Aren’t there a couple of kinds of vacation? There’s the kind where you cram every single recreation you can into every single second. These are the trips that are remembered for years later and are packed with adventure, and you head back to work more exhausted than you left.
Then there are the relaxing types of vacations. These are the trips where you might not do, well, much of anything. Perhaps you drink a bit of wine. Perhaps you spend a day (or two, or three) at the beach. Or maybe you’re getting pampered 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. Whatever way you prefer, however, neglected hearing loss can put your vacation at risk.
Hearing loss can ruin a vacation
There are some unique ways that hearing loss can make a vacation more challenging, particularly if you don’t recognize you have hearing loss. Look, hearing loss can sneak up on you like nobody’s business, many people have no clue they have it. The volume on all their devices just continues going higher and higher.
But the impact that hearing loss can have on a vacation can be minimized with some proven methods, and that’s the good news. Scheduling a hearing test is definitely the first step. The effect that hearing loss has on your good times will be greatly diminished the more ready you are before you go.
How can hearing loss impact your vacation
So how can your next vacation be adversely effected by hearing loss? Well, there are a number of ways. Individually, they might not seem like that big of a deal. But when they begin to compound it can become a real problem. Here are some common instances:
- You can miss significant moments with friends and family: Perhaps your friend just told a great joke that everybody loved, except you couldn’t make out the punchline. Important and enriching conversations can be missed when you have untreated hearing loss.
- Getting beyond language barriers can be frustrating: Dealing with a language barrier is already hard enough. But understanding voices with hearing loss, particularly when it’s really noisy, makes it much harder.
- You can miss out on the radiance of a new place: Your experience can be rather lackluster when everything you hear is muted. After all, your favorite vacation spot is alive with unique sounds, like active street sounds or singing birds.
- You miss important notices: Perhaps you’re waiting for your train or plane to board, but you don’t ever hear the announcement. And as a result, your whole vacation schedule is cast into total disarray.
Not surprisingly, if you’re wearing your hearing aids, some of these negative effects can be lessened and decreased. So, taking care of your hearing requirements is the best way to keep your vacation moving in the right direction.
How to get ready for your vacation when you have hearing loss
That doesn’t mean that you can’t go on a trip if you have hearing loss. Not by any Means! But with a bit of extra planning and preparation, your vacation can still be enjoyable and relatively stress-free. Whether or not you have hearing loss, this is obviously good travel advice.
You can be certain that hearing loss won’t have a negative impact on your vacation, here are a number of things you can do:
- Bring extra batteries: Having your hearing aids quit on the first day is no fun! Always make certain you bring spares! So are you allowed to take spare batteries on a plane? The exact rules and guidelines will depend on the airline. Some kinds of batteries must be stored in your carry-on.
- Pre-planning is a good plan: It’s okay to remain spontaneous to a degree, but the more planning you do ahead of time, the less you’ll need to figure things out on the fly (and that’s when hearing loss can introduce more difficulties).
- Clean your hearing aids: Before you go out on your travels, be certain that you clean your hearing aids. This can help avoid issues from happening while you’re on your vacation. It’s also a good idea to make sure your suggested maintenance is current!
Tips for traveling with hearing aids
Finally, it’s time to hit the road now that all the planning and preparation have been done! Or possibly it’s the airways. Many individuals have questions about going on a plane with hearing aids, and there are definitely some good things to recognize before you go to the airport.
- If I wear my hearing aids more than normal, is that ok? Hearing aids are meant to be used every day, all day. So you should be wearing your hearing aids whenever you’re not in a really noisy setting, swimming, or showering.
- Will my smartphone be helpful? This will not be surprising, but your smartphone is extremely helpful! You can use your smartphone to get directions to your destination, translate foreign languages, and if you have the correct kind of hearing aid, you can use your smartphone to adjust your settings to your new environment. You might be able to take some stress off your ears if you can utilize your phone like this.
- Do I have some rights I need to know about? It’s not a bad idea! Generally, it’s smart to familiarize yourself with your rights before you travel. If you’re dealing with hearing loss, you’ll have lots of rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Basically, you have to have access to information. So if you think you’re missing out on some info, let an airport official know that you have hearing loss and they should offer a solution.
- Can I use my hearing aids while I’m on the plane? When they tell you it’s time to turn off your electronic devices, you won’t need to turn your hearing aids off. That said, you might want to activate flight mode on hearing aids that rely heavily on wifi or Bluetooth connectivity. Some of the in-flight announcements may be difficult to hear so make sure you let the flight attendants know about your hearing loss.
- When I’m in the airport, how well will I be able to hear? That depends, some airports are really noisy during certain times of the day. But most modern airports will have a telecoil device fitted throughout many areas. This device is specially made to help people with hearing aids hear their environment better.
- Do I need to take out my hearing aids when I go through TSA security? You won’t need to remove your hearing aids for the security screening. It’s usually a good plan to tell the TSA agents that you’re wearing them. Don’t ever let your hearing aids go through an X-ray machine or conveyor belt. Your hearing aids can be damaged by the static charge that these conveyor style X-ray devices create.
Life is an adventure, and that includes vacations
Whether you have loss of hearing or not, vacations are hard to predict. Sometimes, the train can go off the rails. So be prepared for the unexpected and try to have a positive mindset.
That way you’ll still feel like your plans are moving in the right direction even when the unavoidable obstacle occurs.
But you will be caught off guard less if you make good preparations. With the correct preparation, you can make sure you have options when something goes awry, so an inconvenience doesn’t grow into a catastrophe.
For those with hearing loss, this preparation frequently starts by having your hearing assessed and making certain you have the equipment and care you need. And that’s accurate whether you’re visiting every museum in New York City (vacation type number one) or lounging around on a beach in Mexico (vacation type number two).
Want to make sure you can hear the big world out there but still have concerns? Call us today!