Travel Tips

Vacations are supposed to be a time to relax. But it can be hard to feel relaxed when you're also worried about traveling with incontinence. The key is to be prepared. Try these simple travel trips:

Packing:

• Pack enough incontinence supplies (such as absorbent products, wipes, and extra changes of clothes) plus a bit extra in case you run into travel delays. If you'll be away for a long time, find out where you can buy incontinence supplies at your destination or arrange to have them shipped to you. Think about the activities you'll be doing and pack supplies to match. For example, if you will be on a long flight, pack an extra-absorbent product to wear when you're on the plane. Absorbent products such as Depend offer a wide variety of different options to fit with your travel plans.
• Pack clothes in dark colours that are easy to put on and take off. Consider packing a jacket, cardigan, shawl or wrap. You can tie it around your waist to hide leakage.
• Make a small "travel pack" that you can carry with you in the car or in your carry-on baggage. This kit should include everything you need to manage urine leakage while traveling: personal hygiene supplies such as wipes, barrier cream, and hand sanitizer; fresh absorbent products such as Depend; a change of clothes; and a plastic bag that you can tie off. This way you will always have supplies on hand when you need them.
• Don't keep your incontinence supplies in one single place. Keeping a back-up supply in a separate piece of luggage can save you the headache if one of your bags is lost in transit. The last thing you'd want is to be caught without any supplies when you need them.

Planning your route and making reservations:

• When reserving your seats on a plane or train, know where the washrooms are and choose an aisle seat nearby.
• Book flights and train travel well in advance so you'll have a better choice of seat.
• If you'll be traveling by car, map your route and find places where you could stop to use the washroom, such as gas stations, rest stops, or restaurants. If you have a GPS or a smartphone, bring it along to locate rest stops along the way and help you get back on the road after you pull over for a pit stop.

On the road:

• Choose food and drinks carefully. If certain foods or drinks tend to make your incontinence worse, avoid them while traveling. For example, you may want to avoid caffeine, alcohol, fizzy drinks, salty foods, spicy foods, and citrus fruits.
• Always carry your "travel pack" with you so that you'll be prepared to handle any leakage that may occur.
• Visit the washroom to urinate (pee) and put on a fresh absorbent product just before boarding a plane or train. Do this again right before you reach your destination. If you're flying, make sure you visit the washroom before the plane starts to land.
• When visiting tourist attractions, ask for a guidebook or map and carry it with you so you'll know where the washrooms are.

All material copyright MediResource Inc. 1996 – 2024. Terms and conditions of use. The contents herein are for informational purposes only. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Source: www.medbroadcast.com/healthfeature/gethealthfeature/Travel-Tips