My family recently embarked on a vacation to Banff National Park. We packed up our mothers, my guide dog Jeb, and ourselves for an eight-hour journey from our home in Missoula, Montana.
As someone who is blind, I’ve always had mixed feelings about traveling. While I eagerly anticipate the food, weather, and meeting new people, one of the main attractions of vacationing—sightseeing—isn’t something I can fully experience like a sighted person.
To make the most of our trip, we planned activities, locations, and experiences that I could enjoy more fully.
In this article, I’ll highlight some of the accessibility successes and challenges I encountered during our trip.
Traveling with a Guide Dog
To ensure we didn’t encounter any issues bringing my guide dog, Jeb, across the U.S./Canadian border, we contacted Guide Dogs for the Blind (GDB), the organization that trained Jeb.
GDB offers client support services, including travel assistance, to help identify any legal requirements for traveling internationally with a guide dog. They recommended I have the following:
- Jeb’s official paperwork from GDB, identifying him as a graduated and active service dog.
- Vaccination records from Jeb’s vet, particularly his rabies vaccination status.
- A completed CDC Dog Import Form and receipt.
Overall, the process went smoothly. GDB emailed a PDF of Jeb’s paperwork, which I could print, and Jeb’s vet also sent a PDF of his vaccination records. Once I had the vaccination records, the CDC Dog Import Form was relatively quick and easy to fill out.
With all the necessary documents in hand, we headed for the border, where… we weren’t asked for any of it. Ironically, if I hadn’t had all this paperwork ready, we likely would have been asked to present it.
GuideAlong
My partner Sybil heard about an app that provides audio tours based on your phone’s GPS location, but she wasn’t sure what it was called or where to find it. Thankfully, we live in the age of ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot.
I asked Copilot for a list of apps that offer audio tours based on GPS location, and GuideAlong was at the top of the list. This app completely transformed my experience on the trip, allowing me to enjoy the sights and scenery in a way that was much more accessible to me as a blind individual.
The GuideAlong app offers in-app purchases of various tours at many different parks and locations, not just Banff. For our trip, I purchased two tours: one for Lake Louise, Emerald Lake, and the surrounding area, and another for Banff town proper.
We connected my phone to our car’s Bluetooth, and as we traveled, everyone in the car got to listen and experience the audio tour. We heard some amazing stories, including the construction of the Spiral Tunnels and how the Banff Springs Hotel was initially built facing the wrong direction.
The two tours provided hundreds of announcements along their routes, and we heard the vast majority as we traveled to each of our destinations.
It was a fantastic way for me to immerse myself in the surroundings without feeling like a burden by asking others to describe the scenery, and we all enjoyed hearing some fascinating stories.
Takakkaw Falls
One of the unexpected highlights of our trip was definitely Takakkaw Falls. It wasn’t on our original itinerary, but as we traveled from our Airbnb in Golden to Banff, the Guide Along app mentioned Takakkaw Falls, one of the largest waterfalls in Canada, and described how truly amazing it is.
While I couldn’t see the waterfall, a walkway leads nearly to the base of the falls, where you can hear the roaring water, feel the pressure of its powerful flow, and sense the cool mist in the air. The sound and feel of the falls helped me understand and appreciate its immense size and scope.
Another unexpected bonus when visiting Takakkaw Falls was discovering an amazing onsite 3-D model. This model shows the falls, the glacier that feeds it, and the surrounding area.
We came across it while walking back to our vehicle, and it was an unexpected delight. It was incredibly informative, allowing me to feel and understand the layout of the land and grasp the immense size of the glacier feeding Takakkaw Falls.
Buffalo Nations Museum & BeMyAI
While the Buffalo Nations Museum in Banff didn’t advertise or offer any accessibility services for the blind, it was still an engaging experience for me, thanks to BeMyAI.
As my partner Sybil and I moved from one exhibit to another, she snapped photos of the exhibits (with the museum’s permission) using her phone’s camera app. She then sent me the photos, which I quickly ran through BeMyAI.
Although the process was a bit clunky, and not all descriptions were perfectly accurate, it allowed me to enjoy the experience. I especially appreciated being able to sit down afterward and go through the photos at my leisure.
The photo above was actually the first one Sybil took, and it generated the most amazing description using BeMyAI. If you’re curious, check out the alt text on the image above, which is almost the exact text generated by BeMyAI for this exhibit.
Banff Park Museum
When planning our trip, we researched museums and other sites with accessibility services. Like most folks in 2024, we relied on a combination of recommendations from friends, family, and coworkers, Google searches, and AI tools like Microsoft Copilot.
Based on this research, we believed that the Banff Park Museum offered accessibility services for both the hearing and visually impaired. Unfortunately, when we arrived, the staff were unaware of any accessibility services for individuals who are blind or have low vision.
As a consolation, the staff did not charge me for admission. I used BeMyAI to describe some of the exhibits, though most were simply of local wildlife. Being from Montana, where wildlife is abundant, I didn’t feel as compelled to photograph and describe each exhibit.
Cave and Basin
Cave and Basin was definitely on our itinerary, as its website listed numerous accessibility services and even mentioned that guides were available, which seemed like a great way for someone who is blind to experience the site.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t the only person in our group with a disability—one of our group members has a motor disability that makes walking long distances quite difficult.
When we arrived at Cave and Basin,we realized that they weren’t comfortable proceeding with the amount of walking involved. Rather than leave anyone out, we decided to spend the time driving around and listening to more of the Banff Town Tour on the Guide Along app—something we could all enjoy together.
Conclusion
Our journey to Banff National Forest highlighted how accessibility can significantly enhance or hinder the travel experience for individuals with disabilities.
While we encountered some challenges, such as the lack of advertised accessibility services at certain sites, we also discovered unexpected delights like the 3-D model at Takakkaw Falls, audio tours using Guide Along, and the invaluable assistance of BeMyAI.
Our trip was a testament to the importance of thorough planning and the willingness to adapt when things don’t go as expected. Despite the obstacles, the beauty of Banff and the shared experiences with my family made the journey truly memorable.
I hope our experiences inspire others to explore and advocate for more accessible travel options, ensuring that everyone can enjoy the wonders of the world.
