I’m Núria Azanza, the person behind SixSense Travel. This project brings together two things that are a big part of my life: travel and accessibility.
Here, I share my experiences as a blind traveller and work with destinations, travel agencies, guides and other tourism professionals, providing training, accessibility advice and support to help make their experiences more inclusive.
Why SixSense Travel?
SixSense started, quite simply, because I went looking for something I needed and couldn’t find it.
When Juanjo and I started travelling together — we’re both completely blind — I wanted to find out about other blind travellers’ experiences. How did they organise their trips? Where had they been? What challenges had they faced? What was worth doing? You know, all the usual things you want to know when you’re planning a trip.
But there was hardly any information out there.
And when I asked travel agencies, they often didn’t really know what to tell me either.
So I thought, if I’m struggling to find this information, surely I can’t be the only one.
I started writing about our travels on my personal blog and, little by little, other blind people began getting in touch through social media. How did you manage that? What was that place like? Would you recommend that experience? Do you think I’d be able to do it?
And that’s when the idea began to grow.
From a blog to something much bigger
I absolutely love travelling, but SixSense stopped being just a place to share my adventures a long time ago.
As a blind traveller, I know one side of the story very well: what we need, the barriers we come up against, and all those things we’re perfectly capable of doing when nobody makes assumptions about us or decides what we can and can’t do.
But over the years, I’ve also got to know the other side: destinations, guides, travel agencies and tourism professionals who genuinely want to do better but often don’t know where to start.
And that’s where SixSense makes the most sense to me: bringing those two sides together.
Today, SixSense Travel is a place where I share experiences, work with destinations and tourism professionals, provide accessibility advice and training, and help connect travellers with people I know and trust.
Because inclusive tourism shouldn’t mean creating a separate world of experiences “for people with disabilities”. It should mean making sure we can all enjoy the same travel experiences.
What do I do through SixSense?
- I travel and share. I write about my travels and experiences from my perspective as a blind traveller, including the good bits, the things that could be better, and the odd adventure along the way.
- I evaluate. I work with destinations, travel agencies, guides and other tourism professionals to identify barriers and improve the experience for blind and partially sighted travellers.
- I train. I deliver practical training on visual impairment and inclusive tourism, using real-life situations to help professionals understand what to expect when welcoming a traveller with a visual impairment.
- I advise. I help develop and review accessible experiences, materials, services and solutions, whether it’s an idea that’s just starting to take shape or something that already exists but could work better.
- I connect. I put travellers in touch with trusted professionals and projects, because finding the right people can completely transform a trip.
And I keep travelling. A lot.
Because an important part of SixSense will always be out there in the world: trying things, asking questions, discovering places and coming home with plenty of stories to tell.
SixSense in action
What began as a blog about our travels has, over the years, led me to work with destinations, organisations and tourism professionals both in Spain and internationally.
I’ve taken part in inclusive tourism familiarisation trips with the tourism boards of Madrid, Valencia and Ceuta, as well as the German National Tourist Board, including two separate trips to Rhineland-Palatinate and Brandenburg.
These experiences have given me the opportunity to explore destinations first hand, try out what they have to offer visitors and contribute my perspective as both a blind traveller and an accessibility professional.
I’m currently the European representative and accessibility consultant for Watchout Tours, a tour operator based in New Zealand, following a 23-day pilot trip around the country with my family.
I’m based in Ireland and work in both Spanish and English, collaborating with projects and professionals in Spain and internationally.
I’m also a Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies (CPACC), a professional certification awarded by the International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP).
And SixSense keeps growing. After all, that’s why it was created: to bring together two worlds that have been kept apart far too often — travellers with disabilities and the people who create travel experiences.
And who’s behind it all?
I’m a psychologist by training, an accessibility consultant by profession and a traveller because, well, I just can’t help myself. And I’m blind, which has inevitably played quite a big part in the SixSense story too.
I like travelling without too many labels attached: exploring places, trying new things, asking questions, getting hands-on whenever I can, listening to stories and discovering how people live in different parts of the world.
And that’s probably why I don’t see accessibility as a checklist of things to add just to tick a few boxes. I see it as something that can completely transform someone’s experience.
Through SixSense, I’m still working towards something very similar to what I was looking for when I started writing that first blog: a world where travelling with a disability doesn’t come with one enormous question mark.
And if you’ve made it this far because you’re a traveller, you work in tourism, you want to make an experience more accessible, you’re looking for training for your team, you’ve got a project in mind or you simply fancy getting in touch, drop me a message.
We can talk about accessibility, training, travel, collaborations or that idea you’re still trying to figure out how to bring to life.
Some of the best things that have happened to SixSense have started with a conversation.