How it all began

A lot of people with physical disabilities and/ or complex medical needs might be put off the idea of travelling overseas. The months and months of planning involved, research into whether the place/s they want to travel to have adequate access and facilities, as well as just the nerves and uncertainty of being so far from home, in foreign surroundings, in countries where English might not be the 1st language spoken. I know all these reasons have made me extremely comfortable with the idea of staying in Australia for the rest of my life, and have completely killed my curiosity for exploring the world outside of my own back yard.

My sister and brother in law moved to Vienna in August 2011, so the prospect of one day going over there for a visit has been at the back of my mind for some time. The inability to get time off work last year when my parents were going meant that I had to stay behind for 5 long weeks, and I became more and more envious with every day that passed.

At the beginning of this year my sister announced that she might be coming back to Australia in August. This was when I decided that I really needed to get my skates (or skate-wheels) on and make a final decision on whether I was going to go before she came back. The decision was easy - YES! I did want to go! It was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and there was no way I was going to miss it.