[Travelandtourism] Intro

[Sami Osborne]

Hello all,

I just subscribed to this list, so thought I'd introduce myself 
beforehand.  Some of you may also know me from the NABS list.

My name is Sami Osborne, and I'm 17, going on 18 next month.  I 
am also, of course, totally blind.  I really like traveling a 
lot, and have visited many foreign countries, particularly in 
Europe, throughout my life.  First, I go with my mom and younger 
brother to France every summer to visit other relatives (my mom 
is originally from France) (which, by the way, we just came back 
from last Friday).  I think it is a really nice country to visit, 
and would definitely recommend it to others, especially Paris and 
also a town called Noiremoutier, where one of my uncles, aunts 
and cousins rent a beach house every summer, it's so nice there.  
This year, we also went to Spain for my high school graduation 
present.  I also really like it, although it does get 
unpleasantly hot in some areas.
Other countries we've been to include Venice, Italy, (where we've 
been twice, once by car and the other time by overnight train 
from Paris,) Belgium, and England.  I've never really been to any 
other countries in North America, except for a road trip to 
Newfoundland, Canada, and I'd also like to go to Montreal.

My experiences on planes in regards to blindness has overall been 
fairly well, although I did notice that some airlines do 
different things to accommodate people who are blind.  For 
example, when we were going to France last month,  we took 
British Airways (although we didn't have to stop in England, 
because the plane flew directly to Paris from New York where we 
live) and both on the way in and way back, the flight attendant 
actually got up and showed me where I could find the light 
jackets and emergency exits (although I didn't actually get up, 
the flight attendant just explained in words).  This happened 
only on British Airways, not on any other airline I've taken.  
Also, unfortunately, last month we also flew with Iberia to get 
from Paris to Madrid for our trip to Spain, and at check-in at 
the airport in Paris, the airline clerk, even though I was 
walking with my family, asked if I needed any special assistance.  
They didn't do this in Spain, though, so that was good.  Also, 
when we were going to France last year, we took Aer Lingus and 
made a stop in Dublin, Ireland before continuing on to Paris.  On 
the way back to New York with that airline, two things happened 
to accommodate my blindness: first, when we boarded the plane, 
the flight attendant actually gave me an airline safety brochure 
in Braille, which I read before the plane departed.  But then, 
when we got to the airport in New York, they asked me if I needed 
a wheelchair.  Does anyone know why airport employees would still 
ask if you need assistance even if you're with your family or 
friends? I've never been able to figure that out.

I really enjoy traveling and exploring different places.  Most 
everywhere I've been to is very nice, and would like to see even 
more.  I also would like to be a language interpreter for the UN 
after I finish college, and in theory I would have to travel a 
lot, so am also excited about that.

I'm very glad to be a member of this list, and hope to enjoy 
discussions on here.

Thanks in advance,

Sami