[Travelandtourism] international cane travel

[Wendy David]

Hi.  Although I usually travel with a Guide Dog, I have been to Paris, 
Amsterdam, London, Copenhagen, and Scandinavia with a cane only. I found 
that it was much easier for me to navigate with a rolling tip cane, as many 
of the streets are cobblestoned and the sidewalks can be quite old. I used a 
California folding cane with roling tip and had few problems.  I also had an 
older NFB telescopic cane with metal tip and found this caught in many of 
the cracks, resulting in the cane collapsing while I walked. Hope this 
helps.  Have a great trip and let us know how you fared.
Wendy David
"Sites Unseen: Traveling the World without Sight," National Braille Press, 
2010.


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Tammy Cantrell" <t.l.cantrell at comcast.net>
To: "NFB Travel and Tourism Division List" <travelandtourism at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, October 05, 2011 7:41 PM
Subject: Re: [Travelandtourism] international cane travel


>I have been to the Holy Land, Greece and Italy.  My biggest challenge was 
>navigating in the masssive number of people.  In Italy, we had to push and 
>shove to get through the crouds.  We had to cross the roads in a mass 
>because the drivers were nothing like I have ever seen. They had no regard 
>for traffic signals.  We took our lives in our hands when we made a 
>crossing.
>
> I enjoyed all of these experiences but they did have a few mobility 
> challenges.
>
> Hope you enjoy your new adventure.
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "John Davis" <john.davis817 at gmail.com>
> To: <travelandtourism at nfbnet.org>; <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Wednesday, October 05, 2011 11:34 AM
> Subject: [Travelandtourism] international cane travel
>
>
>> Hi,
>>
>> I'm thinking of traveling abroad with some friends soon for a few
>> weeks. I've never left the country before, but our plan is to see
>> parts of Asia and Europe.
>>
>> First, I use an NFB cane with the standard metal tip for travel
>> everywhere I go. I do use a combination of touch and slide technique
>> depending on the situation. I had never thought to ask this question
>> until a friend who went to Africa over the summer told me that, being
>> in a developing country, the roads and sidewalks look completely
>> different from the suburbs and cities of the US! With that, I'm
>> wondering If I'll have any trouble using a cane in some foreign
>> countries? From what I've heard a lot of sidewalks can have huge holes
>> and cracks everywhere and the like which might make using a cane hard
>> abroad. especially in more developing countries ... apparently it's
>> quite chaotic and a total mess in some places even for people who can
>> see! I ask because the NFB metal tip can succumb to rough spots and
>> cracks and the like here on occasion, so I'm suddenly wondering If
>> I'll have trouble abroad. I will be with a group of friends so maybe I
>> won't need to use my cane too much on my own, but I thought I'd ask
>> before I leave anyway. Apologies if these are silly or the wrong lists
>> to ask these questions on.
>>
>> Thank you
>>
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>
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