Would you trust a blind travel advisor to design your vacation?

I'm thrilled that you've decided to join me today, and I'm even more excited for us to go ahead and dive right into today's topic.

It was a big decision for me to decide what I should talk about on the first episode.

I ran through a lot of different ideas.

I threw a bunch of ideas out to my family and friends and fellow travel advisors.

And finally, it was one of my travel advisor friends who finally was the one who addressed the elephant in the room.

What elephant?

That's what I asked.

She said, You need to talk about how you're able to be a travel advisor when you're completely blind.

That one totally had not even crossed my mind.

So I took her suggestion and ran with it.

And that's where we dive into today's subject.

How in the world can a blind guy be a travel advisor?

Well, for myself, I had a hard time trying to come up with enough reasons why to fill up a podcast episode because I've been blind now for almost 17 years.

So my life right now is pretty much normal.

I don't think of things being so much different for me than they are for everyone else.

But in fact, there are definitely some differences of how I am able to operate a travel agency and plan out vacations for my clients as opposed to other travel advisors who can see.

So let's dive right in.

First and foremost, I was lucky enough that I went blind in the time period where technology has exploded.

Technology is a huge part of my life and the part of me running my business.

In essence, when you're blind, everything you need is something that's going to talk to you.

My computer has a special software program installed called JAWS.

It's a screen reading software so that now everything that I type on my computer, it's going to tell me what key I'm pressing.

I can also navigate around the computer, all with different keystroke commands.

And that's how I'm able to keep track of everything for my clients' trips and for running my business, all the financial aspects.

Everything is done right on my computer.

If I'm not using my computer, I'm relying on the other piece of technology that all of us can't live without our smartphone.

I use an Apple iPhone because of the accessibility feature that's built right into all of Apple's products called voiceover.

It literally makes the entire phone completely accessible to somebody who's blind.

And from there, I'm able to do everything that you can do with your smartphone, I can do as well.

It's just talking to me.

So it's pretty amazing.

As I run my finger across the screen, it's telling me what I'm going over.

So literally a voice is telling me each icon, my finger's crossing over, whether that's messages, calendar, Facebook.

It's incredible.

And that's what gives me access to all the tools that I need to design vacations for my clients.

Some people marvel at the thought that when I'm on the phone with a client, I have an earbud in my ear.

So I'm talking to you, the client.

So I'm listening to you talk while at the same time I'm on my computer typing and taking notes, listening to it at the same time.

While at the same time, I have music going in the background and probably the TV on in the other room.

And sound is all around me.

But when you're blind, that's all you have.

So I don't really think twice about it.

But in essence, that's how I operate my business, is just by the use of this assistive technology that lets me use programs that any other travel agent would use for keeping track of all of our client database, for logging in to the different suppliers that we work with, to their websites to actually book the vacations.

Whatever it is, I can do just like anyone who can see.

Now, I have to admit, sometimes you can't replace a good pair of working eyes.

The second piece of the puzzle is my association with the Gifted Travel Network.

It's a group of fellow travel advisors who are there to support one another as well as to help grow our businesses.

It's basically like having an entire office of fellow colleagues at my disposal.

We all help each other because in this business, firsthand knowledge is paramount.

If I've not been to a resort myself that I'm looking at sending my clients to, you better bet I'm talking to another travel advisor who has been there.

Because I don't want to send somebody just based on what I find on Google.

Because in fact, that's why people are using a travel advisor, because they don't just want to rely on Google.

They want firsthand knowledge.

And that's what I'm there to provide.

So sometimes you want to know what a resort looks like?

What does this new feature on the cruise ship look like?

So that I can relay that information to my clients.

So in times like that, when I definitely need a pair of working eyes, I just contact one of my travel advisor friends and ask them, hey, have you been on this cruise?

And if they haven't, they know someone who has.

So that's the other aspect of how I'm actually able to operate my own business.

And then we enter into the third part of the equation, the part I call the X factor.

Yes, I know.

I made that sound really cool.

Basically, I'm trying to tell you that your blind travel advisor, me, I actually see more of the world than you may think.

A lot of people can't really fathom it at first.

But in fact, when I travel, I don't even think about the fact that I can't see the destination.

And that's because I quote unquote see the world through all of my other senses.

When I have traveled to Jamaica on a trip with a bunch of other fellow travel advisors on what they call a fam trip or familiarization trip, we spent one whole day touring countless numbers of resorts all over the island.

And there was one resort in particular that everybody in the group was looking forward to going to tour because it's well known and a lot of people love the resort.

And so we took a tour of it.

I have to tell you right off the bat, I was not impressed.

Not only was I not impressed, I straight up could not understand why people were raving over this resort.

It's the little things.

Like, for example, the handrails, they were so thick with varnish that they still had that tacky feeling when you touched them.

The whole resort just had this feel to it that I just couldn't quite explain.

All I knew was this was nowhere that I would really care to send my clients to.

Finally, one of the other travel advisors who was in our group, she made the statement you know, this place more resembles a roadside motor inn than a five-star all-inclusive resort.

I immediately started cracking up laughing.

Me, being one of the newer travel agents in the bunch, didn't really want to speak up and state my opinion, but this gave me the perfect opportunity.

And I could not wait to share with them the way I felt about this resort.

That's just one example of how I can see things that others may not.

Another example, I was on a cruise not too long ago with my family, and it was a nice cruise ship, but I noticed at each elevator, when you get off the elevator, they had carpeting.

And the carpeting just felt kind of soft and saggy almost.

And I couldn't help but think it just kind of ruined everything about the ship because they had this carpet throughout the hallways and where the elevator banks were.

And it just ruined it for me.

I was like, this carpet, it just feels wet and soggy under your feet.

And I'm like, it's probably because of everyone with their bathing suits are soaking wet coming to their room from the pools.

I'm like, just replace that with some tile and you could totally change up the entire feeling of this cruise ship.

And that's what I pay attention to, whether it's my own vacation I'm going on or booking it for somebody else, is you have to remember there's so much more than just what the eye can see.

There's the overall feeling.

For example, if you told me you wanted to go to Cancun, Mexico in August for a family vacation, not only am I going to ask you questions that may help you find the best resort for you and your family, but I'm also going to ask you, are you okay with hot, humid weather?

And when I say humid, I mean it's going to feel like you are living in a sauna 24-7 during your stay.

If not, then you might want to think of a different destination or at least change up the time of year you're going.

And that's just another example that there's so much more than just what the destination looks like.

And so I guess that's how I'm able to be a travel advisor.

And in some ways, I like to think that maybe I'm a better travel advisor than some of those who can see, because of the fact that I realize there's more to life and more to the world than just what our eye can see.

And at the end of the day, isn't that what this entire podcast is about?

I hope so.

Opening your eyes and the world's eyes to realize there's so much more to life than just what the eye can see.

Thank you so much for tuning in to this first official podcast of the lowdown on life and travel.

Hopefully it wasn't a total train wreck.

And even if it was, I'm hoping it can only get better from here.

Thank you.

SPEAKER_00: And that's the lowdown on life and travel.

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