I have just loaded a podcast onto my page on Spotify. It is an interview with two members of our Parkies support group, a husband and wife who have had many adventures travelling together. From talking with them, a degree of spontaneity has always been part of how they travel, both together and individually. This could stand them in good stead for any changes of plans necessitated because of some Parkinson’s issues. They could be that the person with Parkinson’s has a day when their meds don’t kick in quite how they usually do. It is important, I think, to be able to change plans and be flexible and have a ‘Plan B’ if the original plan doesn’t prove to be possible on that particular day.
Changes may be needed too, to roles of each person when travelling. Perhaps the person with Parkinson’s was the main driver when overseas. If the partner/husband/wife is not comfortable driving overseas especially in countries in Europe where they drive on the other side of the road, then a Plan B may certainly be needed. As is in our case my husband is happy to drive in the UK – he is British – but neither of us want to drive in Europe. We will therefore look into an ‘oldies coach tour’ and we can just enjoy going along for the ride.
We would also recommend ‘Priority Boarding’ whether you have mobility issues, or some anxiety issues this can make the experience of travelling much more pleasant right from the beginning. We used it when we travelled to Rarotonga and we were escorted to the plane along with maybe one other couple before the rest of the passengers boarded. I for one appreciated it because I always get quite stressed when other passengers make me have to try and hurry to stow our bags in the overhead locker. With Priority Boarding there is none of that and it really does make things a lot more pleasant.
Another thing I would recommend is thinking about the size of case you take on holiday. The first time we went with enormous bags and we didn’t end up needing half of what we took with us. Also, when travelling on public transport, there is never enough room for baggage to be stowed. If you have a huge case this can make it very stressful. We are now going to trim our luggage right back so it makes it easier. We know that we have lots of leeway with luggage allowance and so, if we do shop and need to get things home, we can buy another holdall or two and put the excess in a second bag each and still be within our luggage limit. We don’t need to lug everything around in between. That works for us because we have a base with family where we can leave some of our stuff. Even if you don’t have such a base, if you run out of clothes, there would usually be a laundromat where you could do some washing and drying.
Medications can be an important consideration. Check in with your Doctor about how to manage change in time zones. This can get confusing, so a chat with your GP is sure to help you to develop a strategy for this. Also, my husband and I always bring our medications in our hand luggage, just in case our checked baggage goes astray. We also sometimes take some of each other’s in case one of us loses their bag or has it stolen, it means we will always have our essential meds. We also usually take more than we need for the holiday we are taking. For instance if the trip is six weeks, we might take eight weeks of medications. Just in case we have another earthquake or pandemic and we can’t readily access medications.
If you are not a great sleeper on planes, you could discuss the use of sleeping pills with your GP. Normally neither my GP nor I are a great fan of using pills to sleep. However, he gives me maybe 4-6 sleeping pills so that they can help me to be able to relax a bit more and maybe have more of a chance of catching some sleep when on the plane.
I’m sure there are many more hints and tips that people have to share. I’d love to hear some of them.
Here’s a link to the podcast I did with a couple from our Peer Support Group. They are seasoned travellers and they may inspire you to head off on your travels too!
My journey with Parkinsons 