Everyone who is able deserves to enjoy the adventures and excitement that travel can offer. This most certainly includes people who are living with hearing loss, as well as those who use hearing aids to better navigate their everyday life. Travel is certainly an open possibility for them, but it’s also important to address that, if you do have hearing loss, you also may have a few extra needs to accommodate or considerations to keep in mind. Here, we’re going to look at a few of them.
Check In With Your Hearing Health Specialist Before You Go
It’s worth taking the time to arrange an appointment with a hearing health professional before you set off. This way, they can take the time to inspect your devices, clean any internal components, troubleshoot any issues, and update their programming so that you’re able to use them without any issues during your travel. Depending on where you’re going, they can also offer some help on using your hearing aids in different environments, from noisy markets to guided tours where you need to be able to listen. They might even be able to recommend helpful accessories like remote microphones or travel chargers. A little pre-travel check can help you leave with some extra peace of mind.
Make Sure You Pack All Of Your Necessities
Checking that everything is packed can be a stressful situation in the best of times, but if you’re bringing your hearing aids with you, you have to make sure that you bring a few extras besides your travel essentials. Be sure to bring a complete cleaning kit, including brushes, wipes, and drying capsules, to keep your hearing aids in the best condition on your travels, as well as extra batteries, and replacements such as spare domes, tubings, or wax guards. You might also want to consider investing in a protective storage case, so that you’re able to keep your devices safe in transit if you’re not wearing them throughout the journey, or are bringing a pair of spares. Those spares can be helpful, as damaging or losing your primary pair could massively downgrade your travel experience.
Ensure You’re Able To Adjust Your Hearing Aids As You Need To
While the kind of listening environments you find yourself in might be a little more predictable in day-to-day life, when you’re travelling, you can find yourself in all manner of different places. From bustling airports to quiet hotel rooms, you want to be able to hear clearly. As such, learning to use your hearing aids in different environments is vital. A lot of modern devices offer preset modes to program your hearing aids to better deal with crowds, outdoor situations, or group conversations. You can customize these programs ahead of time, such as with the help of your hearing health provider, but learning how to adjust them on the fly can be very helpful, as well.
Choose Destinations And Accommodations Suited To Your Needs
Following the above tips and suiting your hearing aids to your environment is a good strategy, but you should also try to match your environments to your hearing aids, or your hearing needs in general. You can do this, for instance, by choosing destinations that are well-suited to hearing- travelers. You can do your research ahead of time on museums, theaters, guided tours, and other attractions or activities that offer assistive listening features, hearing loops, or apps that can make it easier to engage with them. Similarly, you should check any hotels you book to see if they provide their own accessibility features to make it easier to fully enjoy your stay.
Work With Your Travel Staff, Especially At The Airport
The travel staff that oversees much of your journey could help accommodate you, but they can typically only help if they know. When you arrive at the airport, be sure to inform security personnel that you’re wearing hearing aids. In most cases, they won’t have to be removed, and any confusion can be avoided during the screening process. When addressing airport staff, airline crews, or tour guides, you can politely inform them of your hearing loss and ask them to meet your communication needs, like maintaining face-to-face contact when talking. Most tourist-friendly cities and airports have staff well-trained in accessibility, so they’re usually happy to accommodate.
Protect Your Hearing Aids
We often travel to places to enjoy a change in climate, but that same change can affect both the performance and the longevity of your hearing aid, if you’re not careful. Moisture is the biggest threat. Humidity, sweat, and rain can damage your internal components, so it’s best to bring a drying case or dehumidifier to clear out excess moisture when you’re not wearing your devices. Excessive heat and sunlight exposure are other risks, so be sure to keep your devices out of direct contact with the sunlight. If you’re one of those people who likes to travel to colder destinations, then it’s wise ot wear a band or hat that protects your hearing aids from the cold, too.
Some Extra Tips To Enjoy Smooth, Easy Travel
Whether you’re going hiking, exploring the city, or even just lounging on the beach, you should be sure to use your cleaning kit to take care of your hearing aids, clearing them out each and every night. You should also consider downloading travel apps that can make it a lot easier to interface with your surroundings, whether it’s translating your speech to text and vice versa so that you can communicate better, or a transportation app that helps you find your train or bus options, rather than straining to listen when you’re at the station. Trying to listen to and navigate the environment as a person with hearing loss can be a lot more tiring than it would be otherwise, so be sure to take a break once in a while to avoid exhaustion or frustration.
When you’re in the rush of getting everything ready for your vacation, it’s easy to forget just about anything. As such, it’s worth keeping hold of this list of recommendations to ensure that you’re able to enjoy travel without worry
