Inclusive Tourism
Accessible travel is bigger than most people think.
Wheelchairs, ramps, room dimensions: that’s where most accessibility conversations start and end. But there’s a whole world of travelers being left out.
I’ve been to 19 countries with my guide dog Indio; in Egypt, we became the first guide dog team to work legally in the country. I work with hotels and destinations that want to look beyond the checklist and get the experience right.
Most guide dog teams don’t travel.
Not because we don’t want to, but because the tourism industry hasn’t caught up yet. Hotels aren’t sure what to do when a dog walks in, staff haven’t been trained, and restaurants sometimes turn us away.
It doesn’t have to be this way.
How we can work together
“As the first hotel to welcome guide dogs in Egypt, we never expected that receiving a guide dog would be such a fulfilling experience for our staff.”
— General Manager, InterContinental Cairo Semiramis
Written for
30 countries before Indio retires.
Indio is my guide dog and the reason I love traveling the world. Before he retires, my goal is to take him to 30 countries. It’s a challenge to ourselves, and a challenge to a world that often tells us “you can’t go there.” We can, and we do.
We enjoy the adventure, and while we’re at it, we keep the door open for the guide dog teams that come after us. Join the mission:
Be the feature: Get your destination highlighted in our 30-country quest.
Get the proof: Social media content and photography showing a guide dog team thriving at your location.
Tell the story: Press trips welcome. I write about accessible travel for international outlets, and the destinations that get it right are the stories I pitch.
Where should Indio and I go next?
If you’re working on something that could make travel better for guide dog teams and blind travelers, I want to hear about it.