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Jennifer Allen

About:

Jennifer Allen is a prominent accessible family travel blogger and the founder of the website Wonders Within Reach. Based in Pennsylvania, she is a dedicated advocate for inclusive travel, documenting her adventures alongside her young son who has Spina Bifida. Jennifer focuses on uncovering accessible destinations and celebrating locations that successfully remove barriers for wheelchair users.

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A family of five poses for a portrait in front of a grand, ornate building with a large blue dome and intricate patterns. In the foreground, a young boy sits smiling in a blue wheelchair. Behind him, two adults and two other children are grouped together around the edge of a large, circular stone fountain with animal-shaped water spouts.

Five fingers to freedom

At home, I am queen in a kingdom of chaos. We have a nearly exact routine from the moment the kids wake up in the morning right up to the moment we collapse in bed at night.

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Three children stand together on a wooden pier under a vast blue sky with wispy clouds. To the left, a boy in a blue Superman shirt and dark shorts holds a blue bucket. In the center, a young girl in a teal dress waves with a smile. On the right, a boy sitting in a wheelchair wears a bright patterned blue shirt and grins at the camera. The ocean waves and a sandy coastline with distant buildings are visible in the background.

Accessible destination round up

This winter was a season of caring for family needs. This provides me with the unique gift of time. Instead of rushing to share all that we’ve done, I’d like to use this issue to take a step back and share some of our absolute favorites.

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A young person in a wheelchair is positioned on a sunny sidewalk, facing a vintage-style red and tan trolley bus. The trolley's accessibility ramp is deployed toward the pavement. Other children are standing nearby on the sidewalk, and the trolley features a sign that reads "FREE TROLLEY" and "Historic Main Street."

Better together – disability parent Q&A

Q: How have real families navigated mixed-access needs? A: “It’s utter chaos!” responded Amy Tarpein, of Elijah’s Baby Bucket List, but of the best kind. In some ways, it’s no different than traveling with any family with varying ages and interests. 1. Do your research. Find activities that everyone will enjoy and then make sure that everyone

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Accessible destination round up – Japan edition

By Jennifer Allen Traveling to Japan with a wheelchair can feel overwhelming. Figuring out where you can and cannot go is hard enough when you can research in your own language and time zone, not to mention making follow-up calls to confirm accessibility needs. We packed a lot into two busy weeks in Japan and overall

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A young girl, a boy in a wheelchair, and another boy are standing on a wooden deck at a zoo. They are all looking at and feeding a giraffe over a fence.

Accessible destination round up

By Jennifer Allen As a disability travel writer, I have a lot of unique experiences exploring accessible destinations and attractions with my family. Every once in a while something sticks out as exceptionally fun and accessible – we share those here. Fort Wayne, Indiana Fort Wayne is the all encompassing family vacation destination that I’ve always

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A woman and three children are sitting in an ice cream shop eating ice cream. The woman and a girl are on a red and gray bench, and two boys are in chairs across from them. One of the boys is in a wheelchair.

Better together – disability parent Q&A

By Jennifer Allen Q: How can we make traveling with a disability simpler? A: I appreciate that the person asking included that little “r.” Traveling with a disability may never be simple, but it can certainly be simpler. Responses from readers included things that the travel industry can do to remove barriers, while all suggestions for travelers

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Three children are on the grass beside a baseball field at dusk. The girl in the foreground holds a baseball and is looking at the camera. A boy in a wheelchair and another boy with a baseball cap are beside her.

Creating family memories that last

By Jennifer Allen What do you remember about your family vacations as a kid? I remember my dad driving late into the night because he refused to pay more than $50 for a hotel room and we simply weren’t in a $50 per night part of the world. He would get off at each exit and

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