For many, traveling is a form of freedom. But for Marta Morera It is also a declaration of resistance. At the age of 15, an operation to remove a cyst in the bone marrow, for which there was medical negligence, left her in wheelchairunable to move shoulders down. Despite the difficult situation, her spirit of resilience pushed her not to give up and to fight for her passion for travel.
Born 33 years ago in the city of Tàrrega, in the province of Lleida, devotes a large part of his energy to document his life through Instagram (@aventureraonwheels). “This is my space for explain what people with reduced mobility experienceto make visible and demand a more accessible and fairer society”, he explains to 20 minutes. “In my account I explain my travels and the real accessibility that I find in each destination: the good, the bad and what still needs to be improved,” he emphasizes.
A previous organization in detail
During the 18 years Marta Morera used a wheelchair, didn’t stop travelingnor has he allowed the lack of accessibility of certain destinations to slow him down. “Since the year I had the operation I had to go to Florence, my parents promised me that if everything went well we would go back the following year. And that’s how it happened: we went in a van,” he tells us. That of Lleida too traveled all over Spainin Rome, south of Italy, Austria (Salzburg, Innsbruck, Linz, Vienna…), France (Normandy, Paris, Bordeaux, Toulouse…), London, Berlin, New York, Budapest…
“Travel has become a very important part of my life and each destination reminds me that People with reduced mobility have the right to discover the world without barriers“, he details. Although for many planning a trip can be an easy task, in which we just have to choose destinations, hotels and activities according to our budget and tastes, Morera must take into account many other factors. “Thanks to the Internet, in forums and blogs such as ‘Silleros Viajeros’, We inform ourselves about viable destinations to travel. The travel agency also helps us, particularly to find out how I can get around the cities,” he explains.
And it’s not all too You have to be very careful that the streets are paved. “This year, one of the destinations we wanted to visit was Prague, but just seeing what the streets look like made us lose our desire,” he explains. “I always do the itinerary. Before sending emails to museums, palaces or any other place I want to visit ask if the location is accessible to large electric wheelchairsbecause mine is bigger than the classic ones. It may seem heavy, but I like to organize everything,” she tells us.
Barriers in streets, hotels and transport
Marta Morera’s luggage not only includes a change of clothes and a camera, but her situation requires her to pack much more: chair batteryadhesive tape and a a set of allen keys in case of an unforeseen situation, a basic kit to clean it, a hat to cover yourself and be able to walk even if it rains, medical supplies such as soakers, replacement probes, gauze and patches…
“As for apps, I use Google Maps for find accessible routes and find the best electric chair routes. I also use AccessNow or Wheelmap, which are very useful to see if places in the world (restaurants, cafes…) are accessible and have what I need,” he emphasizes. But no matter how much preparation you do, traveling always becomes a challenge, a mystery until we arrive there. “I encounter many obstacles“: cobbled streets, uneven or narrow sidewalks, slippery steps, small platforms and elevators or descents blocked by cars, and sometimes there is no descent at all,” he laments.
Transport also makes travel very difficult, and one often encounters buses, subways or trains without rampsand with broken elevators in stations. “ANDOn the way from Menorca to Majorca we booked a ferry stating it was accessible but when we asked about lifts we were told there were none. Fortunately, we had our harness; They put it on me and, by hand, they carried me up more than 15 very steep steps and laid me down on the chairs. They didn’t even apologize to usnor did they offer any help, solution or alternative,” he says.
Even housing can be a problem, because there are times when they claim to be accessible when they are not: “In 2024 we went to Paris and The apartment had five or six steps before the elevator. The reservation didn’t want to help us and we had to look for another hotel around ten o’clock in the evening; It was a really complicated experience,” he recalls.
From air transport to the most and least accessible destinations
Traveling by plane is a world apart. “To start, Just getting on the plane is already a tragedy“, she emphasizes. To be able to access the plane, Marta has to sit in another “very narrow” seat that does not recline at all, a big inconvenience given that she cannot hold her head or her trunk on her own. “My head fell forward, my back was sideways, I lost one arm, then the other, then my legs… and all this with the eyes of all the passengers.” And the same thing happens with the plane seats themselves: “The only solution? End up traveling stretchedwith my head on my mother, my butt on my seat and my legs on my father, my brother or another family member. A luxury, come on.”
On a trip to New York, they decided to speak to the counter staff to explain their situation and ask if they could offer them two seats in a more accessible area, paying extra if necessary. “They said yes, of course, €4,000 per person. Obviously, we didn’t accept it and we traveled as best we could,” he says.
If I had to choose the most accessible destination that she visited, Marta Morera is clear: Germanythanks to its well-adapted streets, establishments, museums and palaces, especially in Berlin. “New York also surprised me with its quality,” he adds. On the contrary, place Italy as one of the least accessible countries: “Rome has few accessible areas, cobbled streets and I often have to take the road. The whole coast up to Capri, Naples and the Sorrento coast was complicated. In Pompeii I could hardly see anything. All this happened more than 10 years ago, and although today it could have improved, with simple wooden platforms we could have enjoyed it much more.”
“Experiences that are worth more than any obstacle”
According to Marta, one of the problems of the tourism sector in terms of accessibility is the agencies of journey. “ANDIt would be nice to be able to go to a “normal” establishment like everyone else,” she explains. For example, she has never managed to get help from the agencies in her city. “It makes you feel excluded, as if you didn’t have the right to travel like the others“, he laments. The only solution was to seek specialized agencies, if necessary, Travel experience. “I think everyone needs to be trained to know how the whole accessibility thing works and be able to help you plan your trip, regardless of your functional diversity. And of course, offer more affordable prices“, request.
On the other hand, traveling in a wheelchair also brings with it a series of myths and prejudices that Marta Morera does not hesitate to dismantle: “Many people think it’s impossible or that we are just “boring”, and that is not true. Yes, there are obstacles, but with organization and a little help, you can have incredible experiences. “Similarly, it highlights that each person is different and needs different types of help.”Accessibility is not just a ramp or an elevator, it is being able to enjoy the place without worrying about each step. Traveling is not a whim, it’s a right“.
Finally, any advice for a person in a wheelchair who doesn’t dare to travel? “It’s true that there will be obstacles, that you will have moments of frustration and that sometimes you will ask yourself ‘who is leading me?’. But the world is beautiful, it fills you, makes you grow and gives you experiences that are worth more than any obstacle. And when you look back, you will remember the problems… but above all how traveling made you feel,” she explains. And for Marta, “going out is also a way of fighting for the world to change and be more accessible, not only for us, but also for for all the people who will come after“.
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