What It’s Really Like To Travel As a Blind Person

Travel can be really mysterious especially if one has a visual impairment. It doesn’t mean that travel is out of the question. But there are few organisers who organise a group holiday for blind and sighed people that are liberating fun and yes eye opening too. Usually the full sighted and the blind travellers are always paired because the full sighted person can explain the sights and scenes to the visually impaired companions. The blind person is deprived of seeing the beauty in the world right from sunset over the mountains to the mist of a cloud forest to the crystal blue waters of Thailand.

There are some people who travel with a dog guide. They look after them very well. The dog will likely to know most of the places they regularly go and will lead them there without any real trouble. An advice for the blind is use common sense and trusts your instincts. If something feels wrong make it known, asks questions and don’t be afraid to change the situation. Usually people are very helpful and naturally care for us because the cane is an internationally recognized symbol of blindness.

As long as you are with someone who is willing to tell you stuff and answer questions it works really well. Some people don’t know how to describe a place but they tell them to tell something that catches their eye. It works both the ways because the sighted person also gets involved in seeing things because they actually have to think about what they’re looking at and how to describe it.

That’s a double edged sword, though we’re also easy target so trust your gut. Get out there and travel show people you can pull it off the same anyone else no matter how poor your eyes work. When blind people want to feel the place, they should be creative, they are given a miniature model of the particular place so that they can sense of what it looks like to feel what they would have seen.

Whenever travelling by plane always tick the box on the form saying blind passenger, so that the staff make it a point to take you to the right place. Now a day with the internet all around the world if the person has a vocal GPS system or compass that can be very helpful for the overall navigation.

Before travelling to a foreign land the blind person must learn the language of that country which is very important, so at least they can ask for a basic direction. And also remember to ask every few meters for direction and information of that area.