55+ Travelers: Arriving & Thriving.

In this episode of the 55+ Travelers: Arriving & Thriving  Audio Conference join Sensory Friendly Solutions Founder Christel Seeberger, and guest hosts Sophie Yang and Christopher Basmadjian, occupational therapy students, as they take a deep dive into the extensive expertise of John Simon, Kefi Travel, and mature traveller Mona Crowley.  Join a conversation about delivering travel and tours that are attractive to experienced and mature travellers.  This episode also has a special host, broadcaster Trish Hamilton.Episode Guide0:24 Welcome, John & Mona!0:40 Kefi Travel1:40 Free time on Kefi Tours2:35 Approaching each trip individually3:06 John & Mona meet on the streets of Dublin4:13 How Mona likes to travel5:06 Mona prepares for the mode of travel ahead of her trip5:45 Putting in the sensory aspect into travel8:07 Sensory-friendly travel9:20 Finding what interests clients10:09 Supporting small local hotels12:23 Mona's best trip experience14:10  Avoiding some of the busier destinations16:40 COVID-19 and the impact on travel20:16 What Mona looks for in a restaurant20:55 A restaurant experience in Greece23:00 The ideal hotel accommodation25:42 Doing your homework  26:48 Making a tour fit with travelers29:05 Mona's tips to travellers30:40 Making travellers comfortable32:06 John recommends slower-paced destinations34:49 Mona's next trip38:58 Thank you, Mona and John!Sign up for the Sensory Friendly Solutions newsletter to receive sensory-friendly tips and strategies delivered straight to your inbox.Connect with us on any of our social platforms:FacebookInstagramLinkedInTwitterYouTube

In this episode of the 55+ Travelers: Arriving & Thriving  Audio Conference join Sensory Friendly Solutions Founder Christel Seeberger, and guest hosts Sophie Yang and Christopher Basmadjian, occupational therapy students, as they take a deep dive into the extensive expertise of experienced traveler Elaine Shannon.Be inspired by the travel insights from Elaine Shannon as she shares how she spent her first paycheck on a cross-country trip and has been traveling for over 3 decades since, culminating in her launch of curated experiences for mature travelers at Fundy Vortex Tours. Elaine Shannon provides first-hand experience Episode Guide0:25 Welcome to guest Elaine Shannon1:15 Elaine shares how she spent her first few pay-checks1:45 Changes in Elaine's travel preferences6:15 Preparing for your trip8:08 How Elaine begins planning her travels10:41 Pinterest: Look Books13:25 Utilizing Social Media16:15 Elaine's experiences with tourism operators19:00 Customer Service21:05 Operators should provide information in different forms23:11  Fundy Vortex Tours28:12 Elaine's approach for creating tours for mature adults29:44 It's Important that everyone is able to hear or be heard30:45 Appropriate wardrobes33:02 There always has to be food!35:17 Thank you, Elaine Shannon!Sign up for the Sensory Friendly Solutions newsletter to receive sensory-friendly tips and strategies delivered straight to your inbox.Connect with us on any of our social platforms:FacebookInstagramLinkedInTwitterYouTube

In this episode of the 55+ Travelers: Arriving & Thriving Audio Conference, hosted by Sensory Friendly Solutions Founder Christel Seeberger and guest hosts Sophie Yang, and Christopher Basmadjian, Occupational Therapy Students, we host two tourism industry experts: Listen to Danielle Timmons, Aquila Center for Cruise Excellence, and Carol Alderdice, Tourism Industry Association of New Brunswick, as they give expert perspectives on delivering exceptional customer experience. Episode Guide:0:48 Welcome to guest Danielle1:40 Danielle's Role at Aquila Tours 2:35 Danielle's Role with Training4:28 Providing tours and services 6:35 Travelers over the age of 558:38 Sensory Friendly Cruises for mature adults11:48 Building in Time12:50 Restrooms14:28 Providing Information Verbally15:23 The barriers 20:32  The Key to Providing a Positive Customer Experience22:30 Finding a "Natural" Tour Guide26:00 Multigenerational Travel30:00 Vision Barriers & Accommodations35:57 Preferred Excursions41:05 Anticipating the Needs of 55+ Travelers43:38 Welcome Carol 45:20 Primary Demographic46:30 Travel for Older Adults Post COVID-1949:05 The Importance of Training 51:31 Creating a Positive Customer Experience 53:38 Word of Mouth55:20 Action Feedback58:32 The little things1:03:28 Thank you guesSign up for the Sensory Friendly Solutions newsletter to receive sensory-friendly tips and strategies delivered straight to your inbox.Connect with us on any of our social platforms:FacebookInstagramLinkedInTwitterYouTube

