Blind Travels

Stepping into a fresh hotel room as a blind traveler can feel like arriving at a mini adventure destination. The carpet’s texture changes at the doorway, the AC unit hums softly from somewhere above, and your guide dog’s ears perk up at the new environment. With my guide dog Fauna by my side, I’ve made countless hotel rooms our home-away-from-home. Over time, I’ve picked up a treasure trove of hacks to conquer these unfamiliar spaces. In this post, I’ll share my full hotel arrival routine and practical tips to help blind and low vision travelers confidently navigate hotel rooms. We’ll blend tried-and-true advice (like mentally mapping the furniture or labeling toiletries with rubber bands)blindtravels.com with fresh, new hacks involving voice assistants, smartphone tricks, and even NFC tags. So, drop your bags, take a deep breath, and let’s dive into this room together this new space together.

Checking In and Room Selection: First Moves Matter

Even before I set foot in the room, I like to set myself up for success. Whenever possible, I request a hotel room a bit far from the elevator and noisy ice machines. Sure, it might add a few extra steps, but the trade-off is a quieter corridor with lower foot traffic – which means fewer people tramping past our door at midnight and less excitement for my guide dog. (Fauna really doesn’t need the extra temptation of strangers chatting right outside our door when she’s off duty!) This preference isn’t unique to blind travelers; many frequent travelers find that rooms away from the elevator tend to be more peaceful. A little extra walk is worth the tranquility and a better night’s rest for both me and my pup.

At check-in, don’t hesitate to ask for orientation help if offered. Many hotels will have a staff member or bellhop guide you to the room and even give a quick description of the layout – take advantage of this if you can. I’ll often have a staffer or my travel companion point out key landmarks as we enter: “Bed in the center, bathroom to the left, thermostat on the right wall,” etc. If you’re solo and no one volunteers a walkthrough, you can ask, “Would you mind giving me a quick orientation of the room?” It’s a reasonable request aligned with good accessibility practice (even the ADA suggests offering this)visionservealliance.org. And if no human guide is available, no worries – we’ve got strategies to orient ourselves independently, which I’ll cover next.

Claiming Your Territory: The Arrival Ritual

Once I step into the room (key card successfully wrangled – pro tip: I often put a small tactile sticker on one end of the card so I know which side goes into the door reader), I prop the door open for a moment with my foot or suitcase. This lets Fauna sniff around and also gives me a frame of reference (door = our starting point on the mental map). Now it’s time to mentally map the furniture and get the lay of the land. I jokingly call this my “tactile reconnaissance mission.”

Walk the room’s perimeter: I’ll trail the walls with the back of my hand or cane, discovering where the furniture lives. Bed jutting out in the middle? Desk against the far wall? TV stand or dresser opposite the bed? I find each major piece and note its position relative to the door. This is where a little memory trick kicks in: I imagine a clock face over the room. For example, as I enter, if the bed is straight ahead and slightly to the right, I log “bed at 1 o’clock from the door.” The bathroom door might be at 9 o’clock, the window at 3 o’clock, and so on. This mental map helps me navigate confidently later without bruising my shins on an unseen coffee table at 2 AM.

Count (or pace) key distances: Sometimes I’ll pace out the steps from the bed to the bathroom – e.g., five steps straight then door on the left – so those midnight bathroom runs are stress-free. I also locate potential “toe stubbers” (low tables, ottomans, stray luggage racks) and either push them flush against a wall or at least remember they exist. If Fauna is with me, I’ll also guide her around the space once or twice so she’s familiar with it – she’s part of the orientation team! We make a little game of finding the bed; I’ll pat the bed and say “bed”, and her mat always goes next to me on the floor, so she knows where her cozy spot will be. This is her safe space in the new room.

Finally, I do a quick safety sweep: check that windows are closed (unless I want them open), feel along the edges of the bed frame for sharp corners, note where the telephone and lamp are (usually on the nightstand). This initial five-minute routine of mapping and adjusting things is absolutely key. It turns an unknown room into a familiar, navigable space in my mind. Think of it as unpacking your awareness before you even unpack your suitcase.

