14 Feb 2024

Heading Off: Travelling without seeing

From Afternoons, 1:45 pm on 14 February 2024

Twenty two years ago avid traveller Fraser Alexander lost his sight aged just 37.

Until that moment he hadn't realised how much of travel revolved around vision, but he was determined to keep experiencing new places and cultures.

Prior to losing his sight he would just buy a plane ticket and figure everything else out once he arrived at his destination.

Being blind changed all that. Now a trip starts with endless planning and emails about accessibility.

We speak to Fraser.

Cancelled flights are displayed on a departures board at Stansted Airport, north of London, on August 29, 2023 after UK flights were delayed over a technical issue. Flights to and from the UK were experiencing disruptions after Britain's air traffic control systems were temporarily hit by a technical fault. The National Air Traffic Services (NATS) said it had "identified and remedied" a technical issue which forced it to impose traffic flow restrictions. (Photo by Daniel LEAL / AFP)

Photo: AFP / Daniel Leal