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Travel tips
Are you planning to take any trips now that things are starting to open up again? Listen to this flash briefing of a column by Lori DePorter with her top tips for for letting go of the plan and enhancing the adventure while traveling with Parkinson’s.
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8 Replies
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My husband of 38 years has been diagnosed with Parkinson 5 years ago and I now know, it has been longer than that since his Aunt pointed out some clues to me on one of our family trips. Since then, he was denoised with Parkinson. We do a big trip once a year. like most people. Just 3 weeks ago in 2021, we took another family trip to the National Park and found our anxiety level can be stressful a few days before you leave and continue for a couple more days after you arrived to your designation. We also learned this is a good time to start carrying a diaper bag (back pack), with some of those Depends and wet wipes handy. We had a lot of standing in line at the National Park and the timing of getting on or off the airplane wasn’t any better. You should never assume your “urge” will go well. Now, I need to figure out if there is something to help calm the anxiety before our next big trip.
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I have started to inform the airlines, Amtrak, etc …you can ask for accommodations and assistance.
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1. Always take extra PD medications with you when you travel. That way, if you get significantly delayed or ill, you’ll have access to the meds you need.
2. Don’t pack PD meds in checked luggage. If your luggage get lost or delayed, you can still access your meds if they’re packed into carry on luggage.
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With things opening up, it’s definitely tempting to plan trips. But sometimes, the best adventures come from letting go of the plan a bit, especially when dealing with challenges like Parkinson’s. Lori DePorter’s tips sound like a goldmine for enhancing the travel experience. I’ll definitely give it a listen before planning my next trip.
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A great reminder, Alfred. Thanks for sharing your perspective! Do you have any travel plans for this coming year?
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Also, if you’re eyeing Thailand, check out https://thaitriplover.com/thailand-itineraries for some awesome itineraries!
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We just returned from a trip — my husband with Parkinson’s took his first flights since 2019. He suffers from panic attacks, and we worried about him having one on the plane. I had medication ready to give him, but he didn’t need it and he did great. One piece of advice — sign up for wheelchair assistance in the airports. He is mostly able to walk, but if he hadn’t been, having the wheelchair would have been necessary. Another key advantage of wheelchair assistance is that the attendants whisk you through security. So if you’re flying, I strongly advise lining up wheelchair assistance in advance. It’s free (though I gave the attendants tips). Also, we stayed in hotels with room service, because sometimes he can’t make it out to eat. Another option is ordering Uber Eats or DoorDash, but I liked having room service available.
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These are super helpful insights, thanks, Theresa!
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