Travengers was inspired by the founder Agnes Abelsen’s younger autistic sister, Elise. Elise was diagnosed late, and during her years in a mainstream school, she often fell between the cracks, not feeling like she fitted in anywhere. Now being 22, Elise wants to have friends, study, have a job and travel. She has amazing qualities, yet the world is not built for different.

Through studying Learning Disability Nursing and working over 11 years with people with disabilities and young autistic people, Agnes met many others struggling with loneliness, anxiety and making friends.

In 2017, Agnes moved from Norway to Australia to work in disability. Here she heard about a young man and his carer travelling from Europe to and around Australia. They were having the time of their lives. Hearing this, Agnes realised she had never met a young person with support needs on her travels, even though she had met many wanting to do so, including her sister. 

Knowing how much it means having something to look forward to, having people around you who accept you, and what having a good quality of life means for someone’s mental health – it sparked a strong motivation to make a change.

Besides, if Agnes could travel the world, why shouldn’t her sister be able to?

And so… the idea of Travengers was born, and in January 2020 it was finally launched, right before the pandemic. Since then we’ve connected many people through social events, virtual tours, and domestic tours, we’ve built a team, established an advisory board, and are in the process of expanding our services. We want young people and their families across Australia to be assured there are opportunities out there to meet people and be more independent, while experiencing the joys of travelling. 

There are still a lot of misconceptions around autism and hidden disabilities, and we will continue to work on our mission towards acceptance and inclusivity.