Mobility Abroad began in 2001 when brothers John and James Greenan and their family struggled to arrange suitable mobility equipment for their father’s holiday on the Costa del Sol.
A family need became the original idea
Their parents had owned a property in Arroyo de la Miel since the early 1980s, and the family had spent many holidays in and around Benalmádena. When their father became an amputee at the age of 49, travelling there changed. He used a mobility scooter at home, but the family could not find a practical local service from which to hire the equipment he needed on holiday.
Once our father had suitable equipment waiting for him, it improved his holidays massively. He could get out and about again. Seeing the same freedom given to so many other people was one of the most pleasing parts of the whole experience.
John Greenan, co-founder of Mobility Abroad
The difficulty was clearly not unique to one family. Other wheelchair and mobility-scooter users were also finding that limited local equipment provision restricted how much of their holiday they could enjoy. John and James therefore created Mobility Abroad to provide a service that they knew, from direct family experience, was needed.
Starting in Benalmádena
John and James opened premises in Benalmádena in 2001. The initial fleet comprised approximately 20 mobility scooters and 20 wheelchairs. As demand grew, the fleet expanded to more than 40 scooters and more than 40 wheelchairs, together with powered wheelchairs, commodes, bath lifts, bath boards, walking frames, mobile hoists and other equipment needed for safer, more independent holidays.
Customers could arrange their equipment before travelling. Mobility Abroad delivered it to the hotel, apartment, villa or holiday rental at the agreed time and collected it at the end of the stay. At hotels familiar with the service, equipment could sometimes be handed over through the baggage room, making arrival and departure considerably easier.
Mobility Abroad founded
John and James opened the Benalmádena operation with around 20 scooters and 20 wheelchairs.
A complete equipment service
The fleet grew beyond 40 scooters and 40 wheelchairs and added powerchairs, hoists and daily-living equipment.
More destinations
Trusted working relationships extended the service across Spain, Portugal, the islands and eventually Florida.
Twenty-five years on
Mobility Abroad returns as an independent information and provider-referral resource.
From Almuñécar to Duquesa
The Costa del Sol delivery area stretched from Almuñécar in the east to Duquesa in the west. Regular destinations included Torremolinos, Benalmádena, Fuengirola, Mijas, Mijas Costa, Calahonda, Marbella and Estepona. This wide operating area gave the team practical knowledge of resort gradients, promenades, hotel entrances, storage arrangements and the distances that customers were likely to cover.
The Hotel Yaramar and Hotel Angela in Fuengirola became two of the busiest delivery locations, alongside many hotels in Torremolinos, Benalmádena and Mijas. At first, some accommodation managers had never needed to consider where several mobility scooters could be safely stored and charged. As demand increased, established hotels began creating practical charging arrangements for their guests.
Historical context: these hotel references describe Mobility Abroad’s operating experience at the time. They are not claims about current facilities or suitability. Travellers should obtain current confirmation for the exact hotel, room and equipment.
Service continued after delivery
Mobility Abroad operated a seven-day service with emergency support available around the clock. The most common call-out was not a mechanical failure: a customer had been enjoying the holiday, travelled farther than intended and forgotten to charge the scooter for a night or two. John or James would load the scooter into the van, bring both customer and equipment back to the hotel and help get it charging again.
Punctures were another recurring interruption. The business responded by fitting puncture-proof tyres across the fleet—an operational improvement based directly on the problems customers experienced.
Building a wider network
As the website became prominent in search results, Mobility Abroad formed working relationships with established providers in other destinations. The network grew to approximately ten or more partner businesses and covered the Costa Blanca, Costa Brava, Murcia, the Algarve, Mallorca, Tenerife, Lanzarote and other popular resort areas. It later extended as far as Florida.
Mobility Abroad became a central place where travellers could arrange equipment before departure and have confidence that it would be delivered to their accommodation. Repeat customers were a particularly valued part of the business. Deliveries often became an opportunity to catch up with people, hear how their lives had changed and help them enjoy another holiday with greater independence.
Returning to the United Kingdom
After living in Spain for approximately a decade, John returned to the United Kingdom in 2012, and James moved back to the UK as well. Running the Costa del Sol operation then involved travelling back and forth, and the family eventually decided to sell it. Tony took over the local business and continued running it, while Mobility Abroad stopped accepting equipment bookings through the wider network.
Mobility Abroad today
Twenty-five years after it began, Mobility Abroad is being developed again for a travel landscape that has changed considerably. Many more resorts now have equipment-hire businesses, accessible accommodation and assistance services—but travellers still need dependable detail rather than broad accessibility labels.
Mobility Abroad no longer hires equipment or takes rental payments. Its purpose today is to help travellers:
- understand the terrain and practical differences between resorts;
- find mobility-equipment providers serving the correct location;
- ask hotels, apartments and villas precise accessibility questions;
- plan flights, airport assistance, transfers and equipment delivery together; and
- make their arrangements directly with the selected provider.
The site will also introduce a limited number of clearly labelled provider placements. Participating businesses must accurately describe the areas they cover and the support they offer. Commercial relationships do not buy favourable editorial conclusions or accessibility endorsements.
Sometimes it is simply easier to arrive and find the right equipment waiting at your accommodation. You enjoy the holiday, return the equipment and go home refreshed. That was the freedom we wanted for our father, and it remains the reason for Mobility Abroad today.
John Greenan, co-founder