Tips for travelling with arthritis

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Brynmor
Brynmor Member Posts: 1,755
in News
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Here’s some useful tips on how to make your holidays memorable for all the right reasons:

Tips for travelling with arthritis

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  • stickywicket
    stickywicket Member Posts: 27,710
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    I could leave many tips, mostly learnt the hard way.

    1. Take all, or at least a week's worth of your meds, as cabin luggage. Worth it when the hold luggage is delayed by...well, you don't know how long. Two or three days once for us.
    2. 'Flight Guru' will show which seats are where on your plane. Some have more leg room than others. Beware bulkhead seats if you have long legs. Beware seats near the loo if you don't want a queue of people falling into you.
    3. On long haul, drink plenty. The walks to the loo are good for you. But beware fallen blankets at night.
    4. If you have a bogstandard wheelchair take it to the aircraft, remove the cushion and footplates and take them on board. The crew will deal with the rest, assuming you've notified check-in and the chair has its label.
    5. I always shove a clean pair of knickers (me) and underpants (him) in my handbag. Ever since the night they stranded us in an Atlanta hotel.
    If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.
    Steven Wright
  • jamieA
    jamieA Member Posts: 698
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    I think it might be useful to add a section on taking your medication with you.

    As I'm now on 8 different medications my pharmacy supplies them in blister pack form. It's great for not having to faff around sorting each drug round but I do wonder about rocking up to airport security with pills that aren't well identified and out of their original blister packs. Also I think I'm right in saying all biologics need be kept between 2-8°C and if they are in pen injector form need to be declared at security. If you are injecting once every two weeks it's probable you need take an injector with you and my rheumatology clinic say I should always have a spare in case of malfunction. I looked into a travel fridge - Lifeinabox - but it's still open to the vagaries of travel delays and is very expensive.

    My wife has just come back from visiting our daughter in Sheffield by train. A 5 hour train journey ended up 11 hours door to door due to train cancellations - and that was before the strike.

    Despite the fact that I get cheap club class flights having worked as a manager for an airline for 27 years before retiring I don't think I could contemplate long distance travel in the foreseeable future. I used to visit my daughter twice a year when she lived in Japan - but that was 24 hours travelling each way door to door.

  • stickywicket
    stickywicket Member Posts: 27,710
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    Meds in original packets, definitely. Plus a current prescription for security just in case.

    I think airlines will keep biologics etc in their fridge if arranged in advance but, of course, there's the rest of the trip to consider,

    If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.
    Steven Wright
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