Sight-seeing for the blind

Vacation? The first thing which comes to mind are the beautiful sights – you always plan based on what you want to see. But have you ever wondered what the blind would “see” when on a holiday?

For those with no eye eight, it is all about the smells and tastes. And then there are some travel agents, whose niche is to take the blind on a ‘sight-seeing’ tour. Delhi-based Planet Abled, launched last year, curates trips for people with disabilities, offering customised solo trips and group tours that often include enthusiastic abled travellers too.

There is also UK-based international tour operator Traveleyes, launched in 2004. Here, its work model is simple – it pairs sighted travellers with non-sighted ones. They offer luxury tours while the sighted ones get a good discount.

This becomes a unique way of travelling – you do good as you enjoy life. More importantly, travelling with those who cannot see will open up a whole new way of “seeing” things for us sighted; you will come to realise that sightseeing is not really everything, because you can have a multi-sensory experience by just listening to a buzzing city and its local languages, taking in the various smells that make a lane distinct or just feeling the vibe of a quaint town. Now that would be an experience to never forget!