Looking Back on Our Travels with Abbey: Tips for Your Family Travels

Authors: Melissa Keller, Abbey’s Mom and Founder and President of the “Abigail E. Keller Foundation”

Our daughter, Abbey, was born with complex, rare, and ultimately undiagnosed medical conditions that shaped every aspect of her life. She was deafblind, medically fragile, and required constant, around-the-clock care to keep her safe and comfortable. Travel was never simple—or spontaneous—for our family. Every trip required careful planning, specialized equipment, medications, and contingency plans for the unexpected. Still, we believed deeply that Abbey deserved to experience the world alongside us, not just watch it pass by. So we learned how to adapt, problem-solve, and say “yes” to meaningful experiences, even when the logistics felt overwhelming. Through trial, error, and a lot of love, we discovered strategies that allowed us to travel safely as a family while honoring Abbey’s unique needs. Abbey’s travels came to an end in 2019 when she joined her great-grandmothers in God’s care, but we’d like to share the key lessons that made travel possible for us—and helped turn what felt impossible into cherished memories.

1. Prioritizing Familiarity & Comfort

• We often chose destinations that had predictable environments, either places we had visited before or locations where we could control sensory input.
• Bringing familiar items—her favorite blanket, textured toys, or even a familiar scented lotion—helped her feel secure in new surroundings.
• Keeping her routine as consistent as possible (feeding times, rest breaks, quiet time) made transitions easier.

2. Planning for Sensory Experiences

• Abbey responded best to travel experiences that engaged her senses in a controlled, enjoyable way.
• We sought out activities where she could feel different textures, experience movement, or sense vibrations—such as car races, boat rides, or nature walks where she could feel the wind and sun.
• Sensory overload was also a concern, so having quiet spaces or creating a cocoon of comfort (like a weighted blanket and taking out hearing aids) helped regulate her experience. Some kids use noise-canceling headphones. It was a balancing act. 

3. Ensuring Accessibility & Medical Readiness

• We always had a go bag packed with emergency medical supplies, feeding equipment, and seizure rescue meds.
• Calling ahead to confirm accessibility accommodations saved us a lot of stress and helped ensure wheelchair-friendly hotel rooms and quiet waiting areas at attractions. 
• Sensory-friendly planning was crucial—ensuring Abbey had toys/lovies, familiar textures, or weighted blankets to help her feel comfortable in new environments.
• We made sure there were quiet spaces available for her to decompress when needed.
• We always had a plan for medical emergencies, including the location of nearby hospitals and pharmacies.
• We always traveled with her medical notebook that contained detailed medical documents and emergency contact information in case we needed to communicate with medical personnel unfamiliar with her condition.

4. Pre-Trip Research & Planning

• We thoroughly researched destinations, accommodations, and transportation options to ensure they were accessible.
• Contacting airlines, hotels, and attractions ahead of time helped us understand what accommodations were available and what we needed to bring with us.
• We often chose destinations that were more controlled and predictable (e.g., familiar locations or places with strong medical access).

5. Choosing the Right Transportation Options

• We only did road trips with Abbey because, medically, she could not fly. This gave us more control over stops, comfort, and medical needs.
• For car travel, we had a reliable setup with medical seating, sunshades, and a comfortable environment for long rides.
• Bringing a backup plan for any delays, regardless of how you are traveling, was crucial (extra formula, meds, battery packs for equipment).
• Navigating crowded places—airports, train stations, bus stations, etc. 
  • Airports, train stations, and crowded places can be overstimulating and difficult to navigate with a wheelchair and medical gear.
  • When flying, it’s important to work with airline accessibility services to arrange early boarding, extra space for medical gear, and seating arrangements that allow easy access for care. 
  • Carry a doctor’s note for medical liquids and equipment to ease security checks.
  • Request handicap seating for extra space.

6. Making It Meaningful & Special

• We focused on creating experiences that Abbey could fully participate in, even if that meant adjusting activities.
• Instead of just seeing a destination, we found ways for her to experience it—feeling the vibrations of a race car engine, touching the soft sand at the beach, or sensing the warmth of the sun on a boat ride.
• Capturing moments in ways she could understand, like describing things through touch or creating memory books with textured elements, helped make trips more immersive.

7. Traveling with Support When Possible

• Having extra hands—whether family, friends, or caregivers—helped us focus more on enjoying the trip rather than just managing logistics.

8. Adapting & Being Flexible

• Travel rarely went exactly as planned, so staying flexible and adjusting based on Abbey’s comfort and health needs was key.
• Some days, we had to change plans at the last minute if she wasn’t feeling well, but making space for rest and recovery made the whole trip more enjoyable.

Intentional planning + sensory-friendly experiences + flexibility! 

Please check out the Abigail E. Keller Foundation

Abbey explores a stuffed Santa

Abbey loved the rumble from the cars at COTA (Circuit of the Americas) racetrack.

Abbey explores a tactile toy while out in her travel chair.