Tactile Tricks: Organizing the Room Your Way

Once I know the room’s layout, I start tactilely customizing the space so it works for me. Here are some simple hacks I use to mark and organize things:

• Shoes or Slippers as Landmarks: This is a personal favorite. I use my shoes or the hotel’s slippers as little “beacons” or bumpers in the room. For example, if there’s a particularly confusing corner or a piece of furniture I might bump into, I’ll slide a shoe right at its base. Later, when walking around, my foot will hit the shoe a few inches before I accidentally kick the hard furniture – a gentle reminder: “Obstacle ahead!” Alternatively, at night I leave my slippers by the bedside oriented toward the bathroom; when I wake up, I can literally step into them and follow that orientation straight to the bathroom door. It’s a bit like Hansel and Gretel leaving breadcrumbs, except my breadcrumbs are size-10 sneakers. They’re easy to find with my feet and save me from fumbling around or banging into things in the dark. This is really one of my favorite tips.
• Toiletry Labeling with Rubber Bands: Hotel bathrooms often come with a row of mysterious small bottles – shampoo, conditioner, lotion… and they all feel identical. The last thing you want is to slather your hair with body lotion because you grabbed the wrong bottle! I fix this by labeling them with tactile cues as soon as I unpack. I’ll snag a couple of rubber bands from my suitcase (I always carry a few) and pop them around the bottles in distinct patterns. I will often leverage an Ai app like Aira or Be My Eyes to ensure which bottle contains what. When labeling, I will often use  two rubber bands around the neck of the shampoo bottle, one band on the conditioner, leave the body wash plain. This way, each bottle is uniquely “coded” by touch. No more soapy surprises – even if the hotel uses those eco-friendly wall-mounted dispensers, you can often feel a subtle difference or mark one by tying a hair tie around the shampoo dispenser. If I’ve brought my own travel-size toiletries, I use the same method on them or use tactile stickers. As I like to say, everything feels like a tiny bottle of mystery until you give it a tactile label.
• Strategic Item Placement: Place key items in intuitive spots and always put them back in the same place. Consistency is king. For example, I designate the desk or a corner of the dresser as the “tech station” – that’s where I set up my phone charger, power bank, and Bluetooth speaker. I always plug my phone charger into the same outlet by the bed (usually the one nearest the pillow I choose) on every trip, and I charge my phone there each night. Why? Because come checkout time, I’ll instinctively reach there to grab the charger, reducing the chance of leaving it behind. The repetition from hotel to hotel builds muscle memory: Past Me remembers to help Future Me. In fact, I’ve trained myself that if my hand doesn’t feel a charger plugged in that familiar spot, something’s wrong – I probably already packed it or (gasp) lost it. This habit has saved me from forgetting countless chargers and cables.
• Guide Dog Gear Zone: If you travel with a guide dog like I do, it helps to set up a little station for your pup as well. I lay out Fauna’s gear (harness, leash, collapsible water bowl, food container) on a clean mat or towel in one corner of the room. I actually carry a small blanket that smells like home for her to lie on as mentioned earlier, it gives her a familiar resting spot in the new room. All her essentials stay in that zone. Not only does it comfort her, it also means I won’t trip over her food bowl in the middle of the night because it’s predictably placed. Plus, Fauna quickly learns where her “bed” is in the room, making it easier for both of us to move around without unintended tango with a black Lab underfoot.

By labeling, marking, and consistently placing items, I essentially convert a hotel room into my own accessible space. Everything has a place and a tactile identity. This reduces the mental load dramatically – I don’t have to think about where the water bottle or remote control is; I know I always leave it on this specific table or next to the TV. Setting up these tactile landmarks and organizational habits turns the room into a comfortable little world where I can function independently (and even half-asleep, I know what’s where). It’s all about making the unfamiliar, familiar.

Tech to the Rescue: Voice Assistants and Smart Navigation

Modern technology has been a game changer for blind travelers, and I love to enlist some gadgetry to assist me in hotel rooms. We live in an age of smart-everything, so why not let tech do some of the heavy lifting? Here are a few high-tech (and low effort) hacks to navigate your room:

• Voice-Assistant Devices (Alexa, Google Nest, Siri): Some hotels have jumped on the bandwagon of providing in-room voice assistants. If I find an Amazon Echo or Google Nest Hub in my room, I get a little giddy. These devices can do things like control the room lights or thermostat with voice commands, give me the weather, set wake-up alarms, or even call the front desk. If it’s there, by all means use it – it’s far easier to say, “Alexa, turn off the lights,” than to fumble for an elusive lamp switch at bedtime. On one trip, I stayed in a hotel that integrated Alexa with the room controls, and I could even ask “Alexa, where is the nearest ice machine?” and get an answer. Talk about service!

