If you haven't decided yet, Come to Singapore with us. We are going to be there from 26 - to 30 Sep.
Contact me : 8527044355 On Mon, 10 Aug 2026 at 16:08, Rising Star Khilte Chehre < [email protected]> wrote: > 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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