Those who think they've tried every trick from the traveler's playbook, we hate to burst your bubble

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Photo of Those who think they've tried every trick from the traveler's playbook, we hate to burst your bubble 1/2 by Shashi Priya

You've been to touristy spots to click stunning selfies. Got off the beaten track to trek those mountains. Engaged in experiential travel to live with the locals. Got off the grid to explore a new place. Volunteered to teach, build a village home, clean a river while travelling. Basically, you have pulled every trick out from the book to make your travel experiences come full circle. But is that where it ends? Change is a constant. Take for instance, the phone cameras. With every passing year, there is something new on offer. We, as human beings, are evolving. So is the world around us, with the travel industry being no exception.

Basically, you have pulled every trick out from the book to make your travel experiences come full circle. But is that where it ends?

Photo of Those who think they've tried every trick from the traveler's playbook, we hate to burst your bubble 2/2 by Shashi Priya
Bat's travel group at Jim Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand

Such an evolution in India has given birth to the country's first ever tour operator exclusively catering to the visually impaired. So just when you thought travel cannot get any 'newer' for you, here is an opportunity to become a traveller with a difference. Bat Travels gives you the chance to travel with a visually impaired person to see the world, differently. Experience a place like the blind people do, through senses other than their sight, and understand how travel can mean much more than just sightseeing.

So just when you thought travel cannot get any 'newer' for you, here is an opportunity to become a traveller with a difference.

Visually-impaired travellers feel the touch of a leaf at Jim Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand

Photo of Those who think they've tried every trick from the traveler's playbook, we hate to burst your bubble by Shashi Priya

Bat Travels gives you the chance to travel with a visually impaired person to see the world, differently. Experience a place like the blind people do, through senses than their sight, and understand how travel can mean much more than just sightseeing.

One of Bat Travel group's visually-impaired traveller with his sighted travel pal at Jim Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand

Photo of Those who think they've tried every trick from the traveler's playbook, we hate to burst your bubble by Shashi Priya

What is BAT Travels?

BAT Travels is a tour operator that specialises in creating sensory experience-based itineraries for the visually impaired. It matches blind travellers with sighted ones, with the latter operating as travel pals.

Bat Travel group at Jim Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand

Photo of Those who think they've tried every trick from the traveler's playbook, we hate to burst your bubble by Shashi Priya

What does it have for you?

A rich sensorial travel experience where the focus is on exploring a place in many ways other than just sightseeing.

Some first-evers come your way because you are travelling with someone who functions differently.

The company of visually impaired travellers not just makes you experience things differently, but also gives you some life lessons on how travelling with them is not as difficult as it seems.

A rich sensorial travel experience where the focus is on exploring a place in many ways other than just sightseeing.

Bat Travel's group at Jim Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand

Photo of Those who think they've tried every trick from the traveler's playbook, we hate to burst your bubble by Shashi Priya

What does being a travel pal to a visually impaired person mean?

No, you don't have to carry their luggage. Just being a patient listener, guide and narrator is enough. In the process, you become a more empathetic human.

No, you don't have to carry their luggage.

Bat's travel group at Jim Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand

Photo of Those who think they've tried every trick from the traveler's playbook, we hate to burst your bubble by Shashi Priya

Is such travel safe?

Of course. The BAT Travels team specialises in taking such mixed groups that meet the needs of both the sighted and the unsighted.

Bat's travel group at Jim Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand

Photo of Those who think they've tried every trick from the traveler's playbook, we hate to burst your bubble by Shashi Priya

Any essentials while travelling with BAT Travels?

Keep all your senses open to experiences, not just the eyes.

Divya Saxena (L) and Ritu Sinha

Photo of Jim Corbett National Park, Ramnagar, Uttarakhand, India by Shashi Priya

Brains behind Bat Travels

Bat came into existence after Divya Saxena and Ritu Sinha saw visually impaired men travelling in Rome. The girls love to travel and believe that everyone, including the visually impaired, should pursue their wanderlust. To crystallise their idea, they gave up award-winning careers in top ad agencies and created Bat in November 2017.

The tour operator's next trip is to Rishikesh where river rafting with your visually-impaired travel partner can give another dimension to your adventure, for sure! So are you up for it?

For inquiries visit: www.battravelsonline.com or contact: hello@battravelsonline.com