About
Welcome to blind traveller, the website of Pete Osborne one of the top registered/legally blind golfers in the world (www.blindgolfer.co.uk) and passionate traveller.
I left school with virtually no qualifications as the only subject I bothered with was sport. I played county football, cricket and rugby but my passion was football. I played for South Shields schoolboy teams for a number of years competing against the large professional academies including Sunderland, Leeds, Newcastle and Liverpool to name but a few, unfortunately I never quite made the professional ranks.
On leaving school I joined the Royal Air Force as other than a dwindling engineering industry, options in the North East were somewhat limited.
I served for 7 years in the RAF and it was during this time I developed my love of travel. My first 12 flights ever, saw me jump out of the aircraft before landing, I did have a parachute on all 12 occasions. The first time I ever landed was into Belize in Central America were I served for 6 months. This was to be where I first discovered Mexico spending alternate weekends in the beautiful city of Merida, and a further 3 weeks during my tour in Mexico City and Acapulco.My 6 months in Belize ended too quickly.
Along with various tours around the UK I did get to spend 6 amazing months on Ascencion Island. Ascension Island is an isolated volcanic island, 7°56' south of the Equator in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is about 1,600 kilometres from the coast of Africa and 2,250 kilometres from the coast of Brazi. It is pretty much a staging post for the Falkland Islands and a re fuelling stop for the many British regiments who defend the Falklands. Acsencion Island is a quiet piece of paradise with fabulous year round weather a few locals supporting the military presence and a large NASA detachment who I understand use the Airfield as reserve landing site for space missions that go wrong by the odd degree on re entering the earths atmosphere.The beaches as one can imagine are fantastic and unspoilt with no tourism apart from the odd soldier on R and R from the Falklands.
I was fortunate enough to be on the Island when hundreds of giant green turtles came ashore to lay their eggs on the Islands remote beaches, a truly mindblowing experience.
Shortly after my return to the UK I left the RAF and worked as a waiter on the QE2 for 4 months whilst waiting for a start date to join the Prison Service. My 4 months on the QE2 was hard work to say the least, the occasional day off was however very good consolation. Days ashore in Barbados, St Thomas, Jamaica, Martinique and even a day off in Acapulco were I took some of the male members of the crew to some of my old haunts, stag night rather than culture if you know what I mean..... I vividly remember being hassled on Acapulco beach by a tee shirt seller who decided as I had no money left, he would take my watch for about 10 tee shirts he was selling. Pretty good business on my part as I sold the tee shirts for $10 each on the ship and he had a fake $10 sakonda watch that I bought off a stall in New York a few weeks earlier.
11 years in the Prison Service was not quite as exciting however, I did manage a month in Australia and Bali playing Volleyball for Great Britain in the World Police and Fire Games. Walking out in front of 85,000 people at the opening ceremony at the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground) was pretty special, A Boxing Day test match at the MCG is still on the bucket list.
After leaving the Prison Service and selling my house after a divorce, I embarked on my first real adventure with a good friend. We cycled from Vancouver in Canada and arrived in Panama City, Panama some 6 months later. We hugged the coast the whole way, starting with the US1 and ending up on the Panamerican Highway some 3,500 miles later.We slept on beaches, in bus shelters and in woods along with a few cheap motels when it occasionally rained.Not a tent in sight simply a small thermarest, and a sleeping bag inside a gortex bivvy bag and that was home for the night. The trip through 9 countries was awesome and will stay with me forever.
I actually applied for my next job at an Internet cafe in Costa Rica and on my return to London, I atarted work as a Lecturer at a London College. Having left school with no qualifications, my 11 years in the Prison Service was not wasted as I completed a Degree and a Masters Degree whilst serving.
I travelled fairly frequently whilst in London as this was around the time of the no frills airline boom and it was cheaper to fly to Eastern Europe for the weekend than to party in London, so I did....
It was whilst living in London I realised I was starting to lose my sight, a chance opticians appointment,subsequent GP referral to Moorefields Eye hospital and the news that I had Macular Dystrophy a genetic form of the more common Age Related macular Dystrophy.
Along with my young family, I moved to Lancashire (where I still live)and worked in local government before again being medically retired due to my sight, I now work for a training company delivering a range of courses.
It was during the last 10 or so years I discovered golf, I hacked around off about a 28 handicap playing holiday golf before losing my sight, in recent years I have been as low as a 9 handicap, yes I play golf better blind......
Blind and disabled golf over the last 10 years has given me the opportunity to meet some amazing people and visit some amazing places. I have been fairly successful winning a host of disabled and blind events worldwide including two U.S opens,A Czech Disabled Masters and a British Masters along with a third place finish in Japan at the recent World Championships.
(http://www.blindgolfer.co.uk/acievements)
On some of my travel I was accompanied by a guide however, I still enjoy the thrill of travelling by myself, indeed on my visit to Japan for the recent World Championships I traveled by myself meeting my Son in Tokyo.An interesting stopover in Copenhagen where I was totally lost and ended up going through passport control 3 times. On the third visit a nice Immigration Officer directed me to departures, not before some outrageously priced beer and food.
This website will highlight some of the amazing places I have managed to see "Travelling Blind". Another passion i have is Food,and I will share only the good experiences on this website, So if your foods not good your not getting in!
