Whether you’re hopping in the car for a road trip to see family or jumping on a plane to somewhere exotic, if you have hearing aids, here are a few things to keep in mind when traveling.
Don’t forget the essentials
When you’re packing, make a list of the items you’ll need to bring with you to keep your hearing aids in working order your whole trip, such as
- Extra batteries: While traveling, you may find yourself wearing your hearing aids longer than you normally would, so you may go through batteries quicker. Additionally, if you run out of batteries on vacation, you may not be able to buy new ones easily. It’s always a good idea to bring more than you think you’ll need.
- Cleaning kit: Although your routine might be thrown off while you travel, make sure to bring your cleaning kit and stick to your normal cleaning schedule as much as possible. This will help guard against additional wear and tear your hearing aids may experience in new and different locations.
- Dryer/dehumidifier: If you’re going somewhere humid or near water, be sure to take your dryer or dehumidifier and use it nightly to fully dry out your hearing aids.
- Charging station and charging cable: If you have rechargeable hearing aids, don’t forget your charging station and any necessary cables.
- Extra domes and wax guards: A misshapen dome or clogged wax guard could prevent you from fully enjoying your trip. Bringing extras will ensure you can fix problems if they arise.
- Accessories: If you use hearing aid accessories regularly, don’t forget to bring them along too. Devices like a remote mic can make it easier to talk to airline employees or others in noisy environments.
Tips for flying with hearing aids
Air travel can mean visiting faraway loved ones or exciting destinations, but it can also be tough for people with hearing loss. Here’s some important information to know.
- Keep hearing aid supplies in your carry-on bag. Unexpected delays, layovers, and more can all happen with air travel. Having your charger or batteries, cleaning kit, and accessories in your carry-on allows you to keep everything close. If problems come up, you can address them instead of having to wait to access your checked luggage. Most rechargeable hearing aids today use lithium-ion batteries and chargers. The TSA advises keeping these items in your carry-on luggage rather than in checked baggage.
- Hear better during air travel: You may be tempted to take your hearing aids out altogether in a challenging listening environment like an airport or plane. Don’t! First, you’ll be less likely to forget them if you wear them. Second, although air travel may present difficult environments, you’ll have an easier time if you can hear directions, announcements, and important information.
- Wear your hearing aids through security. Don’t worry, your hearing aids won’t set off the metal detectors or be detected in body scanners. However, just in case, it’s a good idea to tell the security agent that you’re wearing hearing aids before you go through a detector or scan. If you’re asked to put them through the x-ray scanner, the x-rays won’t harm the hearing aid components.
- Wear your hearing aids during the flight. When the flight staff asks everyone to turn off electronic devices, this mandate doesn’t apply to hearing aids. In fact, wearing your hearing aids during the flight will make it easier to hear your travel companions as well as the flight staff and any on-board announcements.
- Use visual cues for better comprehension. Air travel can be noisy and difficult even with the help of hearing aids. In the airport and during your flight, pay special attention to visual cues to fill in parts of speech you may miss. And don’t be afraid to ask others to look at you when they speak or rephrase when you don’t understand.
Tips for a road trip with hearing aids
Road trips can be a great time to chat with your travel companions or relax as the scenery goes by, but the car also poses challenges for hearing aid wearers. Here are some tips to help.
- Only drive when you feel safe doing so. If you’re spending extended periods in a car, straining to hear, you may become fatigued. If you reach a point where you’re having a hard time hearing or are feeling tired from the strain, be safe and ask someone else to drive for a while.
- Cut out distracting noise. Although it’s fun to sing along with music or listen to a book or news while you drive, noise inside the car can prevent you from hearing noise outside the car. If you feel like your hearing is impaired by the sounds coming from the car speaker, turn it off.
- Use a remote mic. One of the best parts of a road trip is talking with your travel companions. To make conversations easier, clip a remote mic to your companion’s shirt or place it near the people farthest from you to hear everyone more clearly.
Have fun
Travel is a great way to experience new places and cultures and to build stronger relationships with people you love. Make the most of your trip by planning to care for your hearing aids while you’re away from home. Hopefully, the strategies above make your travel easier and more enjoyable.
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