If the room doesn’t come equipped with a voice assistant, consider bringing your own portable smart speaker. I sometimes travel with a small Echo Dot. After connecting it to the hotel Wi-Fi (admittedly the hardest part since captive portals can be tricky), I have my familiar Alexa with me. This is especially useful for setting audio landmarks – e.g., I’ll make Alexa play a specific sound or radio station if I’m trying to locate something by ear (a bit of human echolocation with a tech twist). Even without a dedicated device, your smartphone’s voice assistant (Siri or Google Assistant) is a handy companion. I can say “Hey Siri, turn on the flashlight” if I need a quick light (for low vision folks), or “Hey Google, what’s nearby?” to get orientation info about nearby restaurants or stores for when I step outside. Voice tech provides a convenient layer of information on demand, and it’s all hands-free.

• Smartphone Camera Apps for Orientation: I use my phone’s camera like a second set of eyes with the help of AI apps. Two of my favorites: Microsoft Seeing AI and an app called Access AI (on iOS) – they can quickly describe what the camera sees. When I enter a new room, I might do a quick pan with Seeing AI’s Scene Preview or Short Text mode; it might catch printed signs like “Thermostat 68°F” or identify objects (“TV on dresser, window with closed curtains”). It’s not perfect, but it gives a rough idea. For more detail, I’ve used Aira (an app that connects you to a live human or AI assistant) to do a thorough virtual orientation. I’ll call an Aira agent, point my phone camera around, and have them verbally walk me through the room: “There’s a floor lamp in the far corner, a painting above the headboard, the AC controls are on the wall near the window.” This can reveal hidden details (like that pesky thermostat hiding behind a curtain or the remote tucked on top of the TV). Think of it as a live audio-described tour of your room.
• Using Tech to Remember Room Layout: As great as my mental map is, I sometimes like having a “backup” stored in my phone. I’ll snap a series of reference photos of the room – one from the doorway, one of the bathroom, one of the closet area. Later, I can use Seeing AI or the phone’s photo accessibility features to review these if needed. On iPhones, for example, you can add descriptive captions to photos or use the built-in VoiceOver to hear a basic description of a photo (it might say something like “Photo: a bed and a window”). It’s a quick way to refresh the memory if I get turned around.
• Best Voice Assistant for Navigation? Honestly, the best tech is the one you have readily available and know how to use. For me, that’s often Siri on my iPhone – I use it to create quick audio labels or reminders. For instance, I might record a voice memo describing where I put things (“Note: I left my blue jacket hanging in the closet, five hangers from the left”). It sounds silly, but if I later wonder “where did I stash that jacket?”, I can quickly play back the memo. Another neat trick is using Siri Shortcuts or Google Assistant Routines with NFC tags (more on those in the next section). Some blind travelers program NFC stickers that they can tap with their phone to trigger voice messages – like an NFC tag on the hotel door that, when scanned, whispers “This is room 512, don’t forget to bring your room key.” It’s like having a personal talking guide for hyper-specific info you might otherwise forget.

The marriage of tech and travel is a beautiful thing. With a smartphone in your pocket, you effectively carry an endlessly patient sighted assistant and a toolbox of sensors. Whether it’s reading the thermostat, identifying the mysterious room service menu on the desk, or just turning on some music to make the space feel more homey, don’t be shy to talk to your tech. In my experience, these gadgets and apps have saved me time and added a layer of safety (no more leaving chargers in the wall or forgetting if that bottle on the sink is shampoo or conditioner). And in a pinch, when high-tech fails or Wi-Fi is stubborn, I can always fall back on low-tech solutions – like asking a friendly staff member or fellow traveler for a quick description. It’s all about using every tool in your toolkit, digital or otherwise.

Mastering the Hotel TV and Electronics

Let’s be honest: hotel room TVs and I have a love-hate relationship. As a blind traveler, I’m often not binge-watching the TV, but I do enjoy some evening news or a bit of channel surfing by sound. The problem is those darn button-laden remote controls with no tactile differentiation. Ever try to guess which tiny button is volume versus channel on a slick remote? It’s like playing a game of “remote control Braille” with no dots. Here’s how I hack the hotel TV and other electronics to make them accessible:

