There are a couple of kinds of vacations, right? There’s the kind where you jam every single recreation you can into every waking moment. This type will leave you more tired than when you left but all of the fun will be remembered for many years to come.
The other kind is all about unwinding. These are the trips where you may not do, well, much of anything. Maybe you spend a lot of time on the beach with some cocktails. Or maybe you’re getting spoiled at some resort for your whole vacation. These are the peaceful and relaxing kinds of vacations.
There’s no right or wrong way to vacation. But neglected hearing loss can jeopardize whichever type of vacation you choose.
Your vacation can be ruined by hearing loss
There are some unique ways that hearing loss can make a vacation more difficult, particularly if you don’t know you have hearing loss. Many individuals who have hearing loss don’t even recognize they have it and it eventually sneaks up on them. They just keep turning the volume on their television louder and louder.
The nice thing is that there are some proven ways to minimize the effect hearing loss could have on your vacation. The first move, of course, will be to make an appointment for a hearing screening if you haven’t already. The impact that hearing loss has on your fun times will be greatly diminished the more ready you are in advance.
How can hearing loss effect your vacation
So how can your next vacation be negatively effected by hearing loss? There are actually a small number of ways as it turns out. And while some of them might seem a little trivial at first, they tend to add up! Some common examples include the following:
- You can miss significant moments with friends and family: Everybody enjoyed the funny joke that your friend just told, but unfortunately, you didn’t hear the punchline. When you have untreated hearing loss, you can miss important (and enriching) conversations.
- Important notices come in but you often miss them: Perhaps you miss your flight because you didn’t hear the boarding call. And as a result, your whole vacation schedule is cast into absolute disarray.
- Language barriers are even more challenging: Managing a language barrier is already hard enough. But deciphering voices with hearing loss, particularly when it’s really noisy, makes it much more difficult.
- The vibrant life of a new place can be missed: Your experience can be rather dull when everything you hear is muted. After all, your favorite vacation place is alive with unique sounds, like active street sounds or singing birds.
A number of these negative situations can be averted by simply wearing your hearing aids. Which means the best way to keep your vacation moving in the right direction and free of stress is to manage your hearing needs before you go.
How to prepare for your vacation when you have hearing loss
All of this isn’t to say that hearing loss makes a vacation unachievable. That’s nowhere near true! But it does mean that, when you have hearing loss, a little bit of extra planning and preparation, can help make sure your vacation goes as smoothly as possible. Whether or not you have hearing loss, this is obviously good travel advice.
Here are some things you can do to make sure hearing loss doesn’t negatively effect your next vacation:
- Keep your hearing aids clean: Before you go out on your travels, be certain that you clean your hearing aids. This can help prevent problems from developing while you’re on your vacation. It’s also a good plan to make certain your suggested maintenance is current!
- Bring extra batteries: There’s nothing worse than your hearing aid dying the first day because your batteries quit. Always make certain you bring spares! So are you allowed to take spare batteries on a plane? Well, maybe, check with your airline. You may need to put your batteries in your carry-on depending on the kind of battery.
- Do a little pre-planning: When you have to figure things out as you go, that’s when hearing loss can present some challenges, so don’t be too spontaneous and prepare as much as possible.
Hearing aid travel tips
Once all the planning and preparation is done, it’s time to hit the road! Or, well, the airways, maybe. Before you head out to the airport, there are a number of things about going on a plane with hearing aids you should definitely know about.
- Can I use my hearing aids on the plane? You won’t need to turn off your hearing aids when you get that “all electronics must be off” spiel. But it’s a good idea to enable flight mode if your hearing aid heavily relies on Bluetooth connectivity or wifi. Some of the in-flight announcements may be hard to hear so make sure you let the flight attendants know about your hearing loss.
- Will I be able to hear well in the airport? How well you can hear in the airport will depend on what airport it is and what time of day. But most modern airports will have a telecoil device fitted throughout many areas. This is a basic wire device (although you’ll never see that wire, just look for the signs) that makes it easier for you to hear with your hearing aids, even when things are noisy and chaotic.
- Will my smartphone be helpful? This will not be shocking, but your smartphone is extremely helpful! Once you land, you can utilize this device to change the settings on your hearing aid (if you have the right type of hearing aid), find directions to your destination, and even translate foreign languages. You might be able to take some strain off your ears if you’re able to use your phone in this way.
- Do I have some rights I should be aware of? Before you travel it’s never a bad plan to get familiar with your rights. If you have hearing loss, you’ll have lots of rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act. But essentially, it comes down to this: information has to be available to you. So if you feel like you’re missing out on some information, let an airport official know that you have hearing loss and they should offer a solution.
- When I go through the TSA security checkpoint, will I need to remove my hearing aids? You won’t be required to take your hearing aids out for the security screening. It’s generally a good plan to let the TSA agents know you’re wearing them. If there is any type of conveyor belt or X-ray machines, be certain that your hearing aids do not go through that belt. Your hearing aids can be damaged by the static charge that these conveyor type X-ray devices produce.
- If I use my hearing aids more than normal, is that ok? Most hearing specialists will recommend that you use your hearing aids all day, every day. So, any time you aren’t sleeping, taking a shower, or swimming (or in a really noisy environment), you should be using your devices.
Vacations are one of life’s many adventures
Whether you have loss of hearing or not, vacations are unpredictable. Not everything is going to go the way you planned it all the time. So be prepared for the unforeseen and try to have a positive attitude.
That way you’ll still feel as if your plans are on track even when the inevitable challenge occurs.
But you will be surprised less if you put together good preparations. With the right preparation, you can be sure you have options when something goes awry, so an inconvenience doesn’t turn into a catastrophe.
Having a hearing exam and making certain you have the correct equipment is usually the beginning of that preparation for individuals with hearing loss. And that’s the case whether you’re visiting every museum in New York City (vacation type number one) or taking it easy on a beach in Mexico (vacation type number two).
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