In this episode of the 55+ Travelers: Arriving & Thriving  Audio Conference join Sensory Friendly Solutions Founder Christel Seeberger, and guest hosts Sophie Yang and Christopher Basmadjian, occupational therapy students, as they take a deep dive into the extensive expertise of Shelley Ann Morris, traveler with low vision. Learn from the lived experience of Shelley Ann Morris, a traveler with low vision.  As the receptionist/administrator for the Canadian Council of the Blind and the host of the radio show, Welcome to My World, Shelley Ann has person-first advice to create exceptional experiences that include more people.Episode Guide:0:20  Shelley Ann Morris0:46 Shelley Ann's role at the Canadian Council of the Blind2:37 Shelly Ann's Radio Show4:39 Shelly Ann's Experience with her Own Vision Loss7:26 Traveling with Vision Loss10:03 Clients of the CCB10:34 Travel Accommodations for People with Low Vision14:50 CAPTCHA's15:40 bigger, brighter, bolder is always better.18:15 Shelley Ann's Experience on the Train20:33 Using Apps like BlindSquare21:11 Airport and Train Signage22:30 Shelley Ann researches locations prior to travels23:10 Speaking to the Businesses Directly by Phone24:25 One Size Fits all Approach Does Not Work26:34 Shelley Ann's Tips to Travel or Tourism Operators31:38 Talk to the traveler to understand their own personal needs.33:25 Checking into a Hotel35:10 Attending a Museum or Festival37:40 Touchscreens provide barriers42:15 Listen & Act Accordingly When Supporting Low Vision Travelers45:42 Thank you, Shelley Ann Morris  Sign up for the Sensory Friendly Solutions newsletter to receive sensory-friendly tips and strategies delivered straight to your inbox.Connect with us on any of our social platforms:FacebookInstagramLinkedInTwitterYouTube

In this episode of the 55+ Travelers: Arriving & Thriving Audio Conference, hosted by Sensory Friendly Solutions, founder & CEO Christel Seeberger and guest hosts Sophie Yang, and Christopher Basmadjian, Occupational Therapy Students, we will learn from Sarah Nematallah, Xenia Concerts, on how to create musical performances and concerts an experience for everyone to enjoy.  Hear Sarah Nematallah share how Xenia Concerts offers high-quality music and arts performances in an environment that welcomes everyone.  Sarah walks you through the simple steps that make the sensory experience a match for the audience.Episode Guide:0:20 Welcome to guest Sarah Nemahtallah!0:45 Xenia Concerts and how it became what it is today7:01The importance of feedback8:10 Sarah's Role as Executive Director of Xenia Concerts10:57 Resources that Xenia Concerts uses12:40 sound.colLab14:05 Accessibility Limitations of 55+ population16:13 Creating a Quiet Space16:50 Making sure the audiences voices are heard18:31 Doing a Walkthrough in Advanced23:05 Accommodating Seniors and Hearing Loss24:58 Preparing the Audience27:03 Welcoming all audiences28:00 The Impact of COVID-1931:37Creating a Sensory-Friendly Livestream33:58 In-person performances & COVID-19 Measures35:04 Always Room for Improvement36:40 The future vision of Xenia Concerts & Acessibility40:34 Sarah's key advice in making music and performances more accessible to older adults41:50 Thank you, Sarah Nematallah!Sign up for the Sensory Friendly Solutions newsletter to receive sensory-friendly tips and strategies delivered straight to your inbox.Connect with us on any of our social platforms:FacebookInstagramLinkedInTwitterYouTube