• The Smartphone-as-Remote Trick: Depending on the TV model, you might be able to control the TV using your phone – which is accessible. Many modern hotel TVs are actually smart TVs in disguise (think LG, Samsung, or even Roku TVs). If I can find out the TV brand, I’ll hop on my phone’s app store and download a free remote app for that brand. For example, if it’s a Samsung TV, the Samsung SmartThings app can pair with the TV over Wi-Fi and give me on-screen controls that VoiceOver or TalkBack can read. I’ve had luck with Roku TVs by using the Roku mobile app, which has very accessible controls and even a channel guide that’s readable. This way, I bypass the physical remote entirely. It feels like digital magic when it works – suddenly I have speech feedback for navigating channels or adjusting volume. Do note, sometimes hotel Wi-Fi isolation settings can interfere (the phone might not see the TV). When that happens, or if the TV isn’t “smart”, I have a backup…
• Streaming Stick = Instant Accessibility: I often travel with a little HDMI streaming stick (like an Amazon Fire TV Stick or Roku Express) in my tech arsenal. Why? Because I can plug it into the hotel TV’s HDMI port and connect it to Wi-Fi, and voilà – I have my own accessible entertainment hub. The Fire TV Stick’s remote has Alexa voice control, meaning I can press one button and just say “Play CNN” or “Open Netflix” without navigating complex menus. The Roku can be controlled via the phone app as mentioned. This completely sidesteps whatever inaccessible cable system the hotel TV might be on. As a bonus, I get to watch my own streaming services. (Quick tip: some hotels disable input ports on TVs – boooo! But many don’t. Always worth a try.) Setting up my streaming stick makes me feel like a hacker (in a good way) – I’ve essentially taken over the hotel TV for my own purposes, with controls I’m comfortable with.
• Low-Tech Remote Hacks: If tech fails and I’m stuck with the original remote, I do a couple of things. First, I ask the front desk if they have an accessible remote or one with fewer buttons. You’d be surprised – some hotels, especially those serving many seniors, might have simplified remotes or at least a staff member who can put tactile dots on the power, volume, and channel keys for you. I carry a tiny pack of bump-on stickers in my bag. In a pinch, I’ll feel out the remote: power is usually top-left, volume and channel rockers might have a distinctive shape. I quickly mark them – one bump dot on the Volume Up, two dots on Channel Up, for instance. Five minutes of tactile labeling on the remote can save an hour of frustration.
• Audio Description and CC: For low vision travelers who still watch the TV display, many hotel TVs do support closed captioning or even the secondary audio channel that carries audio description (the narration for blind viewers). However, enabling those is often hidden behind on-screen menus. Here, again, if I have that smartphone remote going, I can sometimes toggle these features through the app. Or I’ll call the front desk or maintenance and say, “Hi, I’m blind and I’d like to enable the audio description on my TV – can someone assist me with the menu?” It’s an unusual request, but I’ve had generally good responses. The staff tech came up and after a few puzzled minutes managed to turn on the SAP (Secondary Audio Program) for me so I could enjoy a described movie on HBO. Don’t hesitate to ask – accessibility settings on TVs are rarely used by most, but they can be essential for us.

By employing these strategies, I transform the TV from a daunting array of mystery buttons into a controllable, accessible appliance. The key is either to make it smart (use your phone or your own device to control it) or make it simple (tactile marks or staff help). As for other electronics in the room, similar logic applies. Thermostat hard to read? I’ll use an app like Seeing AI to read the LCD screen, or just call the front desk for instructions. Coffee maker with no markings? Sometimes I’ll label the “brew” button with a sticky dot if I plan to use it repeatedly. Ultimately, any hotel gadget can be tamed with either a bit of technology or a bit of human help. One time, I even taught a hotel staffer how to enable the iPhone’s VoiceOver because their TV’s smart feature required scanning a QR code on the TV (which I obviously couldn’t do alone) – we ended up casting my phone screen and got things working. It turned into a mini accessibility training session for them; a win-win! Remember, where there’s a tech will, there’s a way.

Housekeeping Harmony: Keeping Your Room Tactile-Friendly

Hotel housekeeping can be a blessing (fresh towels! made bed!) or a curse (who moved my stuff?). As a blind traveler who meticulously arranges his space, I’ve learned to coordinate with housekeeping to maintain my tactile organization system.

