How to Safely Travel with Hearing Aids

When you wear hearing aids and rely on them daily, they quickly become an extension of you. Hearing aids can deeply impact a person by improving their quality of life, so it makes sense to take the precautions needed when traveling. When you are traveling with hearing aids, extra planning is necessary to keep your hearing aids in working order while you are away from home. It doesn’t matter if you are close to home or hours away. Anytime you plan on being away from your home for an extended period of time, extra steps are needed to help ensure your hearing aids make the trip safely.

Even if you are visiting family a few towns away, if you plan on traveling with hearing aids in the future (near or far), here are a few things to keep in mind.

• Make sure you never leave the house, especially while traveling, without your hearing aid supplies. Dedicate a bag just for this purchase to hold and carry accessories, charging station, batteries, etc. Also, don’t forget to pack your cleaning tools! You never know when you might need them.

• Don’t ever get into the mindset that the batteries you currently have in your device will hold up through a one day trip. There are numerous factors why a battery could drain faster than usual, so it’s best to be prepared. Never leave the house without bringing extra batteries with you.

• If you happen to be traveling near water, bring a dry aid kit with you. If you don’t have one, make sure you purchase one. Having a dry aid kit can help extend your device’s life by removing moisture, so having one on hand would be very useful and helpful. Even if you are not going anywhere near a body of water, having one is always a good idea. Exposure to rain and humidity can happen anywhere.

• Once you arrive at your destination, set up an area specifically for your hearing aids and supply bag. Having a safe, designated area to store your device and accessories can help prevent accidental misplacements and reduce stress. It’s easier to keep everything in one spot, so when you need something or you need to head out the door, you know where it is every time.

• Before you go, it’s a good idea to make an appointment with your audiologist for a hearing aid checkup. They can fine-tune the device and answer any questions or concerns you may have. Plus, if you plan on being away for an extended period, they might have a referral for another audiologist that’s local to the area where you will be.