Hi Uma, This was genuinely nice to read, because you’re asking the right question.
I’m associated with Rising Star Khilte Chehre (RSKC), and over the last several years we’ve travelled with a large number of blind and low-vision people across destinations in India and abroad. One thing we’ve learnt very clearly is that there is no perfect “blind-friendly destination.” What matters much more is the combination of *local mobility, how compact the destination is, the attitude of people, accommodation location, and how much uncertainty you’re comfortable dealing with.* And since both of you already travel independently for work, college and everyday life, you probably have most of the skills required. Leisure travel is simply different because nobody has created the route for you in advance. For a first completely independent leisure trip, I would personally avoid choosing a place only because it is famous or scenic. Choose somewhere where the logistics are forgiving. Places such as *Delhi, Jaipur, Chandigarh, Amritsar, Mumbai, Bengaluru or Goa* can all work, but in very different ways. A compact city or a destination where Ola/Uber and autos are readily available is often easier than a beautiful hill station where every movement depends on hiring a private vehicle. For example, hill destinations can be wonderful, but steep roads, irregular pavements, scattered attractions and limited app-based transport can make spontaneous movement frustrating. That doesn’t mean “don’t go”; it just means your first independent leisure trip may be more enjoyable somewhere with fewer transport dependencies. A few things we have learnt from travelling with blind participants: *1. Stay location matters more than hotel luxury.* I would happily choose a simpler hotel on a main road, close to restaurants and transport, over a beautiful resort 8–10 km outside town. Before booking, call the property. Ask very practical questions: Is there a lift? Is reception staffed 24 hours? Can a cab reach the entrance? Are restaurants or shops walkable? Is the approach road straightforward? Don’t simply ask, “Is your hotel accessible?” because the answer will almost always be yes without telling you anything useful. *2. For local transport, app cabs are usually the most predictable option.* They give you the driver’s name, number, vehicle registration, trip record and navigation. But don’t depend on the pin being perfect. Calling the driver and describing a clear landmark often saves ten minutes of confusion. Autos can actually be extremely useful too, especially in smaller cities. Once you find one reliable driver, take his number. We have seen this make an enormous difference. A driver who understands that you are blind and communicates properly can become your local mobility solution for the entire trip. *3. Don’t over-plan every minute. Plan the difficult transitions.* Airport/railway station → hotel, hotel → major attraction, and your return journey deserve more planning than what you will eat at 4 PM. Railway stations, large bus terminals and chaotic pickup zones are often more challenging than the destination itself. Asking railway/airport staff for assistance is completely reasonable; independence doesn’t mean refusing assistance when it makes sense. *4. Tell people exactly what assistance you need.* Instead of saying only, “We are blind, please help,” something like: “Please take us to Gate 3 and tell us when we reach the entrance.” works much better. Most people want to help but don’t know how. *5. Build redundancy into your phones.* Both of you should have the hotel address saved, offline/accessible maps where possible, cab apps, emergency contacts, power banks and copies of IDs/bookings. And don’t keep every important booking only on one person’s phone. *6. Be slightly conservative about late-night exploration on the first trip.* Not because you are blind, but because an unfamiliar city becomes significantly harder when shops close, public movement reduces and landmarks become less useful. Once you understand the area, you can loosen that rule. *7. Ask locals, but verify.* One person will tell you something is “just five minutes away” when it is actually 1.5 km through chaotic traffic. 😄 For blind travellers, distance alone doesn’t tell you whether a route is easy. A 700-metre clean footpath can be simpler than 200 metres involving an uncontrolled crossing. And perhaps the biggest lesson from our journeys: *Don’t measure independence by whether you took zero help.* If you independently planned your holiday, made your decisions, chose where you wanted to go, solved problems when they arose and asked for assistance when you decided it was useful — that is independent travel. Some of the most confident blind travellers I know will happily take someone’s elbow for 30 seconds through a chaotic crossing and then continue independently for the next six hours. For a first trip, I would suggest keeping it to around *3–4 days*, choosing one city rather than trying to cover three destinations, staying centrally, and deliberately leaving some unplanned time. The first journey itself will teach you far more about your travel style than any checklist can. And please do it. One reason we started taking blind people travelling through RSKC was because we repeatedly saw the same thing: people were capable of far more than they or their families initially assumed. After the first journey, the conversation very often changed from *“Can I travel?”* to *“Where are we going next?”* That shift is worth experiencing. If you shortlist 2–3 destinations, I’d also be happy to share what we have practically observed regarding transport, hotels, mobility and the difficult parts of those particular places. Wishing both of you a fantastic first leisure adventure. Regards, Lovely Sarkar Soti Rising Star Khilte Chehre On Mon, 10 Aug 2026 at 13:22, Uma Shankar Veeravalli <[email protected]> wrote: > Thanks Udit and Anirudh for your responses. > > @anirudh > I do travel to Bangalore quite often too. You're right. It is relatively > more accessible. But what we are looking for is like a proper vacation to > somewhere like Goa or Kerala. Do you have any experiences to visiting to > these kind of places? > > Cheers > Uma Shankar > > -- > Disclaimer: > 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of > the person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; > > 2. 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