• Do Not Disturb (When You Need It): If I’m only staying a night or two, I often opt out of housekeeping altogether by hanging the “Do Not Disturb” sign. This way, nobody comes in and inadvertently “resets” my careful placements. I’m perfectly happy to reuse towels for a short stay, and I can request any extras I need from the front desk without a full cleaning. Maintaining control over the room’s arrangement can greatly reduce anxiety – I know that if I left my toothbrush on the sink’s right side, it’ll darn well still be on the right side when I return in the evening.
• Communicate Your Preferences: For longer stays or when I do want housekeeping, I make a point to communicate. I’ll call the housekeeping department or mention at check-in: “Hey, I’m blind, and I organize my room in a specific way to find things. It would be super helpful if the cleaning staff could please not move my personal items.” Most hotels are very understanding about this – it’s actually a recommended practice in disability etiquette to not move a blind guest’s belongings when cleaning. They might still need to tidy up, but I’ve found that if I cluster my items (e.g., gather all toiletries on a washcloth on the counter), they’ll clean around them rather than spread them out or rearrange them. Some places even add a note in the housekeeping system: “Vision-impaired guest – leave items as found.” The result: I come back to a cleaned room where my shampoo bottle with the two rubber bands is still right where I left it, bands and all.
• Tactile Reset After Cleaning: If the room does get serviced while I’m out, I do a quick “tactile reset” when I return. I’ll methodically check my key spots: Is my cane still where I propped it by the closet? Is the TV remote back on the dresser (or did it get placed on the TV stand)? If something moved, I don’t panic – usually it’s still there, just shifted a bit. I locate it and put it back in my preferred spot. I might murmur under my breath, “No, no, toothbrush belongs here,” as I re-align the bathroom setup, I’m sure Fauna gives me a curious look when I talk to myself on these missions. It only takes a minute or two to re-establish order. Consider it a mini-orientation round two.
• Requesting Specific Services: One handy tip: you can often request just specific housekeeping services. For example, ask for trash removal and fresh towels, but tell them they can skip the rest. This minimizes how much they need to touch your stuff. Many hotels implemented flexible housekeeping during the pandemic, and it’s still around – take advantage of it. I’ll ring the desk and say, “Just need a trash pick-up and new coffee packets, please, no need to make the bed.” They’re happy to oblige, and it means nobody is messing with the nightstand or my suitcase contents.

In short, maintaining the sanctuary of your room’s organization is a team effort between you and the hotel staff. Most issues can be solved with polite communication and a little foresight. The staff wants you to be comfortable – they just might not know what that entails for a blind guest until you tell them. I’ve found that framing it as “It helps me a lot if…” goes a long way. And when they do a great job, I make sure to express my thanks (and occasionally a tip). After all, an accessible experience is as much about people as it is about technology or tools. When housekeeping and I are in sync, I feel like I have an ally in maintaining my independent space. It’s a wonderful feeling to return after a day out exploring, open the door, and find everything just as I need it – bed made, fresh towel on the rack, and my cane exactly where I left it. Ah, bliss.

Tagging and Tracking Your Belongings

Finally, let’s talk about some hacks for organizing your personal belongings using tags and trackers. Losing things in a hotel room, whether it’s misplacing your keys or leaving your favorite hat behind – is an all-too-common fear. But technology has some answers here, and even low-tech tags can be a huge help.

