Deaf Blind Traveler Visits 130 Countries…and Counting

Tony Giles is from Britain and likes to party and travel.  So much that he’s visited 130 countries (out of the 193 on the planet) and counting.  One of the things he’s loved from his travels is having a beer in a paper bag walking down Bourbon street in New Orleans. He has even enjoyed playing darts in a Bangkok market and ended up winning a prize.  Oh, and by the way he’s legally deaf and Blind.  He is 80% deaf in both ears, has very limited vision, and had a kidney transplant in 2008.

How is he able to travel to France, Spain, Italy, Scotland, Vietnam and even Antartica?  One things that helps is a tactile map (rivers are indented, big bumps with cities and braille abbreviations, raised mountains, and smooth representing flat land).  He even has found braille maps in third world countries.

People were also accommodating. He mentions that it’s always easier when they speak his language (English) so each hostel could call and make reservations ahead of time for the next hostel.  In Vietnam you are supposed to hop on and off the moving barges (boats), but they were willing to stop long enough for Tony to get on.

One of his favorite sounds are the old Asian steam train engines.  Tony comments that Southeast Asia is super cheap.  You can find all inclusive resorts for $150 a week.  He also loves South America and Salsa dancing in Bogota, Columbia.  He has bungee jumped 16 times and sky dived 3 times. Been Zorbing twice; both times in New Zealand, driven jet boats, a large jeep, ridden motorbikes, jet skied and water skied, among a long list of other exotic activities. While white water rafting on the Zambezi River in Zambia, Southern Africa, he nearly drowned, which he comments was “A frightening, but thrilling experience!” Believe it or not, but Tony enjoys playing the drums and listening to 60’s rock.  He also enjoys listening to sports and reading history, walking and sailing.

Tony also faces challenges when he travels.  He warns that people will try to rip you off.  His blindness doesn’t always evoke pity.  He has faced vendors wanting to charge him double what everyone else is paying.  His backpack and tent was also stolen in Canada.  While he loves latin culture, his deafness prevents him from really learning a new language, which keeps him from having deep conversations with the locals; something he regrets.  In Swaziland he got into a taxi and a backpack was placed in a trailer and had to bribe someone at the border to cross.  Tony also had to give his passport to get his stamp and wasn’t able to see where it had gone, but he eventually got it back.  Crossing South African and South American borders is always worrisome for him.

He feels very fortunate to live in England, especially after visiting African countries.  He was also very thankful following his kidney transplant after he only had 11% function left.  He doesn’t have any plans of stopping.  He travels 8 to 9 months of each year.  He wants to visit all of the 193 countries in the world and will travel until he dies.  Another one of his dreams is to live with his Greek girlfriend in New Zealand and open up a hostel.

Tony Giles has a website and a couple of ebooks.  His website is a fantastic resource for the Deaf/Blind community as it details his trips and gives the pros and cons of each city from a disabled person’s point of view.

If you’d like a certified American Sign Language (ASL) guide and interpreter for your next European (France, Italy, Spain…& More) trip, then let us know.  We’d be glad to make your trips a little easier and give you full interpreted access to the tours and rich history that lies within Europe.  Just write to us at deafeuropeasl@gmail.com or you can call 855-562-7768 and we’d love to show you around Spain, France, Italy, or any other European country.

Safe Travels!