General Information Campanian Society Travel Programs for the Blind

Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness. — Mark Twain

The Campanian Society, Inc., specializes in travel programs for the Blind and Visually Impaired. Our travel programs are designed to meet the specials needs of our travelers and to provide a rich educational experience unavailable on regularly scheduled sighted trips. Each travel program offers unique opportunities for tactile experiences and hands-on encounters. On-site lectures, readings and audio-description combined with music enlarge the total sensory and intellectual enjoyment on our
programs. Furthermore, our programs offer unique opportunities for relaxation and socialization with others who share your passion for travel and adventure.

Travel has a marvelous invigorating quality for all sorts of reasons. Mark Twain’s comment on travel highlights and underscores the great value and benefit to be derived from vacation travel. Twain wrote: “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness... . Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.” At best, travel is both a window and a mirror: we peer into another place and culture and thus come to see ourselves more clearly.

Many vacation journeys are trivial and bland, devoid of important content, cheaply commercial and unworthy of our better instincts and ideals; often we travel far in order to say that we were there and stood beside this monument  or walked along that street. We return home and think that we have traveled. . . . . . .

We, who are associated with The Campanian Society Travel Programs for the Blind & Visually Impaired, believe that travel in all price ranges is scarcely worth the effort unless it is associated with people, with learning and with ideas. To have meaning at all, travel must involve an encounter with new and different outlooks and beliefs. Travel must broaden our horizons, challenge our preconceptions and most cherished views, cause us to rethink our assumptions, shake us a bit, make us broader-minded and more understanding. We welcome you to come with us on one of our travel programs.

Travel Program Features: The programs are limited to approximately 12-15 participants. Sighted guides accompany all programs. Participants may be accompanied by sighted friends, colleagues or family members. We are able to provide travel arrangements (air, train and bus).

Past Tours: Our travel programs have included both Europe and the United States. Regular annual programs have included: Key West, Washington DC, Hawaii (Maui, Oahu, Big Island) and New York City. Programs vary with any given year but have included: California (San Diego to Los Angeles), Boston, Cape Cod, Ohio River Cruise (Mississippi Queen). Talking Monuments and Tactile Programs in: New York, Cincinnati, Columbus, Honolulu. Future Programs: Rhode Island and Connecticut, Las Vegas, Philadelphia and Boston.

Optical Dimensions Newsletter: If you would like to receive information on a regular basis about our programs and various activities, send us a request to receive our bi-monthly newsletter — OPTICAL DIMENSIONS. This Newsletter, available in large print and by e-mail, provides travel
information and resources for blind people and individuals who are visually impaired: i.e. travel opportunities, national and local opportunities, and accessible materials and resources for the blind and visually impaired.

Campanian Society Group Customized Programs: If you or your organization are interested in a special travel program for a small group (6 persons or larger), please contact us. We are able to provide you with all services (including guides) to facilitate your travel plans. We look forward to hearing from you.

Additional Information (in print and by e-mail): For Registration Forms for individual travel programs, daily itineraries and cost of the individual programs, please contact us for details.

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Site Last Updated 30 june, 2005