Life is a funny deck of cards? You just never know what cards
you are going to be dealt with! When I
was with my X Husband, I never wanted to go on holiday with him, in fact I
never wanted to go anywhere with him! He could see fully so there was never an
issue. But he and I did not connect at all and he quite frankly, bored the
living daylights out of me. He could drive a hedgehog to despair, and have a tortoise reaching for the razorblade, with his
conversation, or in most cases, lack of it.
He had no spark what so ever and did not understand, why I
would not do anything with him? Well there is only so many free churches and
coupon castles, I could face. Passing by the coffee shops only being able to
enjoy the aroma of the offerings coming from the kerbside café’s.
Now I have my Hub, I really would love to go on holiday with
him. But how? Of course we are both blind, sure, we can go to town and some,
local shops, but a holiday?
This got me thinking and almost lead me into a depression.
“Would we ever go on holiday again? Ever?”
Answer? I’m not sure. Our other holidays, were with my teen.
Now I doubt teen would go with us.
How nice it would be to sit and browse through the countless
holiday brochures, with their pleading pictures, of perfect places in Paradise
Forget that one, we can’t do that.
Next best thing? Look online and hear words spoken through
my symphonised voice software on my laptop.
So the idea of perhaps, planning a perfect holiday in Peru?
Or, sunning it in the sandunes of Spain?
Or Marvelling at the Massaemett, mountain, in Massachusetts, simply is an impossibility for us.
Or is it?
Sure we can go by taxi to the airport, get assistance
throughout the airport, and on the aeroplane
and off again. Then what?
OK, we could negotiate our way around our hotel, and even
try to ask for help to the pool or restaurant, but a lot of restaurants abroad,
well and in the UK now, are self-service. Hence, making it so difficult for us
to get food. There is only so much asking for help people can do, before they
start to feel like a hindrance?
Also the stress, of wondering if there would be someone nice
enough to help us, or anyone around? I remember in the Caribbean, we stayed at
a wonderful hotel, we would walk across the sands, onto the jetty and into an ocean
log restaurant, but in the afternoon, the staff would not be there. So a long
table was served, and you helped
yourself. The restaurant, belonged to the hotel. So our twelve year old at the
time, helped us out.
He did not miss out on any fun though having blind parents,
in fact I think the opposite. Every day, he went jet skiing, and loved it, £50
a go, I would hope so? My Hub took him on other water sports too and we did a
few trips to visit other islands and places of interest, even hiring a man with
a car and going off on a day of fun.
So what would we do
when we got on holiday? Hmm. I started to do some research and found some
companies who will help blind people to have a holiday. The first one, is
hotels in the UK, that welcome visually impaired people. The hotels are V.I.P
friendly too! They can be checked out on their Vision
Hotels website
Or if you fancy going
abroad, why not look at https://www.traveleyes-international.com/
You pay full price, and to be honest, I think a little more,
as a volunteer, and from what I can
gather, they can sort one out for you, pays only half of the required
price of the V.I.P, person.
On their website,
they have wonderful holidays, in Peru, Italy, America, Iceland and many other
countries. They sound great too, as specially if you are wanting a fun packed
holiday, full of everything a sighted person would like to do, to be honest, they do sound a little on the hectic side for Hub and I, we are a little more tame
than pony tracking and swimming with dolphins, though I can imagine, to be brave enough to do that, must be amazing? Then there was another company if
you would like to take a cruise, perhaps to Amsterdam?
Now I don’t think they provide a volunteer, but, they will
help in every other way, I read a story about a man who took his guide dog on
board and they provided a dog spending airier on the ship. From what I could gather,
apart from what the very helpful crew did for him when he was on board, there
was no help for him once he got to the
country of his choice, this was a little sad I thought and reminded me, how
much we would need sighted people or person if we travelled, but if you are
brave enough and just want to feel the sea air in your face, then a cruise may
be perfect for you?
At least there are some choices? Now all we need to do is
pay off loads of our mortgage and what we owe towards our house an work out
what we are going to do with twelve paws?
If like me, a holiday is a dream right now, one day our
dream can become reality. In the meanwhile, let’s enjoy what we have, each
other? xxxx
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