After living with a degenerative muscle disease and experiencing an accident that limited her independence, Karen Morales began adapting travel for herself and her family. What started as necessity quickly became expertise as clients began asking how she navigated safaris, Europe, and luxury resorts while using a wheelchair. In this episode, Karen breaks down why accessible travel extends far beyond wheelchair users. From food allergies and chronic conditions to situational injuries and age-related mobility changes, many travelers need accommodations even if they do not identify as disabled. She reveals why the real industry gap is not infrastructure but communication, what advisors often overlook, and how to ask better intake questions without overstepping. If you want to plan personalized luxury trips that truly work for every client, this conversation will shift how you approach accessibility.

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About Karen Morales:

Karen built a successful career in advertising and marketing as both a founder and executive before turning a lifelong love of travel into work that helps people experience the world more fully. After beginning to use a wheelchair in 2020, her relationship to travel changed and so did her mission. Karen set out to help the travel industry serve more people and open more of the world to them by pairing accessibility with what luxury travel does best: genuine, thoughtful hospitality. Through her work with Fora, she has trained hundreds of advisors, supported thousands of travelers, and helped close more than $100 million in travel in 2025 alone. By building this work through Fora, Karen is helping shape a travel industry where more people can go more places, with accessibility embedded at the heart of great hospitality.

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Today we will cover:

(02:40) Meet Karen: from marketing consultant to accessible travel advisor
(06:50) How to ask clients about accommodations without overstepping
(10:00) Situational vs. identity based accessibility
(16:30) The real industry gap; communication, not infrastructure
(20:30) Why hospitality feels different abroad
(28:20) Luxury without sacrifice; the accessibility gap in high-end travel
(33:55) Marketing accessible travel without labeling clients

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194. How To Thoughtfully Plan Accessible Travel with Karen Morales

TIQUE Talks: The Business Podcast for Travel Advisors