Travelling With a Disability After Guillain-Barré Syndrome: Why Accessible Hospitality Matters

October, 2026

Travelling with a disability can bring challenges that many people rarely have to think about. Booking a hotel, navigating an unfamiliar building, or enjoying a meal out may require extra planning, especially for someone living with reduced mobility, fatigue, or the lasting effects of a serious illness.

For people recovering from Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), these concerns can be especially relevant. Recovery may take months or even years, and some people continue to experience physical limitations long after leaving hospital.

Robin Sheppard understands how dramatically life can change. The hospitality leader and author of A Solitary Confinement experienced paralysis following Guillain-Barré syndrome. His journey has given him a personal understanding of disability, along with decades of experience in the hotel industry.

Today, as Co-Founder and Chair of the Accessible Hospitality Alliance (AHA), Robin is helping bring greater attention to the importance of making hospitality accessible to everyone. His story raises an important question: how can hotels and hospitality businesses better understand the needs of people travelling with disabilities?

How Guillain-Barré Syndrome Can Affect Travel and Everyday Life

Guillain-Barré syndrome is a rare neurological condition in which the immune system attacks the peripheral nerves. It can cause muscle weakness, numbness, pain and, in severe cases, paralysis.

Although many people recover substantially, others experience lasting symptoms that affect their daily routines. According to the NHS, some people continue to experience fatigue, nerve pain, muscle weakness or difficulty walking without assistance. These symptoms can make travelling more complicated.

A journey that once seemed straightforward may now require considering distance, available seating, accessible transport, and how much energy they have throughout the day.

For example, someone recovering from GBS may need to:

• Choose accommodation with step-free access or an accessible bedroom.
• Check how far their room is from lifts, restaurants or reception.
• Allow additional time for transfers and sightseeing.
• Plan regular breaks to manage fatigue.
• Confirm that bathrooms and other facilities meet their mobility requirements.
• Discuss individual accessibility needs with hotel staff before travelling.

Not everyone recovering from Guillain-Barré syndrome will face these challenges. Symptoms, recovery times and support requirements vary considerably.

However, understanding these possibilities is an important step towards creating more welcoming travel experiences.

Robin Sheppard’s Journey From Guillain-Barré Syndrome to Accessibility Advocacy

In 2004, Robin Sheppard’s life changed when he developed Guillain-Barré syndrome.

Already established in the hospitality industry, Robin suddenly faced a very different reality. His condition became so severe that he was paralysed from the neck down. The experience required an extensive period of treatment and rehabilitation, challenging his independence and changing his outlook on everyday life.

Robin later documented his journey in A Solitary Confinement, sharing the physical and emotional realities of paralysis, recovery and adapting to an unexpected diagnosis. His experience also brings a distinctive perspective to hospitality.

After decades of understanding hotels from a business and leadership standpoint, Robin also knows what it means to live with serious physical limitations. That combination of professional knowledge and lived experience is particularly valuable when discussing accessibility.

As explored in What Hospitality Leaders Can Learn from Robin Sheppard’s Story of Resilience, his journey offers important lessons about empathy, leadership, and understanding others’ experiences.

These lessons extend beyond recovery. They are highly relevant to how hospitality businesses welcome and support guests with disabilities.

Why Accessible Hospitality Matters When Travelling With a Disability

A hotel stay should offer comfort, relaxation and the freedom to enjoy time away from home. For guests with disabilities, that experience often depends on whether their individual requirements have been considered.

Accessible hospitality involves more than providing a wheelchair ramp or designating an accessible bedroom. It includes the entire guest experience, from searching for accommodation online through arrival, check-in, dining, overnight stays, and departure.

1. Clear Information Before Booking

Guests need accurate accessibility information to decide whether accommodation is suitable. Details such as step-free entrances, lift access, bathroom layouts and accessible parking can help travellers make informed choices.

Clear photographs, measurements, and honest descriptions may be more useful than simply calling a property “disability-friendly”.

2. Comfortable and Accessible Facilities

Different guests have different needs. Some may require wheelchair-accessible bedrooms and bathrooms. Others may need somewhere to sit regularly, shorter walking distances or easy access to facilities.

A thoughtful hotel considers how guests move through the entire property, including corridors, dining areas and shared spaces.

3. Staff Who Understand Individual Requirements

A welcoming attitude can make a significant difference. Staff who listen carefully, communicate respectfully and understand that accessibility requirements vary can help guests feel more comfortable.

Importantly, guests should be able to explain what they need without feeling that they are causing an inconvenience.

4. Independence and Dignity

Accessible travel also gives people greater choice and control over their experience.

When practical barriers are reduced, guests can spend less time worrying about arrangements and more time enjoying their visit. That independence matters especially for people whose health conditions have already affected their everyday lives.

How the Accessible Hospitality Alliance Is Helping Improve the Industry

The Accessible Hospitality Alliance (AHA) is working to make accessibility more integral to the hospitality industry. Co-founded and chaired by Robin Sheppard, the alliance brings together hospitality operators, service partners and people with lived experience of accessibility barriers.

