From Fashion Advice to the Taj Mahal: How One Phone Call Led to an Extraordinary Adventure
(7 minute read)
Leslie appears on Zoom from her home in San Diego, a lush green garden behind her, a big smile on her face. Her long dark tousled hair falls over her shoulders and her bright blue eyes shine as she explains how one simple phone call led her on to an adventure of a lifetime.
“I found out about Be My Eyes from a friend of mine and I thought this was a great opportunity to help others.”
Be My Eyes connects blind and vision impaired people with sighted volunteers through live video calls. Sometimes the requests are straightforward – reading a label, identifying an item of clothing, or helping someone pick up a beer. “I’ve had that a couple of times actually!” she chuckles. Sometimes they’re more urgent. Leslie remembers helping one man identify the correct vehicle arriving to collect him at night… Safe to say, that one required a little more concentration.
Most calls last only a few minutes.
But one call turned into something much bigger.
A Question About Blue
The call came from a man getting ready for an evening at the opera.
“He was trying to coordinate his outfit,” Leslie recalls with a smile. “He wanted to know if the shade of blue he was wearing matched his trousers.”
That man was our very own founder Amar Latif OBE and one of the UK’s best-known blind broadcasters and adventurers. Some may recognise him from programmes including the BBC’s Celebrity MasterChef (where he reached the semi-finals no less), Travelling Blind with comedian Sara Pascoe and Pilgrimage.
Amar Latif
At the time, Leslie had never heard of Amar. But his warm, friendly personality and genuine curiosity about Leslie’s life in San Diego meant that what began as a quick request for help choosing an outfit turned into a 20-minute chat. “And I mean, we could have talked forever, but he had to get in his car to get to the opera in time!”
During the call, Amar shared the story of Traveleyes, a world-unique group travel company he founded that brings blind and fully sighted people together to explore the world as equal travellers. The concept immediately intrigued Leslie. Designed with solo travellers in mind, sighted travellers are paired with a different blind or vision impaired (VI) traveller each day to share the adventure. It’s a holiday model that has led to countless lasting friendships, romances… even a few weddings!
“I love travel and I love exploring new places,” she says. “And the idea sounded so fascinating.”
The call eventually ended. Amar went off to the opera and Leslie carried on with her day.
But the idea stayed with her.
Taking a Leap
A few months later, Traveleyes released a new collection of holidays.
Leslie started browsing the destinations and one destination leapt off the page: India.
It wasn’t somewhere she had seriously considered visiting before.
“I probably wouldn’t have booked India on my own,” she admits. “But that’s exactly why it appealed to me. It was a big adventure and felt like an opportunity to do something completely different. A chance to explore India as part of an organised group tour.”
And, of course, as a sighted traveller you receive a significant discount meaning it’s great value for money with all flights, most meals and numerous fantastic excursions included, such as a visit to the iconic Taj Mahal.
Leslie booked.
Nine months later, she found herself stepping into a world of vibrant colours, bustling cities, rich history and experiences that engaged all her senses.
Nothing could quite have prepared her for it.
First Impressions of India
India exceeded every expectation. The sights, sounds and energy of everyday life left a lasting impression. The contrast between its modern cities and traditional neighbourhoods was eye-opening, the traffic wonderfully chaotic, and then there were the cows.
“The cows never got old,” she says. “No matter where you were, there would just be cows wandering around.”
For someone who already knew a lot about Indian culture through friends and colleagues, being immersed in it was something entirely different. “It was so fascinating and our local guide was amazing. I learned so much.”
“You can read about a place but being there changes everything.”
Ask Leslie what stands out most about the trip and the answer comes quickly.
“The Taj Mahal.”
Like so many visitors before her, she was completely captivated by one of the world’s most famous landmarks.
“It absolutely blew my mind!”
Traveleyes group at Taj Mahal
Learning to Describe the World
One of the things Leslie knew would be expected of her on a Traveleyes holiday was to describe the world around her to her blind or vision impaired companions, but it didn’t faze her. In fact, she felt very prepared.
As a volunteer whale-watching naturalist, (“not naturist”, she laughs), with local operations off the coast of San Diego, Leslie is used to helping people see what they’re looking at.
“I’m engaging with people all the time,” she explains. “Not everyone knows what they’re looking at when they see a whale for the first time, so you learn how to describe the behaviour and movements of the whales.”
A skill that proved useful in India, although she never got complacent when it came to bringing the sights to life “I was definitely listening to the other sighted travellers and how they were describing things to help me do a better job.”
She also quickly discovered that no two VI travellers were the same.
“Every person was different. Some wanted to know about the colours and others were more interested in the textures. You had to shift how you interpreted things”. That challenge became one of the most rewarding parts of the trip. “It made me feel good that I was helping someone experience a place.”
The Flower Market
One memory in particular remains vivid.
A visit to a flower market.
Walking through the vibrant displays with fellow traveller Luke, Leslie found herself describing the endless hanging blooms and bundles, the children sitting on the ground assembling bouquets and the incredible colours.
“Luke was really interested in the colours.” She smiles.
“I remember describing the bright reds, yellows and oranges,” she says.
“And at the same time, you’re smelling the amazing fragrances of the flowers and touching the delicate petals.”
Leslie with blind traveller Luke
It was one of those moments that perfectly captured the Traveleyes experience – discovering a place together using all the senses. “It really stuck with me. I wasn’t just scanning, it made me notice things.”
Leslie wasn’t the only person whose perspective would be transformed by that journey. Travel journalist and photographer, Andy Isaacson, had joined the group in India too. His experience was recently featured in The New York Times, and he also spoke about the trip on The Daily podcast. They’re beautiful companion pieces to Leslie’s story, offering another perspective on the same remarkable journey.
Seeing Places Differently
As a photographer, Leslie is naturally drawn to visual detail.
She spends much of her free time behind a camera, searching for interesting compositions, dramatic landscapes and wildlife encounters.
Leslie on safari with her camera
Travelling with vision impaired companions encouraged her to think about places differently. Instead of simply observing a scene, she found herself analysing it.
What colours stood out?
What sounds filled the background?
What textures could be felt?
What details might help someone else build a picture in their mind?
“It definitely made me think differently about how more fully I can experience the world,” she says.
A Community Built on Connection
One of the most striking things about Leslie’s story is how unexpected it all was.
A volunteer call that might have lasted only a few minutes led to a conversation.
That conversation led to curiosity.
Curiosity led to a trip to India.
And the trip led to friendships that continue today. “Yeah. I’ve been in touch with Luke. I was chatting with him recently to find out if he planned to do any more trips.”
Since India, Leslie has continued travelling extensively with her volunteer work encountering whales across the globe from north of the Dominican Republic to Brazil and this month she’s in South Africa. She’s waiting for a window in her schedule to fit in her next Traveleyes adventure.
And then, during the Zoom video call a familiar face popped up on the screen to surprise Leslie. It was Amar Latif.
Leslie couldn’t quite believe it.
“Oh wow! Oh my gosh! I was hoping I got to meet you again someday.”
The pair laughed as they reminisced about that first Be My Eyes conversation and Amar’s frustrations with the shade of blue, they chatted about the Panera Bread bakery in San Diego where Amar spent some time and of course, all things travel.
It was a full circle moment that brought Leslie’s journey right back to where it began – with one unexpected encounter.
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