At 23 Angus was “finally” diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy. Frustrated with a lack of travel information for disabled people, he set up a website, ‘Limitless Travel’.
This particular journey started a long time ago…
Growing up I had a very active lifestyle and I played lots of sport. Around my late teens I began to run and walk a lot slower and I remember not knowing why. I became self-conscious which really hindered me socially. At 23 I was finally diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy.
I’d just started a relationship (with the woman who is now my wife) in London and had a job in banking. We both loved travelling so we decided to quit and go and travel the world – to get away whilst we could. We were living a hectic life and it was a blessing in disguise. We were able to get away and really spend time together. We spent a year travelling the world.
I felt uncomfortable explaining my condition to people. I used to research accessibility so I could get around that. I found that there was nothing available and I would get quite nervous. I thought ‘this isn’t fair’ so I thought I’d start writing articles about travelling that might help other people.
Back in the UK I found that the challenge was much bigger than I thought. I just felt that given there’s a huge travel market out there, ‘why can’t it cater for people with disabilities as well?’
I wanted to emulate the model and methods used by the big travel websites and apply it to the huge disability sector within travel, which is chronically under-served. I set up Limitless with the aim to revolutionise travel for disabled people. That was our goal.
It can be really emotional. When you hear from somebody who you’ve just booked a holiday for and who hasn’t gone away for the last five years. That’s when we know that we’ve got to keep going.
Was there ever a moment before all this when you were tempted to just stop travelling?
We wanted to go to the Galapagos Islands. I knew that it would involve boats and not be very accessible. I just wanted to get through the trip: do it and get it over with. I was really worried about it. I remember thinking that I can’t let this condition affect me mentally as well as physically and it was around that time that I decided to use my experience to help enrich the lives of others. From then on I had a different outlook.
What’s next for Limitless?
It might be a bit far-fetched but my goal is to send people into Space. It’s something that’s on the horizon. Disabled people always seem to come second. Why can’t disabled people be the first to go on commercial space travel?
We try to aim big! If we aim for Space, we might just achieve the World! There’s a big gap between mainstream travel and disability travel and we want to fill that gap.
