Accessible Travel Tips: Traveling with a Disability or Health Condition

Author: Ian C. Langtree - View Credentials
Published: 1 Jul 2010 - Updated: 23 Jan 2015

Table of Contents:
Synopsis - Overview - Related Content

Synopsis

List of accessible travel tips to make your journey easier if you have a disability or health condition.

Overview

Most people don't face any problems when they travel, but it's possible to make travel safer, accessible, and more comfortable.

Here are some accessible travel tips to ensure you a smooth and memorable trip.

• The first and foremost to make your travel safe is to carry medication in your luggage if needed.
• Include a first aid kit in your luggage to be carried on your person.
• Inform your physician about your travel and find out whether you need to change the dosages of the medicines. This is because if you are traveling by air, your eating and sleeping patterns will change at the destination.
• Ensure that you carry enough medicine to last through your trip. It is safe to carry some extra medicine in case your stay is extended.
• Don't leave home without your inhaler if you have asthma.
• Bring your eye-wear prescriptions.
• Don't fly with contact lenses. They will dry out and irritate itchy or burning eyes.
• Visit your family physician for a medical and dental check-up to make sure you are healthy before you travel.
• If you are diabetic or epileptic, carry a notification and identification card.
• Organize travel insurance, including cover.
• Find out what your health insurance will pay for if you see a doctor while you're in another country.
• Keep handy the name and phone number of your doctor with you so as to aid you in case of an emergency.
• Don't forget to carry along the names and dosages of all of your medicines.
• Do not take sleeping tablets without a supervised prescription.
• Update your vaccinations and ask about other immunizations.
• Don't travel if you have had a heart attack within the last month, or any conditions that weaken the heart.
• The air in airplanes is dry, so drink plenty of fluids, like fruit juices and water to prevent from becoming dehydrated.
• Avoid caffeine and alcohol.
• If you are on a connecting flight and have sufficient time, try to get as much fresh air as you can between connections.
• Wear Slippers.
• Take frequent walks down the aisle.
• Eat light. Steaming-hot, well-cooked food is usually safest.
• Avoid eating foods from street vendors, unpasteurized dairy products, and raw or uncooked seafood. Peel fruits yourself.
• Drink water from commercially sealed bottles or drink carbonated beverages. Avoid ice. Use bottled water when you brush your teeth.

All travelers should be prepared for travel and be aware of health issues and measures to protect themselves from sickness. Follow the above health tip travel and enjoy a safe and pleasant journey!

Author Credentials: Ian C. Langtree is a writer, editor, and the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Disabled World, which he established in 2004 as one of the longest-running independent resources for disability news and information. Over more than two decades, he has written and edited thousands of articles on disability rights, health, accessibility, and assistive technology. Drawing on a global perspective shaped by extensive travel and lived experience, Ian is a committed advocate of the Social Model of Disability, the framework developed by disabled activists in the 1970s that focuses on removing societal barriers rather than on individual impairments. His writing is grounded in that framework and in a lasting commitment to disability rights, accessibility, and social inclusion. To learn more about Ian's background, expertise, and accomplishments, visit his full biography.