An interview with Amy Bassil
We know that some of our first-time sighted guides can feel a little bit nervous, or apprehensive, before they embark on a trip with us. Perhaps you feel the same and it’s the one thing stopping you from clicking that ever-so-tempting ‘book now’ button? We get it. Guiding a blind or partially-sighted person can seem daunting; we’re here to banish those worries and show you that being a Traveleyes sighted traveller and guide is simple!
We sent our very own Reservations Manager, Amy Bassil, on our Wonders of the Lake District, five-day Traveleyes adventure, to experience what our trips are all about. This was Amy’s first time on a Traveleyes trip as a sighted traveller and she had never guided a blind person before either, so we put her in the hot seat to find out how she found the holiday and to ask the all-important question: Would you do it again?
Was this your first time on a Traveleyes trip? If so, how did you feel beforehand?
Yes, I’ve never been on a Traveleyes trip before, the Lake District was my first time going away with Traveleyes. I’d say I was probably a little nervous because I’ve never really done something like this before. I was maybe a bit worried that I’d do something wrong. I’ve met Amar (Traveleyes founder) a few times before but I hadn’t ever guided him, so I didn’t have any experience of guiding a blind person before the trip. I guess I was worried about not being good enough and making sure everyone had a good holiday!
Can you talk us through your first day on the trip?
On day one, I arrived at Monk Coniston, the HF house we were staying in for the duration of the trip. I was the first one there, and as the group arrived, the Traveleyes Tour Manager paired everyone up. I was paired up with, Alan, who’s vision impaired, as his virtual room buddy. Virtual room buddies are just a sighted person and a vision impaired person (or VIP!) who are partnered for breakfast. Initially, the sighted person helps them to understand the layout of their room, and after that, helps them with breakfast every morning.
First, I guided my him to his room and gave him a room tour. I just explained things like the bathroom layout, where the wardrobes are, and other things to help give him a picture of the room. For the rest of the trip, I’d meet Alan at his door and we’d go down to breakfast together.
How did you find guiding Alan?
At first, I was nervous because I was thinking I had never done it before. I kept wondering ‘am I describing the correct things?’. So, I just asked Alan! I asked how much sight he had and how he wanted to be guided and off we went. The thing is, once you get into the swing of it, it’s so much easier than how you think it’s going to be. I did actually ask him, at the beginning, ‘was that okay?’ and he told me it was perfect!
Can you tell us a little bit about the group?
They were a really, really lovely group of people! I think the split was maybe 10 vision impaired people and 11 sighted. It was a mix of first timers and a few people that have travelled with us before. A lot of the first timers were saying they want to try an overseas Traveleyes trip but wanted to try out a UK break first, which I think a lot of people do. It was a great bunch of people and a real mixture of ages too, and everyone was just so lovely!
And how did you find the excursions, were there any bits you particularly enjoyed?
We had lots of planned activities. On the first day of activities, we took a steam train to the Windermere Jetty Museum. We were able to touch the boats here to help the VI travellers get a real feel of the boats. This is something you’re not normally allowed to do, but even the sighted travellers were able to join in, so I guess that’s another benefit of the trips you don’t really think about. After, we took the boat across Lake Windermere and had some time to explore the town of Windermere-on-Bowness.
Day three, we had a planned walk around Ryedale. I didn’t guide on this walk, so I took the role of back marker of the group – basically, I had to just make sure no one was left behind! That walk was lovely, actually, and a lot of our VIPs stopped partway to dip their toes in the river, but it was far too cold for me! Later that day, we went to Dove Cottage the former home of Poet Laureate, William Wordsworth. There was some free time in the museum and we ended up enjoying a free guided tour, which was really informative. The day ended with a steam gondola ride, which was a few hours long. The captain spoke about the area and things we could see, but the thing we all enjoyed was the feeling of the waves rolling against the gondola.
For our final day of excursions, I was paired with Teresa, who is partially sighted. So we had a chat about how she wanted to be guided and I made some adjustments to how I had been guiding before, so for instance Teresa’s sight was better on her left side, so I stood on her right so as not to block what she could see. With that, we were off. We went on a mini steam train, that had tiny carriages and travelled through the countryside. The sound and feel of the steam was definitely a highlight! We then arrived a Munster Castle, where we had free time for lunch. Later, we had a tour from someone who lives there which was super informative and we were able to feel the old fireplaces and various fixtures to get a picture of the rooms.
What did you do on an evening?
This obviously depends on where you are and what trip you’re on, but for this holiday we were staying at an HF house. So, during the day the HF guests went out walking and we didn’t really see them, but at dinner we all sat together in the dining room. We didn’t stick to sitting as a Traveleyes group, we all mingled together with the HF guests, which was really nice. Some of the HF travellers hadn’t heard of Traveleyes and vice versa, so it was lovely for everyone to sit together and swap stories from their day and share itineraries!
What are your main takeaways from the trip?
I’m so glad I went on this holiday. It’s changed the way I think about things; when we’ve got our sight we just take it for granted because we don’t know any different. On a Traveleyes holiday, being with the VI travellers and part of their experience and seeing them so happy, makes you feel like you’re making a difference which is such a lovely thing. You also get to know everyone on a personal level, because you’re buddied up every day and guiding them, so that’s a really nice part of the trips too.
I also feel like I’d be more confident to guide someone away from a Traveleyes trip. For instance, if I was out walking in the street and someone needed my assistance, I wouldn’t think twice about helping them now. A lot of it is just asking people how they’d like to be guided and once you’re walking and chatting, you don’t think about it.
It’s completely changed the way I value going on a holiday now. It’s been amazing.
Do you think it’s changed the way you view things outside of a holiday environment?
Yes, definitely. Because I think as well, as an example, before if I went on a train, I would be looking out the window and just seeing things and I probably wouldn’t consider the noises that you can hear and all your other senses. With a lot of things, I’d look and just think ‘oh it’s just a wall’, but if you take away your sight and use your other senses, things become so much more. If you close your eyes and touch a slate wall, you feel all the different textures and how it’s made. You just end up looking at things completely differently.
And finally, would you go on a Traveleyes trip again?
Yes, if I got the opportunity to go on another trip, I would love to! There’s a lot of camaraderie on a Traveleyes holiday and such a sense of community. People get to know each other so well and then there’s the element of putting your trust in other people. People just help each other and support each other, it’s different to other group holidays I have done and I’d definitely recommend it to anyone!
Join our next trip to the Lake District this summer for 5 days of fun!
Wonders of the Lake District
4-8th August 2025
Or for more exciting trips head over to our holidays page!