A holiday is something many people take for granted but not Flynn Rigby; he is making it his goal to educate and encourage people living with a disability to get out of their comfort zone and explore the world.
Cairns local Flynn loves nothing more than a stress-free holiday and all it entails, including the planning and research before the actual event. So, last week Flynn decided to launch his very own travel blog to record his adventures.
Now, this is not just another travel blog but a blog about the experiences of someone living with an invisible disability. Flynn’s goal is to educate his readers about what it is like to holiday when you have specific requirements and to encourage those living with disabilities it’s possible to go on a holiday and enjoy it.
Verbal communication can be challenging for Flynn, so he has become a wordsmith and keeps a daily journal. His daily journal has now extended into a travel blog, Flynn enjoys learning how to write for an audience.
Flynn was born 16 weeks premature and has autism and an intellectual disability, which sometimes means he requires extra help, especially with communication. After recently completing high school, Flynn, with some globe-trotting already under his belt, wanted to inspire other people with disabilities to travel and try new things.
“I wanted to write the travel blog because I really love to travel and to let people know about my adventures. I also like staying at hotels and going to new places to see different things,” Flynn said.
Flynn believes the holiday starts before leaving home and is meticulous about researching each destination and accommodation before booking.
“I have always liked looking at accommodation online and reading about where my friends have been on their holidays. I want other people with disabilities to see how much fun it can be to travel to new places and try new things,” he said.
Jennifer Rigby, Flynn’s mother, has helped him set up the technical side of the blog so Flynn can concentrate on writing about his great adventures. To see Flynn grow as a writer and launch his blog last week has been rewarding, commented Mrs Rigby.
“He is very, very excited; so many people are reading his reviews and blog entries. He loves to write; he writes all the time. He writes in a journal every day, and he loves messaging people,” Mrs Rigby said.
“Writing is a very positive way for Flynn to communicate because he has verbal communication issues and communication impairment, so he loves that he can express what he feels and that people are enjoying reading his blogs,” she said.
Before Covid put a damper on international travel, Flynn and his family were fortunate to travel overseas after winning a few different competitions. However, over the past two years, Flynn has embraced travelling in his own backyard, and his mum is proud of his enthusiasm to travel, even though it can be a daunting experience for Flynn.
“We live in such a beautiful place here with so many things you can do locally here without having to travel too far,” she said.
“Even when we are not going anywhere, he is busy looking things up.”
Fitzroy Island is on the top of Flynn’s local list, and of course, now that borders are open, he is researching his next international holiday.
“I would love to stay at the Fitzroy Island resort and do lots of the activities on the island like snorkelling and walking and seeing the turtles. I have always wanted to go to Hawaii and stay in Honolulu and visit the other islands too,” he said.
If you are looking for someone to review your accommodation or recreational activity, make sure you contact Flynn, and the next time you feel daunted or afraid of trying something new, think of Flynn and be inspired by his courage to explore.
Connect everybodydeservesaholiday.com
