Travel expert Cory Lee has been all over the world. He’s seen the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, fed elephants at a sanctuary in Thailand, and attended a traditional tea ceremony in Japan.
But as a wheelchair user, Lee has to constantly advocate for himself as he seeks adventure.
“At the age of 2, I was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy, a form of muscular dystrophy,” Lee told Travel + Leisure in January. “It basically means I have overall muscle weakness. By 4 years old, I was not able to walk at all and had to use a power wheelchair full-time.”
His first trip was to Disney World — a vacation that caught him off guard by being surprisingly accessible.
But it was at age 15, when he traveled to the Bahamas, that Lee fell in love with globetrotting.
“That’s when the travel bug really bit me,” Lee said.
Lee emphasizes that his trips have never been seamless. The world at large still has huge blind spots when it comes to accessibility, and Lee’s seen it all, from being trapped underground in the New York subway system to losing a wheelchair charger to an exploding outlet in Munich.
“As a wheelchair user, I’m scared to death every time I travel,” Lee wrote in an Instagram post. “I worry about my wheelchair being damaged by airlines, I worry about needing to use the restroom during flight, I worry about the hotel not being accessible, I worry about getting sick on a trip.”
“But I do it anyway,” he continued. “And because of that, I’ve been able to travel to 49 countries and all seven continents, and I’ve had some pretty remarkable experiences along the way.”
“If you’re scared of getting out there into the world, I get it… but I urge you to give it a try.”

Recently, on a trip to Seoul, South Korea, Lee encountered another problem: The table at his restaurant was too low to eat at.
When the restaurant staff noticed that he was inconvenienced, they stepped into action, finding four cups to place underneath the table’s legs so that they could raise it accordingly.
“It was a small gesture, but it reminded me that kindness is everywhere,” Lee wrote in the video. “Sure, there's a lot of bad in this world, but I fully believe that there's more good.”
He added in the caption: “I love this world and the people in it.”

On his website, Curb Free with Cory Lee, the influencer created a wheelchair accessible travel guide for his full journey in South Korea, from his 123-story view in Lotte World Tower to the “foodie paradise” of Myeongdong.
His travel guides — of which there are many — are just one part of Lee’s larger mission to share information with fellow wheelchair users and inspire them to travel too.
“As a wheelchair user, I can stay at home and be comfortable for the rest of my life,” Lee told Travel + Leisure. “But when you get out there in the world, maybe things don't go as they're supposed to, but you’re gaining so much insight. Travel teaches empathy.”
“I always have to travel with a companion because I do need assistance throughout the flight or going to the restroom or transferring into bed at night or showering,” Lee noted.
“But I love that feeling of being pushed out of my comfort zone and being able to experience something new. The general public of able-bodied people need to see wheelchair users living these amazing lives and traveling around the world, and it will really change perspectives.”
In 2018, Lee started hosting Curb Free group trips, which are funded by his nonprofit: The Curb Free Foundation.
“I wanted to be able to open up the world to those who could otherwise not afford to have these experiences traveling,” Lee said. “So far, we have sent people to Disney World, the Caribbean, and soon Morocco.”
“A few months ago, we even sent an 80-year-old wheelchair user to the beach for the first time in his life,” He continued. “He had just been admitted to a nursing home, but got permission to leave for a week to visit Tybee Island. We've provided some incredible experiences through the foundation, and it's my favorite thing I've ever done.”
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Header image via ELEVATE / Unsplash