About Me

The lit cauldron during the
Vancouver 2010 Olympics

Hello! My name is Vince and welcome to Travel Wheels – A blog where I share stories about traveling in a wheelchair and couchsurfing. 

I live in beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia on the west coast of Canada. I was born in Cambodia where I was stricken with polio when I was 1 year old. I’m classified as a paraplegic, but other than needing a manual wheelchair to get around, I’m a pretty mobile guy.

There was a time when I didn’t even like traveling. In fact, I used to be afraid of flying. It wasn’t until the summer of 2005 when I did something that essentially changed my life. Up until that point, the only traveling I did was between Vancouver and Ottawa to visit family. In the summer of 2005, I embarked on a road trip across Canada – by myself. Yup, it was just me, my Honda Civic and the vast open roads of Canada. Over the course of 2 months, I drove more than 12,000 kms where I saw many cities and met great people along the way.

Northern Ontario

Traveling in a wheelchair isn’t easy, especially on a road trip when you have to take apart and put together your wheelchair every time you get in and out of the car. There’s also a lot of research and planning I have to do that an able-bodied person would never have to consider. Never mind that driving all day requires a great deal of endurance and concentration, but I also had to find accessible rest stops and accommodation. The important thing to note is that during this cross Canada trip I had a lot of time for personal reflection and I overcame many obstacles along the way. I managed to persevere and in the end this trip became one of the most rewarding and memorable experiences of my life.     

This brings me to the reason why I like to travel. Every travel adventure I take is a challenge and a journey where I become a better person with a strong sense of accomplishment. This blog is about sharing those journeys with you.