Charity offers affordable holidays with a difference
16/03/2010
National charity Vitalise is offering recession-busting opportunities for enthusiastic people to have the holiday of a lifetime while helping others.
Vitalise Holidays is seeking enthusiasts of all descriptions to accompany groups of visually impaired people on holidays throughout the UK, Europe and worldwide in 2010-11.
In recognition of the fantastic contribution they make, all sighted holidaymakers receive their holiday at a subsidised price.
From walkers to music lovers, skiers to dancers and cyclists to culture vultures, Vitalise Holidays needs people with a zest for life to accompany visually impaired holidaymakers on life-changing experiences.
Overseas adventures in the Canadian Rockies, Uganda, Japan, Rajasthan and California and Hawaii are among the dozens of bespoke holidays featured in the 2010-11 Vitalise Holidays Brochure.
Many of the holidays on offer focus on particular activities, pastimes and experiences, ranging from outdoor adventures to cultural interests and sporting activities to leisure pursuits.
Vitalise is seeking people with particular expertise or interest in these areas to contribute their enthusiasm and expertise.
In search of fun, inspiration and excitement, Vitalise Holidays will take groups to unforgettable overseas destinations including Tuscany, Morocco, Uzbekistan and Nepal. Closer to home, the holiday destinations include the Scilly Isles, Arran, Cornwall and the Yorkshire Dales.
The innovative holidays for blind and visually impaired people are made possible by the addition of sighted guides, who accompany the groups and offer practical support. The sighted guides help the visually impaired holidaymakers get around, describe their surroundings and provide companionship.
Vitalise also offers first-time holidaymakers the opportunity to sample some of Vitalise’s activities, such as walking and tandem cycling, on special subsidised introductory weekends in the Lake District. Special new training sessions, exclusively for first- time sighted guides, are also available. The one-off day sessions cost just £25 and participants receive a £25 discount voucher off their first Vitalise Holiday.
Vitalise Holidays Manager Clare Stephens said: “Thanks to our wonderful sighted guides, the visually impaired people who go on our holidays gain as much, if not more, from these amazing destinations and activities as sighted people. The enthusiasm of the sighted holidaymakers can really make the experience come alive for them. The sighted guides have a holiday
to remember too, and come away with a real sense of achievement. We’re looking for people with a passion for life and the willingness to go that extra mile.”
The holidays cater for all tastes and are categorised into adventure travel, activities, experiences, city breaks, tours, cruises and resort holidays. They are also graded according to the level of fitness or expertise required of the participants. A Vitalise Holidays Representative or Activity Leader accompanies each group.
For more information about becoming a sighted guide, call Vitalise Holidays on 0845 330 0149, emailviholidays@vitalise.org.uk, or visit the website below to view or download a copy of the brochure.