March 19, 2019
Travelling is an experience that requires considerable planning. The best
laid plans can fall apart if there a change of weather or delay in
flights/trains, a factor that tends to put off many blind and low vision
people from planning a holiday. Something Amit Jain is
trying to address by organizing tours exclusively for people with vision
impairments.
Jain, founder of Rising Star Tours & Travels, a
Delhi-based company, has organized three such trips since December last year
and is planning the fourth in May.
Our first trip was to Pangot, in Uttarakhand, a life- changing experience
for me. The outcome and response was so fantastic and it gave me such
tremendous happiness that I have taken a pledge to change the lives of at
least one thousand visually impaired people a year through travel. Within a
short span of time of nine months we have done three trips. – Amit
Jain, Founder, Rising Star Tours & Travels
Jain aims to create a platform where people with visual impairments can
overcome their fears and can travel. “I realized that when people think of
the visually impaired community, they think of food, clothes, etc., not so
much travel. That’s why I started this initiative. I also felt that travel
can help the community overcome confidence issues”.
The May trip to Corbett is likely to have 70 people signing up, a sizeable
jump from the first three. Shubham Gupta, a State
Bank of India employee based in New Delhi has been on two trips and
plans to go to Corbett as well.
“There are plenty of sighted volunteers accompanying us, which is really
good. Like in the trip to Jaipur and Rishikesh, there were 15-20 sighted
volunteers for a group of 40. This way we could enjoy all the experiences
like Ganga aarti, camel riding and horse riding without missing out on
anything”.
Gupta says the winning factor for him is the concept of inclusion and the
idea of exploring the world without sight.
The trips are generally priced at between Rs 2,500-3,000 per head, including
travel, accommodation, and food. Jain is determined to keep the costs low, so
the trips are accessible to all. “I have been fortunate to get support from
friends and family. Resorts offer us lower rates and many people are coming
forward to support such a good cause. In any case, the cost was never in mind
and we always knew we would make it”.
Jain claims he is getting requests from people across India and hopes to
reach wider audiences with the support of organizations like National
Association for the Blind (NAB) and the All India
Confederation for the Blind. Going by the glowing recommendations
from past customers, his venture looks set to be a big success.
Jyoti Malik, who works with Radio Udaan,
the online community radio managed by people with visual disabilities, went
for the trip to Jaipur last year. “It is wonderful to travel with people
who face similar challenges because you feel comfortable and blend in. The
cost factor is low, which is a bonus”. Gupta agrees. “The accommodation
is three-or-four-star and the quality of food is very good too. I am
motivating people to sign up for the next trip”.
The best part is the attitude says Meenakshi Chaturvedi, who
has been a part of two trips so far. “There is no discrimination felt and
we were taken for every experience and made to feel included. The attitude
was so positive”.
If you want to sign up for the next trip or know more, email Amit Jain at
amitrstt@gmail.com or call him at 98111 41952.
ALSO READ:Say
hello to Bat Travels, the agency that wants to make travel fun for blind
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Source: https://newzhook.com/story/21716
