RA Travel Prep Is No Joke
After 45 years of marriage, working for almost as long, and raising 3 sons, my husband and I are now retired and finally able to do the traveling we have longed for. So, we are heading to Europe for the first time in our lives, doing a river cruise for 17 days. Preparing for this has been my mission for most of last year.
Keeping RA management in mind when booking travel
I know from my experience with RA over the last 25 years that traveling needs to be planned with every aspect of my RA management considered from start to finish.
To begin with, just selecting a cruise line with the most accommodating arrangements for RA is where we began. I wanted to be sure to get a room with the best situation, i.e. accessibility. That meant booking very far in advance; in our case, 9 months ahead of the departure date.
I asked every question I could think of while on the phone with the booking agent. Luckily for us, we are traveling with 3 other very experienced travelers, and their advice and support was priceless. We chose a trip that does not require us to disembark to a different hotel or take ground transportation to different ports. We are staying on the boat for the full 17 days and only leaving for the various excursions at each port of call along the way.
Being careful not to overload our schedule
We also paid in advance for as much as possible, so every meal — even gratuities — is paid for. We also carefully selected and booked all the excursions with an eye on their difficulty level in terms of getting around. So many of them required vigorous walking. Our cruise line ranked them by the difficulty level, which was very helpful for the selection process. I was careful not to overload our days, leaving ample time to rest in between excursions.
We purchased travel insurance that will cover any eventuality that could shorten, cancel, or change our trip. It also includes extensive health-related coverage in the event we need some elaborate assistance like airlifting. This took some time to research, and coverage and rates vary widely, but this is time and money well spent, in my opinion.
Planning around infusions and injections
In terms of my RA treatment and care, I carefully scheduled our trip around my monthly infusion schedule and will have one a week before we leave. That way, even if our trip home is delayed by 2 weeks, I will be fine.
I am also getting corticosteroid injections in both knees 2 weeks before departure. I have moderate pain and erosion in both knees, so this makes sense for me. I will bring along a hefty supply of my prednisone just in case.
I will also bring all of my various braces and compression gloves. I have compression socks, too, which on an 8-hour flight are crucial to prevent blood clots and keep my legs comfortable in flight.
Other preparations and precautions
We will be working on our sleep schedules so that when we arrive in Budapest, we are ready to go! I also purchased new lightweight suitcases for each of us so that we can get around easily and with the least amount of stress on our joints. My biggest challenge may be to not overpack. I have learned to pick a color theme, as that cuts down on shoes and slacks since they can be worn multiple times.
We are taking long walks again to prepare for the walking to come. The same goes for endurance exercise. We have upped our swim workouts and I am doing Tai Chi every day.
Being prepared can help reduce anxiety
The booking agent for our cruise as well as their website and other sites I found online provided me with so much valuable information. I cannot say enough about relying on them to guide you.
There are so many details to consider, but with a robust plan, it is totally doable! Having all of the details worked out means I can now look forward to the trip with eager anticipation instead of anxiety.
Nan
How do you prepare for travel with RA? Share with us in the comments below!
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