• NFC Tags for Easy Labeling: NFC tags are tiny stickers or cards with a little chip that your smartphone can read. You might have used them for payments or transit cards without even knowing. For blind travelers, NFC tags can be a powerful way to label and identify stuff without Braille or bulky labels. Here’s how I use them: I carry a set of programmable NFC tags (you can buy a bunch online for cheap). Using an app on my phone (there are many; I use one called WayAround designed for visually impaired users, but even Apple’s Shortcuts app can do this), I can write a custom label or action to the tag. Then I stick the tag on an item or place. For example, I’ll slap an NFC tag on the inside of the hotel room door. With a quick scan of my phone, it can speak, “Room 515 – don’t forget your charging cable on the desk!” I literally programmed that message. It’s a reminder tag that I always place when I arrive – noting my room number and any critical item I might otherwise leave behind. You can get creative: put one on your suitcase (“Suitcase: all items packed, nothing on the bed”), on the minibar fridge (“Diet Coke inside, don’t knock over!”), or even on the thermostat if you want to record the ideal setting you like. The beauty is that NFC tags are reusable; I reprogram and reuse them each trip for whatever I need. They’ve become my little talking Post-it notes around the room.
• Bluetooth Trackers (AirTag, Tile, etc.): I never travel without a couple of Bluetooth trackers. They’re my insurance policy against forgetfulness. Most people think of Apple AirTags or Tile trackers for lost luggage, but I use them inside the hotel room too. My key ring has an AirTag on it – if I ever can’t find my keys, I can make the AirTag play a sound through my iPhone and play “Marco Polo” by following the beep until I snag the keys. I also attach a Tile tracker to my white cane when I’m using the dog (or vice versa attach it to the dog’s leash if I’m using the cane) so that whichever mobility tool isn’t in hand can be found easily if it’s not where expected. Once, I’d leaned my cane against a random corner of the room while playing with Fauna and later panicked when I couldn’t find it. Now I just open the Tile app, hit “Find,” and my cane starts singing its location. These trackers are a godsend for those small but vital items: hotel room keys, wallets, earbuds, you name it. And here’s a pro departure tip – AirTags have a “left behind” alert feature. If I leave the hotel and accidentally leave something with an AirTag behind in the room, my phone will alert me that I’m leaving that item behind. It’s like a digital safety net that gives me one last chance to remember the item before I get too far.
• QR Code Labels: While I personally prefer NFC these days, I have blind friends who swear by QR code labels for organizing things. They print unique QR codes and stick them on their luggage or items, then use a scanning app to identify them. For instance, a QR code on a medication bottle might bring up the name and dosage when scanned. In a hotel setting, you could have a few pre-made labels like “Shampoo” and “Conditioner” with QR codes that your phone can recognize and speak – you’d just slap the appropriate one on the hotel’s bottles. It’s a bit less flexible than NFC (since you need to print or carry the codes), but it achieves a similar goal: giving visual/tactile things a voice via your phone. As I noted in an earlier post, some companies make reusable QR and NFC tags specifically for blind users, turning your suitcase or bags into a “talking smart bag” when scanned.
• Lanyards and Pouches: Not high-tech at all, but worth mentioning: I use colored pouches and a trusty neck lanyard for organization. All small electronics go into one bright zipper pouch on the desk. All bathroom items I’m not currently using stay in a toiletry bag except when needed. By containing things, there’s less chance I’ll scatter and lose them. And my hotel key card goes on a retractable lanyard that I can clip to my belt loop. This way, I’m not laying the key down absentmindedly (in a pocket it could fall out or get mixed with other cards). The lanyard trick came in clutch when a previous me used to constantly “lose” the key in my own pockets or on the cluttered nightstand. Now it’s either around my neck or clipped to me, or it’s in the door slot – nowhere else. This kind of analog “tracker” pairs well with the digital ones.

By tagging and tracking your belongings, you build a safety net against both misplacement and forgetfulness. There’s nothing quite like the peace of mind from knowing that if something’s not at hand, I have a way to find it. We all know that sinking feeling of thinking we left something behind in a hotel. With these systems, I’ve cut down those panic moments dramatically. As I pack up to leave, I scan the NFC tag on the door that reminds me about the charger on the desk, I check my Bluetooth tracker app to ensure all my tags are with me (no last-minute “where’s my wallet?” because the app shows it’s by my side), and I do one final sweep with my cane or guide dog. It’s a tech-assisted farewell routine that all but guarantees I leave nothing but footprints (and maybe a good tip for housekeeping) behind.

Final Thoughts: Embrace the Adventure and Share the Wisdom

Every hotel stay is a new story when you’re a blind explorer. From the moment I feel that room key in hand to the final glance (or tactile sweep) before departure, I’ve learned that a mix of preparation, tech, and creativity can turn any hotel room into a comfortable basecamp. Whether it’s labeling the “mystery bottles” in the bathroom with rubber bands so you don’t end up conditioning your body and moisturizing your hair, or asking Alexa to guide you to the light switch, these hacks are all about reclaiming independence and enjoying the journey. Traveling blind or low vision doesn’t mean settling for uncertainty or inconvenience – it just means hacking the world to suit our needs, one hotel room at a time.

I hope these tips from my experiences with Fauna have painted a picture (audio-described, of course) of how to master any hotel environment with confidence. Use what works for you, tweak or toss what doesn’t. Maybe you’ll try out an AirTag on your cane, or perhaps put a funky doormat-sized towel by the bed as your “landing pad” each night. The key is finding those little tricks that make you feel in control and at ease in unfamiliar places.

Finally, I want to hear your stories. What clever hotel hacks have you discovered on your travels? Have you come up with a genius method to, say, instantly locate all the wall outlets, or a way to organize outfits in the closet by touch? Share your own hacks or memorable travel wins on our socials, or drop me a line on our contact page. Let’s keep this exchange of ideas flowing – accessibility is a team sport, and every tip you share might help a fellow blind traveler have that much smoother of an adventure.

Safe travels, fellow wanderers, and happy hotel hacking! Until the next journey – keep exploring and breaking down barriers.

See you at the gate,
—Ted & Fauna 🐾🧳