In this episode of the 55+ Travelers: Arriving & Thriving  Audio Conference join Sensory Friendly Solutions Founder Christel Seeberger, and guest hosts Sophie Yang and Christopher Basmadjian, occupational therapy students, as they take a deep dive into the extensive expertise of Laura Caswell, Director of Education, Neptune Theatres. Discover the joy in making a theatre location and its performances accessible and inviting to audiences of all ages from Laura Caswell, Neptune Theatre.  Get simple solutions that apply to any event or location.Episode Guide0:00 Welcome & Host Introductions0:20 Welcome to Laura Caswell1:05 About Neptune Theatre1:54 Programs & Classes at Neptune Theatre3:57 Song & Stories with Seniors7:02 Improv for Anxiety7:44 Other types of accessibility changes for performances10:30 Barriers to providing accessibility12:28 How Neptune Theatre listens to their audience needs15:14 Small accommodations Neptune Theatres has made15:43 Relaxed performances17:50 Accessing the number of people at relaxed performances19:35 Performances for seniors22:14 Laura's advice to other theatre performances for the 55+ audience25:05 Thank you, Laura Caswell!Sign up for the Sensory Friendly Solutions newsletter to receive sensory-friendly tips and strategies delivered straight to your inbox.Connect with us on any of our social platforms:FacebookInstagramLinkedInTwitterYouTube

In this episode of the 55+ Travelers: Arriving & Thriving  Audio Conference join Sensory Friendly Solutions Founder Christel Seeberger, and guest hosts Sophie Yang and Christopher Basmadjian, occupational therapy students, as they take a deep dive into the extensive expertise of Lynn Leblanc, Executive Director, New Brunswick Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services Inc. Lynn teaches listeners about the challenges of hearing loss along with the simple solutions that make communication easier for mature travelers. Episode Guide 0:21 Special Guest Lynn Leblanc0:49 How Lynn got involved with the Deaf Community2:28 Lynn's role as the Executive Director of the NB Deaf & Hard of Hearing Services Inc.5:16 Programs & Services Offered by the NBDHHS8:01 Lynn's Experience Working at the NBDHHS11:02 Avoiding Isolation for Deaf Individuals13:16 Traveling with hearing loss: A Client Example16:01 How owners & operators can make their guests more comfortable18:05 The Baby Boomer Population18:45 Creating a great customer experience20:01 Airports and Hearing Accessibility23:35 Significant challenges for hard of hearing travelers28:38 Hearing aids don't always solve the problem30:06 What's important for restaurants and businesses to know about hearing aids?32:32 You are going to be including a whole lot more people by nature, by trying to include this one group.36:30 COVID-19 and the impact on the hard of hearing39:40 What are non-manual cues and why are they important45:28 The difference between someone who is hard of hearing and someone who is completely deaf50:50 Lynn's tips for tourism and restaurant operators.56:15 Thank you, Lynn Leblanc!Sign up for the Sensory Friendly Solutions newsletter to receive sensory-friendly tips and strategies delivered straight to your inbox.Connect with us on any of our social platforms:FacebookInstagramLinkedInTwitterYouTube

Welcome to the 55+ Travelers Arriving & Thriving audio conference brought to you by Sensory Friendly Solutions. I'm Christel Seeberger founder and CEO of Sensory Friendly Solutions. Traveling, touring, taking vacations, going on day trips and even going out to enjoy arts and culture in the local community is an important part of daily life at any age. Globally, the number of older persons is growing faster than the number of people in all younger age groups. Older, mature travelers want, need and expect different experiences when they travel, in particular as vision, hearing and mobility changes, as we all age travelers 55 years and older also want, need and expect different sensory experiences. Join hosts Sophie and Christopher, both McGill occupational therapy students and me as we interview a series of expert guests from travel, tourism, arts and culture for this audio conference. You will also hear person first accounts from mature travelers about the sensory experiences that they expect. We hope you enjoy and learn from this audio conference, a series of exclusive podcast conversations about how travel and tourism operators can deliver exceptional sensory from the experiences for the growing 55 plus traveler market. Sign up for the Sensory Friendly Solutions newsletter to receive sensory-friendly tips and strategies delivered straight to your inbox.Connect with us on any of our social platforms:FacebookInstagramLinkedInTwitterYouTube