General
Traveling
May 13, 2025
in General
Continuing the discussion from tonight’s support group
Any advice for flying, cruising, or road-tripping while protecting your transplant health?
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1 - 11 of 11 Replies
I always bring double the amount of meds I need and make sure they're on me pretty much at all times. It's also so important to set cell phone alarms reminding you to take your meds away from home, as you're often distracted; be mindful of time zone changes as well and how this will affect pill times.
Yes! Double amount of meds, my own comfort items (favorite blanket especially), I always text my flight number to myself because with iphones you get real time updates on your gate and flight departure and arrival, comfortable clothes to travel in, and definitely setting alarms for meds especially if there is a time change.
If I fly, I'll go first class and let the airline know that I am immuno suppressed, and cannot sit near animals.
Hotels vs Motels. Stay away from Motels. Motels have individual doors to the outside. People will smoke outside their rooms and their smoke will get sucked into your room.
Hotels. First asked if they have pet free floors. They are usually the upper floors. Also, check if they charge extra pet fee of $75 to $125. Let the hotel manager know you are on immuno suppressants. But be polite.
Elevators. Don't enter an elevator with a dog. Wait for the next elevator. If you are in first and someone tries to enter with a dog, politely ask them to take the next elevator or you exit the elevator and wait for a pet free elevator. There are too many fake service animals. Disabled people with real service animals are morelikely to understand.
When I fly, I carry 7-days meds on my person (in pill pouches and pouches in a zip lock), my wife carries another 7-days, and I have trip duration meds in my checked bags. I'm not running out.
Lot's of hand sanitizer.
Sanitize table condiment items (salt shaker, ketchup, etc) at restraunts. Sanitize hands after you're done with the menu. Their all nasty as heck.
Agreed about the sanitizer! It's always on my person and inside my car!
do u bring masks for your travels to keep safe ?
I'll wear an N95 on flights but stick with high-quality cloth masks for other public transportation.
Transplant Patient
This was such a good discussion - and we're going to have a whole group on it soon because there's so much here. With summer fast approaching, I feel like this is a topic that doesn't get talked about enough.
I did my first international trip last year, and I've done quite a few within Canada prior to that. I got a medical letter from my transplant team prior to each trip that had all my medications listed, who my doctors were if I somehow ended up hospitalized somewhere else, what my emergency protocol was. Knowing I could always call and talk to someone on my team helped a lot with anxiety.
Even if I was changing timezones, I kept my meds on schedule with my timezone at home to help for continuity, and set alarms that didn't change when my phone automatically did. Definitely bring more meds than you think you need, and I was told to bring original packaging if you're going to be crossing a border or anything. I did transplant meds, any other prescribed meds and then anything I thought I might need for pain.
Also lots of sanitizer. I wore masks in any public setting/crowded space. Hydrate a ton, try to eat as healthy as possible and I like to give myself down time on either end of a trip to recalibrate
I love traveling! I travel a lot! I wrote a blog article about this because it can sound stressful, but as long as you are prepared, it will be amazing. Make sure you clear it with your team, especially if you are newly transplanted.
Blog — TransplantLyfe
I hadn't traveled since before COVID and this year alone have flown to NYC and Cali for work and then TX to help my parents out during a health issue - even "living" in a hospital with them for 4 days where NO ONE else masked.
I mask all the time in the airport - unless I need to find a low population area to eat/drink - and on the plane.
I use LOTS of hand sanitizer and also anti-bac wipes to clean the areas all around me.
With the mitigation and being observant I've managed to stay healthy!
I love this discussion. Let's live the life we're working to heal :)
Transplant Patient
I travel a lot for work and pleasure. As much as I did before transplant and now with the added complexity of having a child who often accompanies me.
I always make sure that the countries I visit have excellent transplant care, which eliminate many countries and I also make sure to only travel to places with good hygiene across the population which again, eliminates some more countries.
However, I am pretty happy with the countries that remain, since I tend to go to Western Europe and North America.
I always carry my drugs onboard, and keep extra pill boxes in my checked luggage. I try to check in advance where the transplant center is located, if something were to happen and my doctor in NYC is never more than a phone call away.
I avoid trying foods that seem extreme and stick to what I know and what I am sure has been cooked and washed. I don’t eat from buffets or in homes of people I don’t trust fully. I also try to get sufficient sleep, and even take sleeping pills to get me on track since being sleep deprived can mess w my health and my levels of immune suppression. I try to avoid being exposed to sick people especially on planes and often wear a mask onboard.
Traveling with one or two transplants requires some planning but it has never stopped me from doing my work and enjoying my life!