They say necessity is the mother of invention. But in some instances this necessity isn’t an especially welcome one. So it was with Anne Bain, a 15-year veteran of the retail travel industry who was confronted with a life changing set of circumstances in 2011. An innocuous bike ride taken by her husband Greg back in 2011 ended when he was hit by a car. He was badly injured and suffered a severe brain injury which has affected him ever since.
Working as a home based agent and also cast in the role of doting carer to her husband, Bain hit on an inspirational plan that combined her changing circumstances and business acumen.
“Greg’s subsequent healing process brought me into contact with both rehabilitation specialists and solicitors. It was during a conversation with these people that the idea of providing a service for accessible travel was born,” Bain said. After a difficult year of juggling her responsibilities, by December 2012 she had set up a website and AccessAbility Travel had gone from conception to reality.
Like most fledgling business ideas, the first year was a challenge in terms of building up awareness but by the second half of 2013 things were tracking positively. Bain also decided early on to nail her colours to mast, quite literally, by making cruise a key focus for her business. “In early 2013 I decided to concentrate the service I provided on cruising because it’s one of the best forms of holiday for every ability. I also became a member of Cruise Lines International Association and set up a Facebook business page,” Bain said.
The business, based in the small town of Wingham on the New South Wales mid north coast, has formed a niche as it empowers people who might not have considered leisure travel possible due to an impairment, either physical or mental. Having experienced first-hand the difficulties of travel for both the impaired individual and carer, Bain was in an excellent position to assist. “Probably the hardest thing for those with a disability who would like to have a holiday is making the arrangements. It’s the getting to and from, where to go, and what can I do aspects that are most challenging. If not undertaken by the person themselves then this task would most often fall to the carer or another family member or friend, so I believed that if I could ease this burden then more people with a disability would be able to go on a holiday,” Bain said.
Bain also believes that with a rapidly ageing population in Australia the need for businesses such as hers will only grow. Many of the baby boomer generation do not want for disposable income, but issues such as mobility and illness can potentially hold them back from taking that trip of a lifetime. “The one thing baby boomers are renowned for is travelling and experiencing new destinations and although not all will have disabilities a good number will. Add to this demographic people who are younger wheelchair users, or are sight or hearing impaired, and it is an enormous number of potential travellers who could need assistance,” Bain said.
Although AccessAbility Travel is not the only business out there that caters for or specialises in disability travel, she does feel that the market sector could benefit from additional awareness. To this end she has taken steps to promote the cause. “Our local area held a Health, Medical and Disability Expo for the first time last year, which was a great way to let people know what and who is available to help them. Every year since my husband’s accident AccessAbility Travel has been involved with Brain Injury Queensland’s Bang On A Beanie project too,” Bain said.
Unsurprisingly, the nature of the business and her work with people who certainly don’t take the opportunity to travel for granted has generated some heart-warming experiences. One client wanted nothing more than to take his extended family on holiday, but was meeting obstacles that seemed insurmountable. “They were concerned their elderly parents would miss out as the father used a wheelchair and the mother was also quite frail. I organised a cruise, the family flew in from different parts of Australia and overseas and support equipment, including a wheelchair was delivered to the ship. In total 35 people had a great family get together and all they had to do was turn up,” Bain said.
It has been a difficult journey over the last few years, but Bain takes plenty of satisfaction from the establishment of her business. “Being the central figure in the business and having the freedom to choose my one-on-one appointments, it affords me the chance to use my travel industry experience to help people who are challenged by disability in some small way,” Bain said.
“I guess I can also see things from the disability perspective, having been a carer and seen the demands made on family and friends when a loved one has a disability,” Bain said. At the end of the day, as travel agents the country over would attest, there’s no surer way to empathise with a client than to have a shared experience.
