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Do you still travel internationally with Parkinson’s?
We’re starting to plan for my sister’s destination wedding, and a lot of different topics are starting to pop up for us. Like: How will we access medical care for my dad if we need it? And how do you time medications in a wildly different time zone?
Do you still travel internationally? If so, how do you manage Parkinson’s amidst the chaos?
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2 Replies
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…If you have not yet travelled…. (If you have already travelled, let me know if any of this might have helped)
If possible, I would continue your plans to travel. Definitely do it!! I assume you are flying…thus the concern with time zone change? I don’t know what your time zone change is, but we are going to the UK in May 2025, by ship one way, then returning home by flying. Your Neurologist should tell you how to balance the meds in a time zone change because every PD situation with meds is different, but I would suggest stay with your State side schedule until arrival, then adapt by watching symptoms, ultimately letting the PM/sleep time be the change to new destination day meds needs. Take or rent a wheeled walker with a seat at destination, and plan short touring times…ie not more than 2 hours. Let your airline know you need wheelchair assistance, and use it at the airport. It’s worth the 20$ tip….gets you though security fast, and also to the gate, allowing early aircraft entry too. You could try a short/ local driving weekend trip to determine what your planning might be for the longer trip. Sit on the aircraft near bathrooms. To tell you the truth, I know there will challenges, no matter how smoothly things go….but, don’t hesitate. Take that trip.
Peter Wood, caregiver
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I’ve found that keeping travel simple helps me focus on managing meds and fatigue, so trains became my go‑to. Looking into https://everyrail.com/rail-passes/eurail/ made it easier because I didn’t have to figure out tickets on the fly, and the flexibility reduced stress. I liked knowing I could sit, stretch, or catch a later train if symptoms flared. It took a lot of pressure off long days abroad.
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