The Back Up and Thriving Accessible Travel Podcast
Welcome to a new podcast from Back Up, the spinal cord injury charity. We inspire people affected by spinal cord injury to get the most out of life.
Back Up and Thriving is an accessible travel podcast about travelling via different forms of transport with a spinal cord injury hosted by our Head of Services Sophie Elwes, who sustained a SCI herself in 2011. She interviews a range of guests, all of whom have a spinal cord injury themselves and have experienced Back Up's life-changing services.
The Back Up and Thriving Accessible Travel Podcast
Travelling by Public Transport with a Spinal Cord Injury with Merryn Thomas
In this episode of The Back Up and Thriving Accessible Travel Podcast, host Sophie Elwes interviews Merryn Thomas about her journey with a spinal cord injury sustained in 2009. The discussion touches on various travel experiences, focusing on public transport, living abroad, and the challenges and triumphs of navigating the world as a wheelchair user. Merryn shares valuable tips for newly injured individuals, emphasizing the importance of confidence, planning, and community support. From small victories in daily tasks to solo European train trips, this episode highlights resilience and the benefits of embracing new experiences despite disabilities, with some great advice about travelling by public transport as a person with a spinal cord injury.
Episode Highlights:
01:47 Guest Introduction: Merryn's Story
06:20 Experiences with Public Transport
11:19 Living Abroad with a Spinal Cord Injury
16:49 Skills for Independence and Rehabilitation
23:40 Travel Tips and Final Thoughts
Episode Links:
Credits:
This episode was hosted by Sophie Elwes, Head of Services at Back Up and produced by Lucy Lucraft.
Back Up is a national charity for everyone affected by spinal cord injury. Join us on Instagram, Facebook, X and Linkedin.