[Travelandtourism] Member and non-member information Plus Traveling in Airports ETC

Wed May 6 23:40:57 UTC 2015

An app sounds cool.
Everybody travels a little differently according to his or her own
abilities. Probably the best way to improve traveling is to get training,
and tack on some experience. The NFB training centers probably offer the
best in the way of mobility training; but many graduates of the O&M
instruction program associated with the Louisiana Center for the Blind now
teach in different parts of the country; but I couldn't tell you many
precise states. I am lucky enough to live in a city where I can usually find
things pretty easily on my own once I have an address; not all towns and
cities are quite like that unfortunately. That skill of mine came mostly
from the Louisiana Center I would say. I also like to get around airports
(even big ones) mainly on my own if I have the time. If the new gate is far
away, and time is limited (say 25 minutes to a half hour or 25 minutes
before boarding), then I will ask for a personal escort; which I've found
airlines will readily provide. Some airports are more complicated than
others regardless of size. It is usually very easy to get from one gate to
another in the same concourse, so long as you know which way the numbers go
up or down, and what side of the center path odd and even numbers are on.
This is something to ask someone when you want to know where to go. There's
also no problem with stopping to ask what gate you are at or nearest to when
you want to make sure you are going in the right direction. If you got a
cane, you can look for telltale signs of a gate: carpet, sign posts, chairs,
crowd barriers etc. I only have experience with cane travel; so I can't
speak to how a doggy would work in such situations. A good thing about going
alone is it gives you a chance to explore: food options, shopping, etc. But
be aware of the time and don't be afraid to ask clear and concise questions.
Keep in mind also that most people in airports use escalators or stares; and
thus these options are often more readily available than elevators. I've had
people direct me down long walks through airports so I could use an
elevator; their thinking being I would not be able to use an escalator. I've
heard that some dogs don't like escalators; but still this is good to have
in mind.
Regarding the Grand Canyon; I would say it is much more beautiful than an
airport; but often there are similar crowds near the South Rim. The trails
down the canyon (at least from the South) are actually fairly easy to
navigate as they are well defined, and there are only three of them. You
will want to be pretty careful of your surroundings though if you don't want
to pull a Humpty dumpty.:)
Best,
Trevor

-----Original Message-----
From: Travelandtourism [mailto:travelandtourism-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Cheryl Echevarria via Travelandtourism
Sent: Wednesday, May 06, 2015 2:34 PM
To: 'Roanna Bacchus'
Cc: Cheryl Echevarria; 'Milton Taylor'; 'john Tebockhorst'; 'david stayer';
'Steven Hastalis'; 'Jemal Powell'; miltjotaylor at gmail.com; 'NFB Travel and
Tourism Division List'
Subject: Re: [Travelandtourism] Member and non-member information and
updates

Roanna:

That is like saying you want to maneuver the Grand Canyon by yourself.

Some airports, because for those of us who travel a lot know the airport
well, meaning, when I come home to Macarthur Airport here on Long Island, it
isn't a big airport like JFK or LaGuardia.

If traveling to Orlando or O'Hare, or maybe an international airport I have
never been to before.

Like I said the TSA website has assistance for maneuvering the airport you
can call them up to 48 hours in advance of traveling.

This helps out a lot especially with getting through security etc.

The airport are big, some people are more adventurous, and if they just get
the right directions of where things are then they are fine.

Take the airport out of the equations.

Let's say you want to go from you home to the Store in town and you never
did it before. What do you do?  What I do is, is that I first ask my
husband, daughter, friend, etc. to take me there once or twice, and then I
do it myself with my cane, and then I take my guide dog, because if I don't
know where I am going, then how is my dog going to get there.

Airports are not the same animal, they are very big. So unless I am flying
into my small home airport which I just have to ask which way is the
elevator to go downstairs, then I know my way out.

But that took many years to say, hey I can do this. It also took a lot of
confidence, and knowing when to ask for help and when not to. That is the
point of independence, when to ask for assistance and when not to.

It is the same way with bus stations, large hotels, Disney World.

These are just some incidences.

But I will say is know your mobility skills, if you know only one way of
getting somewhere, is not good, you need to find other ways if there are
detours, which there are.

Hope this helps. Again, Roanna, you don't have to join. You just need to
participate.

Cheryl Echevarria, President
National Federation of the Blind's Travel and Tourism Division A proud
division of the NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND - "Live the life you want"
www.nfbtravel.org
631-236-5138
cherylandmaxx at hotmail.com

The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the
characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the
expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles
between blind people and our dreams. You can have the life you want;
blindness is not what holds you back.

Cheryl Echevarria 
Travel is our specialty and offering the best of meaningful travel for all
ages is our passion!
http://www.echevarriatravel.com
reservations at echevarriatravel.com
631-456-5394

Visit my website to get my FREE report, "Top 5 Good Reasons to Use a Travel
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I build my business on referrals. Please pass my details on to friends and
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P.S. - Families of all sizes is my specialty. Whether you are just starting
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would love to help you. 

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braille needs.  Gail Smith is the Secretary of the NFB of Alabama

-----Original Message-----
From: Roanna Bacchus [mailto:rbacchus228 at gmail.com] 
Sent: Wednesday, May 6, 2015 11:35 AM
To: Cheryl Echevarria
Subject: RE: [Travelandtourism] Member and non-member information and
updates

I want to learn more about independent travel.  Whenever I go on a vacation
it's with my family.  I want to learn how to maneuver the airport without
assistance.

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