When it comes to travel, We are living in a very complicated and complex world of mazes, passages, hallways, unexpected corners, and so much more. There was a time when travel was so much more enjoyable but no more.
As the world continues to grow and change then so too does the process of travel. It is like this for everyone but when one is blind or vision impaired it probably is 10 times as bad.
Think of it like this! There is lots of noise around as you enter a very crowded and busy airport. You are greeted by raised voices coming from every direction and you are simply trying to catch ahold of your bearings but there is one huge problem. You are vision impaired and despite your sense of hearing being able to function at its maximum unfortunately for you your sense of sight is unable to support you and as a result your stress quickly surpasses the maximum levels.
Sure! There is technology that could help to make things easier for me but alas! Technology can only do so much! What to do if you cannot hear the instructions on your iPhone despite having earbuds in your ears because of the noise levels?
This is what it is like for me as a vision impaired person these days but fortunately enough for me; I have a solution to fall back on.
On a recent return trip to Hawaii from Toronto, I learned what it was like to be able to avoid all of the above when I took advantage of Air Canada’s services for passengers with special needs.
I contacted Air Canada weeks in advance and requested assistance on both legs of my trip. From Toronto to Vancouver and then onto Honolulu and then back from Honolulu to Vancouver and then back to Toronto.
These wonderful agents helped me all the way! They assisted at every step reassuring me as they walked with me that they were there to help. When I got to Vancouver, they were there to escort me to US customs and stood watchfully by as I interacted with the US immigration officer. Then they made sure that I caught my flight to Honolulu.
The service was the same on my homeward bound journey. Despite having missed my connection from Vancouver to Toronto due to a delay in Honolulu, these wonderful agents made sure that I caught a later flight.
This is what it is like for me in a busy and confusing world of travel and I thank those wonderful Air Canada agents for having helped to make my trip a more enjoyable one.
Just my two cents for today.