Wheelchair Travel Meet-up at the Paris Olympics

Join other Wheelchair Travel readers at the Olympic Games this summer in Paris, France, plus information on future meet-ups around the world.

Wheelchair Travel readers hail from around the world and, on occasion, I have the opportunity to meet some of you when I am traveling. It is always a joy for me to connect with members of the community, and a gift to learn from the life and travel experiences of others.

One of my goals has been to host organized meet-ups in major cities, and I think Paris, France is as good a place as any to start. When I announced my plans to attend the Olympic Games, a number of readers shared that they too will be traveling to attend the games — some from just down the street in Paris, and others from more faraway places like Australia and the United States.

Given the varied schedules we’re all likely to have, this meet-up will be different from those I have planned for the future — there isn’t a set time or date, at least not yet, because I don’t want to schedule a gathering that overlaps readers’ Olympics schedule. There are sporting contests being held throughout the day, every day, and I’d first like to gain input from those traveling (or who are in the area) before settling on a particular time or place.

If you would like to participate in this or future Wheelchair Travel Meet-ups, please head over to Facebook and join my new group, Wheelchair Travel — Accessible Travel Community.

Whether you will be in Paris or not, please join the group — it’s a place to connect with other members of our community, to ask questions and share accessible travel tips with one another.

There is another reason for this group — I have to admit, the number of emails that I receive from readers is astronomical. To keep up with them all, and to answer queries in the detail you would like, I would (seriously) have to dedicate all of my time to email. That’s not realistic and, since I’m a one-man band here, I hope this group will help ease the avalanche of emails.

The group is also a place where I’ll be free to share insights from my travels in a less formal way — with photos and a few sentences, rather than through the longer-form articles that I currently (and will continue) to write.

So please, if you’re on Facebook, join the Wheelchair Travel group. It’s brand new, so I hope you will contribute right away by introducing yourself, telling us a bit about your favorite accessible destination, and also where you hope to travel next. And, if you would, invite your friends to join us there as well! Let’s build community!

As for future Wheelchair Travel Meet-ups — you’re in luck if you live in or around Boston (September), Las Vegas (October) or San Francisco (November), as I am already putting plans in place to host meet-ups in those cities. Make sure to join the Facebook group to keep up with the latest on future meet-up opportunities!

Talk to you soon (tomorrow via email, or today if you join the Facebook group!),
—John