Travelling as a VIP

It’s often easy, when you are a VIP (Vision Impaired Person), to not want to travel or explore when opportunities arise. This is completely understandable. However, nowadays there are so many options available to those of us with a vision impairment, from independent travel through to fully assisted tours both locally and internationally.

The key to travelling independently is to identify yourself as vision impaired, either by wearing a badge that identifies you as a VIP or by using a white cane. When you do this, you alert people to the fact that you don't see very well. We have found it makes travel so much easier.

By clearly identifying your needs to airlines, hotels and others you will encounter on your travels, they will know how to give you the assistance you need. Airlines are marvelous at taking you on to the plane and providing assistance at your destination, but you do need to let them know that you need help beforehand. Just by looking at you, people may not be aware that you are vision impaired, so remember to be proactive and identify yourself as such.

There are many options for international travel with many companies offering assisted tours. If you do your research and shop around, they often aren't much more expensive than ordinary tours.

A good idea is to contact disability groups in the location that you plan to visit and ask them what they would recommend. Another vision impaired friend and I recently spent a few days in Sydney and had no hesitation ingoing to the office at railway stations to ask for assistance to get to the right platform and train. Most people genuinely want to help; they just aren't sure what to do. Being clear about where you want to go and listening to instructions is helpful as well. Also consider taking only as much luggage as you can manage on your own. Being overloaded with bags makes travel very difficult, unless you are being met at the airport.

The most helpful tip we can give to anyone travelling internationally is to find the open-air tourist bus at your destination. These provide an audio description of where you are, what you're going past, and the little bit of history of the town you are in. These are available in all major cities in the world including Auckland.

Happy travels!

Sue and Deb,

Sight Support Trust

0800 55 55 77

www.sightsupport.org.nz