When Meg Zucker, author of Born Extraordinary, joined a cycling trip in Mallorca, she wasn't looking for special treatment—just an opportunity to explore. What she found was a welcoming community, supportive Trip Leaders and a powerful reminder that adventure travel can be accessible to everyone.
Meg Zucker has always seen the world a little differently.
Born with ectrodactyly, she grew up with one finger on each hand, one toe on each foot and shortened forearms. But in her home, that was never the headline.
“As a very young child, thanks to my mom and dad’s fearless parenting, my genetic condition was not something that precluded me from living my life to its fullest potential,” she says. “I was simply living my own version of normal.”
Outside that bubble, reactions varied.
“People’s reactions were a spectrum of curiosity, pity and sometimes even cruelty at the sight of me,” she says. “But these reactions served as a fierce motivator to prove to them all, and perhaps to myself, that the world was my oyster.”
Built That Way
Today, Meg leads financial crime work at an international bank and is a published author. She is also a mother of three. Two of her children share her condition.
“I was given the liberty to follow my passions unconcerned by the judgment of others,” she says. “I applied those lessons to all three of my children.”
She later put those lessons into a book, Born Extraordinary: Empowering Children with Differences and Disabilities (Penguin Random House, March 2023).
“’What you think of me is none of my business’ is my favorite motto. Once I let go of being consumed by external judgment about my appearance and abilities, my life became more joyful and free to experience without that burden.”
Her sense of curiosity started early. “I love to travel. In fact, in addition to some years living in central Illinois, I grew up with my parents and brothers in Iran, Afghanistan, Israel, Pakistan and Egypt because of my dad’s work, first as a professor and later relating to his work on behalf of the US government.”
Saying Yes
A Backroads trip came onto her radar through family.
“My sister-in-law thought the combination of physical activities, staying at beautiful hotels and eating delicious meals was a perfect combination of my favorite things.”
Still, Meg was reluctant.
“I was a bit hesitant, admittedly. I’m an avid biker, but the mountains of Mallorca meant I might need to rely on an e-bike at times,” she says. “I heard the bike was heavier and did not know if that would impact my abilities to ride (it did not, thankfully).” She went anyway, with her husband and close friends. “I found everyone in our group to be extremely friendly and simply happy to be on this adventure.”
Just the Right Amount of Support
“My first impression of our trip leaders, Max, Javier and Andres, was that they treated me like everyone else but also were ready to support me in any way I needed.”
That showed up in small ways. “One thing I realized was that it would be hard for me to stop on the uphills to take in the view and then start again.”
“They were so terrific, knowing why I wouldn’t stop,” she says. “Max and Javier always had my back.”
That first day set the tone between Meg and the leaders. “On the first day, it was a bit cold and rainy. They watched as I hopped on my bike and rode for hours,” she says. Realizing she had come to ride and wasn’t going to let anything stop her, “they followed my lead, and I followed theirs.”
When It All Clicks
“Every day was stunning and memorable.”
But it was the end of the week that really stayed with her. “I think my favorite day was the last in Mallorca. Javier, our Trip Leader, rode alongside me much of the way, Max tended to a small scrape on my leg, and Andres was always ready to give me a push if I needed to start from a stop on an uphill.”
“On that last day, I found myself reflecting on all of their support and feeling like I was on cloud nine,” she says. “Truly, every moment was special, and I was very proud to have biked for so many hours each day.”
That night, the group gathered one last time for a cocktail party on the lawn of their third hotel. “By then, we had all gotten to know each other really well,” she says, “and that moment sealed a truly glorious week.”
For Trip Leader Javier Merchante, the connection went both ways. “Meg brought a beautiful energy to the group,” he says. During the trip, the leader team began listening to the audio version of Born Extraordinary, narrated by Meg herself. “Hearing her resilience and approach to life, while seeing it firsthand on the trip, was very touching.”
Trip Leader Maxime Rabier remembers that the leaders’ first reaction was rooted in care. “When we first met, as leaders, our minds went to the safety aspect. But the approach she describes in the book, ‘don’t hide it, flaunt it’ let everyone, including us, move past the initial surprise. Turns out we never had to worry about her or what she could do.”
Already Thinking About the Next One
“As soon as we got back from Mallorca, I knew I wanted to share that type of experience with our kids,” Meg says. They are already booked for Chile with the whole family.
What People Get Wrong
“I imagine there are many that might hesitate to do a Backroads trip simply because they don’t think they are a strong enough athlete,” she says. “But our trip was incredibly adaptive. Everyone could experience it in their own way, without judgment. It felt like home.”
