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The holiday season is just around the corner, and for many this means traveling to see their family and friends. But for someone experiencing vision loss, this can be overwhelming and chaotic.
AFB's good friend and world traveler Esther Smith, who has macular degeneration, has developed some travel routines to make the trip as smooth as possible. She has been kind enough to share with us her top six tips to make traveling easier:
- Don't be embarrassed to ask for help when you need it.
- Be sure to identify yourself ahead of time as having a visual impairment.
- Memorize your identification numbers, charge card numbers, passport number and bank number. Or you may want to set up a system to get them easily should you lose your wallet.
- You can ask the airline to arrange for a guide or to set up a wheelchair to get you to and from the plane easily and efficiently; a wheelchair especially helps at the security checkpoints, since you'll avoid getting stuck in line.
- When you book your reservations, ask for security guidelines and how much time you will need to allow for clearing these requirements.
- You may want to ask for assistance when going through security lines to help retrieve all your belongings after they go through the X-ray machine, especially small items placed in tubs.
For other useful tips from Esther, please visit the brand-new Esther's Insights section on AFB Senior Site.
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I take vision loss day by day, and my days are better than ever.
