Chris Koch’s Travel Stories: Independence, Adaptation and Meeting People

Chris Koch's travel photographs are full of activity: a conversation, a temple visit, a new place to explore. They show someone interested in the world and in the people he meets along the way.

Koch, who was born without arms and legs, has shared his experiences through his If I Can work. Photographer Anna Tenne accompanied him on travels in Asia and helped create the images that introduced many readers to his story.

Chris Koch’s own account

On his own website, Koch describes growing up in rural Alberta, working around a farming community and developing his own ways of doing everyday things. Humour and independence are prominent parts of that account.

His travel galleries provide the photographer credits and a wider view of his journeys. The earlier Asia story included Thailand, Cambodia and Nepal. Nepal belongs to South Asia, so grouping every stop under Southeast Asia would be geographically misleading.

The photographs do not need to become a challenge directed at other disabled people. One person's abilities, equipment, support and preferences cannot stand in for everyone else's.

Ask about a particular journey

For a trip with access requirements, broad labels are only a beginning. A hotel described as accessible may still have a room layout or entrance that does not work for a particular traveller.

Ask concrete questions: how wide is the route, are there steps, what does the bathroom look like and how does the transfer vehicle work? Recent photographs or measurements can be more useful than an enthusiastic assurance.

Include the whole day, not just the headline attraction. A usable hotel room is less helpful if the route to breakfast or the booked transport introduces an unexpected barrier.

Make assistance a conversation

When travelling with someone who may want help, ask what is useful and respect the answer. Do not assume that assistance is always needed, or that independence means never accepting it.

Discuss the plan before a busy station or attraction creates pressure. Agreeing on how to communicate and when to pause can make the day more relaxed for everyone.

Our guide to planning an accessible beach visit shows how to turn a general wish into specific questions about routes, facilities and equipment.

History, geography and shared curiosity

Tenne's photographs are worth viewing for their settings and encounters as well as for Koch's story. Look at the temple surroundings, the expressions and the different ways people occupy the frame.

Travel writing becomes more useful when it leaves room for that individuality. Koch is a speaker, farmer and traveller with interests and a sense of humour; disability is part of his experience, not the only subject available.

The invitation in these images is to remain curious about a person and a place at the same time. That makes a richer starting point than simply declaring someone inspirational and moving on.

Chris Koch and Anna Tenne’s shared journey

The invitation began with a conversation after one of Koch’s talks in Coonabarabran, Australia. Anna Tenne later contacted him about travelling together, and the idea became a six-week journey through Thailand, Cambodia and Nepal. That beginning gives the photographs a welcome sense of shared curiosity: two people deciding to explore places they wanted to see. It also helps explain the collaboration. Tenne brought her photography, while Koch brought interests and ambitions that existed well before this particular invitation arrived.

His stated interest in history and geography gives the trip a motivation beyond being an inspirational spectacle. Tenne’s photographs document places and shared experiences, while her account of initial uncertainty belongs to her perspective. It should not be used to define his independence for him.

Koch’s interest in history and geography is a useful thread to follow through the journey. It turns attention towards what he went to discover, alongside how the trip was arranged. Assistance can be part of that arrangement without taking decisions away from the traveller. For companions planning their own trip, the same distinction matters: talk about what each person wants to experience, then work out the support and practical details together. A successful plan should serve the person’s interests as well as their access needs.