About Freedom Trippers

My name is Gigi Hard and I was born and raised in beautiful Southern California.  I live with several conditions that have affected my physical abilities my entire life. They include Charcot Marie Tooth Syndrome, Severe Cervical and Spinal Stenosis, Spondylitis Myelopathy, Failed Neck Surgery Syndrome, Degenerative Disc Disease, Osteoarthritis, and Avascular Necrosis.  As a result, I cannot walk very far anymore without a wheelchair and the progression is so much that I just got a powerchair as well. 

My family and friends would describe me as hard working, spontaneous, funny, empathetic and inspiring.  I enjoy writing,singing, fishing, photography, snorkeling, people watching, being of service but most of all… Traveling!  This passion has led me to take four cross country “Trips To Nowhere“, where I just get in the car and go, no destination in mind, just to make sure I land before sunset.  

This year I’ve had international goals. Seeing that Frontier airlines flew to Costa Rica and a few other international destinations as well as a myriad of domestic flights, it inspired me to finally purchase one of their “all you can fly” passes. I generally use this airline at least six times a year to visit family and friends in different states so it really seemed ideal at the incredible discounted price of $499 for a year-long pass! 

I called my cousin Galen and told him how excited I was about getting this all you can fly pass because now I would be able to come visit  all the time. Galen has Cerebral Palsy and although he has many limitations, he is one of the most inspiring people I know. I often refer to him as my muse, his smile is infectious, and his positive outlook will take your breath away.  He was so excited for me and was expressing his own dreams of traveling.  He told me that he had been saving his money for years to go on a cruise, he just wasn’t sure how he could accomplish it due to his need for assistance with all aspects of daily living. 

We started talking about the possibility of traveling together, and we discussed the things that we needed to do to accomplish this. I knew that I could figure out how to get around on my own with my manual chair, but how was I gonna get a 400 pound electric chair around? It’s not like you could just call a taxi and get a ride. Where could we go? What can we do? Is there a roadmap available for people with different degrees of disabilities?  Just like there is no book for what to do when you get (insert disability here), there is also no roadmap to traveling with disability. 

We thought that this would be such an amazing benefit to people with disabilities… no matter the extent of their limitations… to have information on how they can travel, a roadmap to adventures per se, and actually have a wonderful time! We also discussed how It would be beneficial to elder persons, vets and a myriad of other people as well. So we decided to put our heads and our finances together and created Freedom Trippers! 

Our goal as a foundation is to discover and educate people with varying degrees of limited abilities how to fulfill their dreams of traveling the world. 

My name is Galen, I am 23 years old and I have cerebral palsy. Having a disability isn't easy sometimes, and I have overcome a lot of obstacles in my life. Setting goals is one of my major strengths and has become significantly easier over time. 

Through pure determination and non-stop practice, I learned how to walk when I was 13 years old, which was my biggest goal in life. I now love hiking on trails and being in nature where I live in Santa Cruz, California.

People would describe me as a funny, inspiring, motivated, friendly dude. 

I like to be social, riding my power chair around town every day, practicing Spanish and having major laughing attacks with my friends. I've gone over hundreds of miles off-road exploring (even once having to call the fire department to come rescue me!). I enjoy family, community and making new friends with awesome people. I even have a ski rope attached to my power wheelchair so that I can tow skateboarders and roller skaters, which is another fun way to connect. 

I am currently creating artwork at Claraty Arts, a program for artists with disabilities. My favorite medium is polymer clay and I enjoy designing random, weird, funny and creepy sculptures. I enjoy cruising around my hometown of Capitola and Santa Cruz, California, with my brother and our friends. You can often find me “giving rides“ to skateboarders with my electric wheelchair.  

I also enjoy spending time with my dog Buddha, and I am a foodie!

My next biggest goal is traveling the world!