Travel Without Worry: Accessible Travel Packages with Julian

https://barcelonazerolimits.com/inclusive-tourism/

Skip the stress and bring back the wonder. From the floor of the Abilities Expo in Chicago, we sit down with Julian, a Barcelona-based traveler and tour operator who turned a life-altering accident into a blueprint for joyful, accessible journeys across Spain and Portugal. His philosophy is disarmingly simple: when accessibility is done right, you stop thinking about it and start savoring your trip.

Julian opens the hood on his travel packages that stitch together Barcelona, Madrid, and Lisbon using fast trains, accessible vans, and verified hotels. He goes beyond labels to talk measurements that matter: doorway widths, bed heights, ramp gradients, and bathroom layouts that make or break a day.

Julian’s incomplete C7 injury taught him to design routes with no weak links, from station entry to dinner seating. We also share a little football joy—FC Barcelona pride and a love for the NFL—because travel should feel like a good game day: immersive, exciting, and free of needless friction.

If you care about accessible travel, urban design, or simply want to explore Spain and Portugal without worrying about what might go wrong, this conversation delivers practical tips and fresh perspective. Hit play, then share it with someone planning their next adventure. Subscribe, leave a review, and tell us: what’s the one barrier you wish the travel industry would fix next?

Transcript

Travel Joy Over Accessibility Anxiety

SPEAKER_02 0:00

It's it's more important that that you enjoy your travel and don't think it that things is accessible or not. You don't think it in your travel, only enjoy it.

On-Site At The Abilities Expo

Meet Julian From Barcelona

SPEAKER_01 0:08

What's up guys? As you can see, we're not in the studio at home. We're actually at the Ability Expo in Chicago. And this podcast is gonna be a little different. It's gonna be like a speedcast. The sound is not gonna be as great because of how wide open this space is. But I hope you guys enjoy it. Please enjoy this Life to the Max speedcast. Welcome back to another episode of Life to the Max. I'm your host with the most, Max Gross, and today we're at the Abilities Expo. And I'm here with Julian from Barcelona.

Barcelona’s Accessibility Transformation

Accessible Travel Packs Across Spain

SPEAKER_02 1:02

Yes, from Barcelona. It's very accessible, Barcelona. I live uh during the last uh 40 years. Uh the Juddible rebuilding, like uh the last uh Olympic Games in Barcelona, 22 and 92, and uh it's in it's uh transforming the the city and in this moment the Barcelona is uh most uh accessible cities in the in the in the world. And we are a company that offers uh uh packs, uh travel packs in Barcelona.

SPEAKER_01 1:36

Oh, so you make travel packs?

Julian’s Injury And Recovery Context

SPEAKER_02 1:38

Yes, accessible travels, okay. Yeah uh for example to visit uh Catalonia, it is the region around uh Barcelona or Spain, and we do it Barcelona and Madrid, and then south of Spain. It's very hot, the south of Spain.

SPEAKER_01 1:54

So um may I ask what happened. What happened to you?

SPEAKER_02 1:59

Ah, my injure. Yeah. I'm tetraplagic, but uh it's a little bit dry because uh I'm in complete injure, okay? Yeah, and I have a C7 level, but uh very incomplete. And I have uh I have sensitive in my legs and in my body, okay? But um okay, we we are a little bit uh strange situation with my injure because I'm a tetraplasic, but don't have appearance to a tetraplasic.

The Accident Story

SPEAKER_01 2:31

Yeah, no, that's that's super lucky, man. I'm happy that you have that. Uh were you in a car accident?

SPEAKER_02 2:37

Yes, I have a car accident when we have uh 22 years old. I'm uh sleeping in the in my car. I have a little bit of sleep. I close my eyes uh one second. Okay, and uh okay, I have uh an accident. I'm throwing to the uh a little river in my little in my town.

SPEAKER_01 3:00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 3:01

And okay.

SPEAKER_01 3:02

You went in to the river?

SPEAKER_02 3:04

Yes, I'm go to the to the current site. But it's uh in Spain when in Catalonia, then these these rivers typically uh don't have water because only have water when raining, okay?

SPEAKER_01 3:19

Right.

SPEAKER_02 3:19

And uh in this case only have uh stones.

SPEAKER_01 3:24

Well, I guess that's good there.

SPEAKER_02 3:26

Yes, and perhaps this is the problem with my car accidents that don't have water and have a lot of stones.

Life Near Barcelona

SPEAKER_01 3:32

So have you lived in Barcelona your whole life?

SPEAKER_02 3:35

No, I live I live uh 20 kilometers to Barcelona in a little town. In the middle of the of the countryside.

Inviting Max To Visit

SPEAKER_01 3:44

Are you are you visiting from Barcelona?

SPEAKER_02 3:47

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 3:48

Wow, that's uh that's amazing, that's a long flight, man.

SPEAKER_02 3:53

If you won't come in, it's very happy to receive you because I'm I'm receiving a lot of type of of clients, and I'm very happy if you if you're coming, Max.

Football Love: Barça And NFL

SPEAKER_01 4:03

Yeah, I would love to. Uh and uh my my buddy, he he's a skateboarder. Yes. And he goes to Barcelona to skate.

SPEAKER_02 4:14

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 4:14

And then uh I'm a huge uh Barcelona fan. FC Barcelona football club.

SPEAKER_02 4:23

Barcelona, yes. I'm I'm I'm a fan of Barcelona. Uh I'm I'm growing uh like a little child with uh t-shirts of Football Club Barcelona, and I love it. But um I'm loving the NFL in in USA. Oh really? Yes, I'm very fan because I have I don't have feelings for a specific team in NFL and only enjoy the the the the game and for me it's uh it's beautiful because uh don't have the feelings and enjoy the the game only.

SPEAKER_01 5:02

Yeah, they're going to Spain this year, did you know that? Yeah, the NFL, yes, yes.

SPEAKER_02 5:09

Miami Dolphins with um the Bacchane's no, I don't remember.

How The Travel Packages Work

SPEAKER_01 5:16

Probably the bugways, but you'll enjoy it, it'll it'll be fun. So you make travel packs. Yes, I said and uh how's the business going so far?

SPEAKER_02 5:27

I don't I don't have an answer like this.

SPEAKER_01 5:30

They they go steal? Ah, where is our our business?

Making Trips Worry-Free And Accessible

SPEAKER_02 5:33

Yes, uh sell it the baggage. For example, we are coming with with my partner, like we are from Portugal, okay, Lisbon. And we offer packages that include Barcelona, Madrid, and Lisbon, okay, in the same travel. And you visit two countries in 12 days, 14 days, okay? And it's totally accessible with van or bus, or we use it the fast train to Barcelona to Madrid, okay? And total accessible. We we work in this market uh during 20 years. It's a part of business and it's a part uh uh part of help uh all the people, okay? And we can offer not only the the accessible expiration, it's it's more important that you don't have any trouble and it you don't think in that uh in your travel, only enjoy it.

SPEAKER_01 6:32

Right.

SPEAKER_02 6:33

Okay? And this is the the main thing that we we offer. That you enjoy your travel and don't think it that is that things is accessible or not. Because uh it's our our work in this case.

SPEAKER_01 6:47

Alright. Well, dude, it was great talking to you. Uh I hope you enjoyed the rest of the year. Thank you very much, Max.

SPEAKER_02 7:00

It's a pleasure, Max. Yeah, you too. Thanks to me, you man.