With the hustle and bustle of the holidays nearing, have you planned your travel? Lately, our patients have been asking about travel with their home medical device over the holidays. We have patients traveling across the state, across the country and some are even traveling to another country to visit family for Thanksgiving. Each patient has a different concern about how to transport their wheelchair, CPAP device or oxygen by car or plane. By following the simple travel tips below, each of these patients will be able to take all necessary devices and make sure these devices make it safely to their destination.
If you’re traveling with medical equipment this holiday season, make sure you know your airline’s rules for your specific product.
Hammer Medical Travel Tips:
Don’t forget to pack spare parts or tools for home repair. In case of an emergency, you will not want to scramble to find items to fit your device locally. You can contact us for more advice on spare parts.
Don’t pack too heavy. A good rule of thumb for luggage weight is, if you can carry your luggage around the block, you can carry it through the airport. If you have trouble managing your luggage around the block, then maybe you should leave some heavier items at home.
If you use a CPAP machine and are planning to fly, do not place it in your checked luggage because you would be without your machine if your luggage was lost. Keep your CPAP machine in your carry-on to be safe. TSA guidelines do state that they’ll need you to remove your CPAP machine from its case and run through the x-ray separately. To keep it clean, we would recommend placing your CPAP machine in a transparent plastic bag before packing.
For travelers who use portable oxygen, policies vary by airline. Most airlines require at least 72 hours’ notice and a Physician’s Statement if you plan to travel with oxygen. Your airline may also offer carrier-supplied compressed oxygen for a fee. To be safe, be sure to contact your airline as soon as possible.
You may need to travel with your wheelchair. Always remember to bring your repair kit with you. If you are flying, be sure to notify your airline that you’ll be traveling with a wheelchair. Airlines are accustomed to travelers in wheelchairs and will store your chair in a closet on-board before transporting you to your seat using a special-purpose aisle wheelchair.
These are just a few tips that may help you during your holiday travel. If you have travel tips you’d like to share, please submit them in the comments section below.
Tags: CPAP, holiday travel, oxygen, wheelchair