Weston Mercury
21 January 2008
A 29-YEAR-OLD globe trotter who is completely blind and 80 per cent deaf has travelled to every continent in the world – alone.
Tony Giles, who grew up in Greenland Road in Milton, Weston, has bungee jumped in New Zealand, skydived in Australia and explored a cave on his hands and knees in Iceland.
The adventurous traveller, who went to school in Bristol, has an undiagnosed genetic disorder.
He has visited every state in America and says because his illness means he has kidney problems and could end up on dialysis within a couple of years, he wants to make the most of his freedom while he can.
Over the past 13 years he has visited countries including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Mozambique, Thailand, South Africa, Vietnam and dozens of others.
He is setting off to Spain and Portugal later this month, going back to America in March, going to bungee jump over a dam in Southern Switzerland in April and is also going to Alaska and Morocco this year.
He makes sure however that he comes back to his home town to stay with his mum Aileen or sister Annette in Milton every couple of months.
He said: “My favourite part of travelling is moving, whether that is on a bus, train or ship and going from A to B. I get such a buzz each time I visit different places.”
Tony has also written two books called Seeing The World My Way and Seeing The Americas My Way about his travels. He has typed them himself and is currently looking for someone to publish them.
Tony describes them as ‘travel diaries of the observations and experiences of a blind man as he travels around the world’.
For more details about Tony’s adventures or to order a book log onto www.tonythetraveller.com
© Archant Regional Limited, 2008