These Black Female Travelers Aren’t Letting Their Disabilities Stop Them From Seeing the World: Episode 10 of Travel + Leisure’s New Podcast

On this week's episode of Let's Go Together, the first podcast from Travel + Leisure, host Kellee Edwards is joined by two inspiring guests who are truly not letting anything stop them from seeing and experiencing the world in all its splendor — despite their disabilities.

Jumoke Abdullahi and Kym Oliver are the London-based videography/podcast duo behind The Triple Cripples, a website dedicated to "increasing visibility and highlighting the narratives of black and non-black women, femmes and non-binary people of [color], living with disabilities."

Wearing a leg brace and crutches due to childhood polio hasn't stopped Abdullahi from traveling the world. She's visited more than 30 countries and has even swam with sharks and gone skydiving. Oliver — who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in her early 20s and uses a wheelchair — found Abdullahi when she was still coming to terms with her own mobility loss, and the two were an instant hit. "For me before I met Jumoke, I didn't have anyone I knew who was disabled, who was young, who was Black, who was having the experience that I was having," she said.

During the episode, the duo explain to Edwards how their identities as Black women with disabilities was the catalyst behind The Triple Cripples. "The triple within the cripple, shall we say, is to highlight the three layers of marginalization. So that's due to race, gender, as well as ability," Abdullahi said. "It's about looking at these three differing intersections and the way that they affect our lives and those like us."

They also share their own personal experiences living with conditions that affect their day-to-day lives — and their lives as avid travelers.

"I need to see the world and I need to while I can do it in a body that would allow me to navigate this not-so-accessible world," Abdullahi said. "It's a habit for people to think that they have all the time in the world. It's oh, I'll do it tomorrow, I'll do it next year, I'll do it next week. Like there's always tomorrow to look forward to, but for me, I got a very early wake-up call…"

Abdullahi and Oliver also dish on trips they've taken together, including a journey to Ghana, which was, as Oliver explained, "quite a visceral experience." And they share where they hope their journey takes them next, including places like Zimbabwe, Tanzania, and Caribbean islands.

Hear more from Jumoke Abdullahi and Kym Oliver, the powerful duo behind The Triple Cripples, on Let's Go Together, available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher.

Tanner Saunders is an associate digital editor at Travel + Leisure. Find him on Instagram @tizanner.