Your Questions (our Answers!)

Here are the answers to some of the commonly asked questions about our treks. Please contact the office if you have other questions, we will be glad to help.

Can I really do this?

The short answer is yes. The longer answer is that if you have a reasonable level of fitness for walking, with our support and that of others on the trek, you are highly likely to succeed. It is a challenge, but one designed to stretch people, not break them!

How much do I have to raise?

You need to raise sponsorship or donations. The amount varies with each trip depending on the costs of flights and ground services and is designed to ensure a reasonable contribution to the charity's work. If you are signing up simultaneously to accompany and guide a visually impaired person on the trek your target will be reduced by £500.

Am I too young?

Participants need to be 18 or over on departure UNLESS they are accompanying and guiding a visually impaired parent in which case the minimum age is 16. This is because neither the charity nor the expedition leaders can accept responsibility for a minor on a trek.

Am I too old?

Probably not. If you are over 60 we will ask your doctor to confirm you are fit enough to complete the challenge. ATD tell us that trek participants range from 18 to 80.

What support will there be?

Lots, from both the charity during the fundraising, and also from Across The Divide, who specialise in adventure travel, and fellow trekkers on the event. It's all a team effort. There will be a UK doctor with the group at all times, and experienced guides with an excellent safety and success record.

What will I have to pay?

You'll need to pay a deposit when you sign up for the trek. This covers the deposit which we have to pay for your air fare. Before the trek you will also be asked to pay any airport taxes (confirmed nearer the time).

What other costs are there?

All the travel, insurance, meals and ground costs are included in our arrangements with Across the Divide. Costs you may incur depending on your own circumstances include inoculations, travel to the airport, and the cost of kit items you may not be able to beg, steal, or borrow. We suggest you take some spending money but unless you extend your stay shopping opportunities are usually limited. Ground costs are all covered as part of your sponsorship target.

What about insurance?

We have a comprehensive block policy in place which includes emergency medical evacuation by helicopter if required. You will not normally need to make any additional arrangements.

What about a passport and visa?

You'll need a full passport valid until at least six months after the trek. You may also need a visa for some treks. If you hold a non-British passport please contact the office before signing up for the trip.

What if I have RP?

We will do everything we can to accommodate people with RP on a trek, including asking those who are fully sighted to act as guides as required. One of the reasons for choosing our challenges is that they are reasonably accessible to people with visual impairment. We fully expect a number of our own members to sign up for the trek and we will only restrict this if we are forced to by sheer numbers of VI applicants or by restrictions placed on us by the airline.

I'm fully sighted, how can I help?

Great, we want sighted people to help us by joining treks and raising money. We hope you will feel able to spend some time on the trip guiding a person with a visual impairment. This is not difficult, and you will learn a lot too - about dealing with a disability. You will be guided on how to guide by the individual visually impaired person, and if you can give some narrative about views and what is happening around you, so much the better.

What about kit and belongings?

A comprehensve kit list is provided in the guide provided. You will be expected to carry your supplies for each day but your main baggage will be transported between camps. Tents and camping equipment are all provided.

I have RP so how would I cope?

We are sure you will! Treks are designed to challenge people, not to defeat them, and the destinations chosen with VI people in mind as we want our members to have the chance to sign up. There will be lots of help if it is needed though.

Would rocky and uneven ground pose a problem if I have RP?

As noted above, destinations and terrains are selected as suitable for VIPs. The expedition organisers are more concerned about heat and dehydration than terrain problems! See the notes below about guides.

What about the camp set up during the evening?

The local team will do this for us.

At night my vision is hopeless and obviously getting around the camp, going to the loo, eating etc may cause me some problems. What assistance can I expect?

There is no electric light in camps of course, so we try to manage the timings so that the evening meal is in the light. We hope that sighted people that sign up will help VIPs as part of their own experience, and will learn from you the best way to help. They will also get some insight into living with a disability. The sharing of these problems and the overcoming of them will add to the experience for everyone involved.

Do you have a number of participants that purely go as guides, or is it down to anyone?

The invitation is open to sighted people and we hope they will see assisting as part of the challenge for themselves.

Are there likely to be many "blind" participants?

We hope so. To be pragmatic we may have to limit the numbers of VI people but we will avoid this if we can.

Do we cook our own food?

Local people will do this for us.

I don't want to be a burden to anyone ...

We acknowledge the additional challenge you will be facing. However if you go with a positive attitude and a willingness to trust the rest of the group to help you, everyone will share something special and gain a lot. Though the primary objective is to raise money, these trips are fantastic experiences in thier own right and the sense of achievement that comes from completion is wonderful. If anyone makes you feel like a burden we would be disappointed. Consider this; if you are physically fit would you be willing to offer to carry a pack for someone with a bad foot or who is feeling ill? Would that make them a burden to you? Probably not!

OK, let's do it. Count me in! Now what?

Please go to the relevant link on the left and download and complete the registration form and information pack, or call 01280 821334.

Go on, you know you want to!