Come and join me on some amazing blind travel and food experiences across the world....
I left school with virtually no qualifications as the only subject I bothered with was sport. I played county football, cricket and rugby but my passion was football. I played for South Shields schoolboy teams for a number of years competing against the large professional academies including Sunderland, Leeds, Newcastle and Liverpool to name but a few, unfortunately I never quite made the professional ranks.
On leaving school I joined the Royal Air Force as other than a dwindling engineering industry, options in the North East were somewhat limited.
I served for 7 years in the RAF and it was during this time I developed my love of travel. My first 12 flights ever, saw me jump out of the aircraft before landing, I did have a parachute on all 12 occasions. The first time I ever landed was into Belize in Central America were I served for 6 months. This was to be where I first discovered Mexico spending alternate weekends in the beautiful city of Merida, and a further 3 weeks during my tour in Mexico City and Acapulco.My 6 months in Belize ended too quickly.
Along with various tours around the UK I did get to spend 6 amazing months on Ascencion Island. Ascension Island is an isolated volcanic island, 7°56' south of the Equator in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is about 1,600 kilometres from the coast of Africa and 2,250 kilometres from the coast of Brazi. It is pretty much a staging post for the Falkland Islands and a re fuelling stop for the many British regiments who defend the Falklands. Acsencion Island is a quiet piece of paradise with fabulous year round weather a few locals supporting the military presence and a large NASA detachment who I understand use the Airfield as reserve landing site for space missions that go wrong by the odd degree on re entering the earths atmosphere.The beaches as one can imagine are fantastic and unspoilt with no tourism apart from the odd soldier on R and R from the Falklands.
I was fortunate enough to be on the Island when hundreds of giant green turtles came ashore to lay their eggs on the Islands remote beaches, a truly mindblowing experience.
Shortly after my return to the UK I left the RAF and worked as a waiter on the QE2 for 4 months whilst waiting for a start date to join the Prison Service. My 4 months on the QE2 was hard work to say the least, the occasional day off was however very good consolation. Days ashore in Barbados, St Thomas, Jamaica, Martinique and even a day off in Acapulco were I took some of the male members of the crew to some of my old haunts, stag night rather than culture if you know what I mean..... I vividly remember being hassled on Acapulco beach by a tee shirt seller who decided as I had no money left, he would take my watch for about 10 tee shirts he was selling. Pretty good business on my part as I sold the tee shirts for $10 each on the ship and he had a fake $10 sakonda watch that I bought off a stall in New York a few weeks earlier.
11 years in the Prison Service was not quite as exciting however, I did manage a month in Australia and Bali playing Volleyball for Great Britain in the World Police and Fire Games. Walking out in front of 85,000 people at the opening ceremony at the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground) was pretty special, A Boxing Day test match at the MCG is still on the bucket list.
After leaving the Prison Service and selling my house after a divorce, I embarked on my first real adventure with a good friend. We cycled from Vancouver in Canada and arrived in Panama City, Panama some 6 months later. We hugged the coast the whole way, starting with the US1 and ending up on the Panamerican Highway some 3,500 miles later.We slept on beaches, in bus shelters and in woods along with a few cheap motels when it occasionally rained.Not a tent in sight simply a small thermarest, and a sleeping bag inside a gortex bivvy bag and that was home for the night. The trip through 9 countries was awesome and will stay with me forever.
I actually applied for my next job at an Internet cafe in Costa Rica and on my return to London, I atarted work as a Lecturer at a London College. Having left school with no qualifications, my 11 years in the Prison Service was not wasted as I completed a Degree and a Masters Degree whilst serving.
I travelled fairly frequently whilst in London as this was around the time of the no frills airline boom and it was cheaper to fly to Eastern Europe for the weekend than to party in London, so I did....
It was whilst living in London I realised I was starting to lose my sight, a chance opticians appointment,subsequent GP referral to Moorefields Eye hospital and the news that I had Macular Dystrophy a genetic form of the more common Age Related macular Dystrophy.
Along with my young family, I moved to Lancashire (where I still live)and worked in local government before again being medically retired due to my sight, I now work for a training company delivering a range of courses.
It was during the last 10 or so years I discovered golf, I hacked around off about a 28 handicap playing holiday golf before losing my sight, in recent years I have been as low as a 9 handicap, yes I play golf better blind......
Blind and disabled golf over the last 10 years has given me the opportunity to meet some amazing people and visit some amazing places. I have been fairly successful winning a host of disabled and blind events worldwide including two U.S opens,A Czech Disabled Masters and a British Masters along with a third place finish in Japan at the recent World Championships.
(http://www.blindgolfer.co.uk/acievements)
On some of my travel I was accompanied by a guide however, I still enjoy the thrill of travelling by myself, indeed on my visit to Japan for the recent World Championships I traveled by myself meeting my Son in Tokyo.An interesting stopover in Copenhagen where I was totally lost and ended up going through passport control 3 times. On the third visit a nice Immigration Officer directed me to departures, not before some outrageously priced beer and food.
This website will highlight some of the amazing places I have managed to see "Travelling Blind". Another passion i have is Food,and I will share only the good experiences on this website, So if your foods not good your not getting in!
Come and join me on some amazing blind travel and food experiences across the world....