So, we are coming to the end of our eight week holiday in the UK and Europe. We have had a busy, busy time with lots of memories made and recalling of memories from the past with long-standing friends and of course several members of our lovely UK family. A family I was not born to, but which welcomed me with open arms and hearts from the very first moment. I got lucky when I was found by the lovely man that is my husband and the family he came with could not be more special to me.
We have spent time with those we love and for that alone – even without all the other experiences – the jet-lag and the hours in the plane are worth every minute because it has given us time with those that we love.
For those of you who have Parkinson’s I would heartily recommend travelling. Yes, from time to time I might have got in a bit of a muddle with my meds. Nothing earth shattering, but the ‘lunch’ meds sometimes snuck more towards ‘dinner’ at times. So mid-day might have been more of an ideal than an actual timeframe at times, but we both survived.
The most important thing has been to remember to iisten to my body. If I start to get tired I have become good at saying that I need a nap, no matter where we are. Even if I don’t sleep, I recharge my batteries by taking myself off somewhere quiet and removing myself for a while.
Having a stop-over in Singapore is the best way to go. We once – only once, we learned our lesson – flew straight through from NZ to UK, with a stop for a few hours. It was nasty!! We felt so awful we vowed never to do it again. Whether you have PD or not, do the stop-over. You won’t regret it! If you go to Singapore go to ‘The yellow chair restaurant’ in Chinatown. The food is delicious, reasonably priced and the Tiger beer is cold! We go there every time. We also do a stop-over in Singapore on the way home and it helps tremendously with jet-lag. If you go via Singapore, make sure the hotel has a nice pool. Singapore is hot!! Very hot! It sucks the energy from you. Even is you don’t swim just sitting in the pool is lovely and revitalizing. If you can afford it, take as much time as you can for your trip. It is such a long way and a couple of weeks – we feel – does not give you enough time to recover from the flights and enjoy your stay.
If you are a person who likes to take photos of your trip and if it’s something you do, maybe post on FB or other social media. A good friend of mine takes lots of photos and puts them on FB – she is a great traveller – and she puts photos up so that she gets the reminders come up of her trips. A lovely reminder of the experiences she has had.
If you don’t do FB or social media, maybe think about keeping a journal or a diary just for yourself. Note down any effects that travelling may have on you. Whether the change in time zone affected you and how and what you did to overcome any issues. Perhaps talk to your GP or Parkinson’s Nurse – if you have one – they may be able to give you some hints and tips on how to manage when travelling. Talk to others who have travelled with PD, I’m sure if you have a peer group or any association with other people affected by PD you will find they have lots of things they learned for themselves that they can pass on.
My big tip is….
Even if in the early stages – like I am at the moment – get yourself some sturdy walking poles. I have resisted using them for anything other than walking on walking tracks, but I am a true convert now! I have noticed and so have members of my family that I am much better at walking with the poles than without. They make me stand up taller and have good posture. This helps with my back as well as my Parkinson’s. The other day we went somewhere and after about 20-30 minutes my back started to hurt and I needed to sit down. My husband went and got my walking poles out of the car and I started using them. The back pain went like magic and I probably had about another hour of walking that I would not have had without them. I have “Leki” poles and I bought them online years ago for tramping. One reason I like them is that they fold into several sections and are the smallest when folded of any I have found. I had previous poles and they did not fold as much and they were a problem to carry. Even in a reasonable sized suitcase, they had to be stored corner to corner. These will fit in quite a small case and especially useful that they can be put inside my pack/rucksack if needed and not stick out the top! They are great for areas where it might be slippery or uneven and give you the confidence and the ability to walk where you may not have done previously. I met an older woman at one of the big gardens we went to and she was using a walking stick which didn’t seem to be helping her much. She was with her daughter who admired my poles. I said to the woman, “You should get some, I like them because they are better for my balance and I don’t look like an old lady with a walking stick. I see fit trampers with them and I say to myself that I am trendy because I use them!”
Whatever or whenever you are planning to travel, make the most of today for none of us knows what tomorrow will bring. Even travelling locally and getting out for a short walk in nature will benefit you.
Don’t wait to retire.
Don’t wait till the time is right, it may never be if you keep waiting.
The time to go is now if you can.
Happy travels.
My journey with Parkinsons 