Its approach recognises something essential: people who experience accessibility challenges should have a meaningful role in shaping the solutions. Rather than relying entirely on assumptions about what disabled guests might need, AHA encourages collaboration and practical discussion. This helps hospitality businesses understand accessibility from the perspective of the people directly affected.

The alliance also recognises that accessibility is connected to good business practice. When hotels, restaurants and other hospitality venues become more inclusive, they can welcome a wider range of guests and create better experiences.

Why Lived Experience Is So Important

People living with disabilities can identify difficulties that might not be obvious during a routine property inspection.

A hotel may have an accessible entrance but still present challenges elsewhere. A room may be labelled accessible, yet its layout might not meet a particular guest’s requirements. Similarly, a website may advertise accessibility without providing enough detail for someone to book confidently.

Hearing directly from guests who encounter these barriers helps businesses understand what needs to improve. By involving people with lived experience alongside operators and industry specialists, AHA supports a more informed, practical approach to accessible hospitality.

Robin’s experience with Guillain-Barré syndrome gives this work particular meaning.

His journey demonstrates why accessibility conversations benefit from people who understand both the hospitality industry and the realities of living with physical limitations.

Practical Tips for Travelling With a Disability After GBS

For someone recovering from Guillain-Barré syndrome or living with another mobility-related condition, careful preparation can make travelling more manageable.

Consider these points before booking a trip.

1. Contact the accommodation directly. Ask specific questions about access, room layouts, bathroom facilities and anything else important to your individual needs.
2. Plan around your energy levels. If fatigue remains a concern, consider a flexible itinerary with rest time between activities.
3. Check transport arrangements. Research station access, airport assistance, parking and transfers in advance, particularly when using mobility equipment.
4. Consider the whole guest experience. Consider access to restaurants, communal spaces, nearby attractions, and other facilities you expect to use.
5. Discuss health-related travel concerns with your healthcare team. If you are still recovering or have ongoing symptoms, ask for personalised advice about whether travel is appropriate and how to prepare.

These steps cannot remove every difficulty, but they may help reduce uncertainty and support a more comfortable experience.

A More Inclusive Future for Hospitality

Travelling with a disability should not mean having to compromise unnecessarily on comfort, enjoyment or dignity. For the hospitality industry, improving accessibility begins with listening, understanding individual requirements and making practical changes that genuinely help people.

Robin Sheppard’s story shows why these conversations matter. His experience of Guillain-Barré syndrome changed his relationship with independence and physical ability. His years in hospitality also gave him insight into how businesses operate and how guest experiences are shaped.

Through his involvement with the Accessible Hospitality Alliance, these two perspectives come together in work that aims to make hospitality more inclusive.

For people living with the lasting effects of GBS, and for millions of others who experience accessibility barriers, such progress can make a meaningful difference. A genuinely welcoming hospitality industry should give more people the opportunity to travel, stay, and enjoy themselves with confidence.

Read Robin Sheppard’s Story in A Solitary Confinement

Robin Sheppard shares his personal experience of paralysis, rehabilitation and rebuilding his life after Guillain-Barré syndrome in his book, A Solitary Confinement: Always Look on the Bright Side, Even Though You’re Paralysed from the Neck Downwards.

Written with honesty and humour, the book offers insight into the challenges of serious illness and the determination needed to move forward. Discover A Solitary Confinement on Amazon

You can also explore Living with Guillain-Barré Syndrome: The Unseen Battle for more perspectives on recovery, everyday challenges and life after a GBS diagnosis.

FAQs About Travelling With a Disability

Can you travel after Guillain-Barré syndrome?

Many people can travel after Guillain-Barré syndrome, but the right timing and arrangements depend on their recovery and current health. People experiencing ongoing weakness, fatigue or mobility difficulties may need additional planning and medical advice before travelling.

What should I look for when booking accessible accommodation?

Look for detailed accessibility information, including step-free access, lift availability, bedroom and bathroom layouts, parking and access to shared facilities. Contact the property directly to confirm whether it meets your specific requirements.

Why is accessible hospitality important?

Accessible hospitality helps people with disabilities and different access requirements use hotels, restaurants, and other hospitality services more comfortably, independently, and with dignity. It also allows businesses to understand and serve a wider range of guests.

What is the Accessible Hospitality Alliance?

The Accessible Hospitality Alliance (AHA) is an industry platform focused on improving accessibility in hospitality. It brings together operators, service partners and people with lived experience of accessibility barriers to support collaboration and practical improvements.

How is Robin Sheppard involved in accessible hospitality?

Robin Sheppard is the Co-Founder and Chair of the Accessible Hospitality Alliance. His extensive hospitality career and personal experience of Guillain-Barré syndrome provide valuable perspectives on accessibility, inclusion and understanding individual guest needs.