Aren’t there a couple of types of vacation? There’s the type where you cram every single recreation you can into every waking minute. These are the vacations that are remembered for years later and are packed with adventure, and you go back to work more tired than you left.
The other kind is all about relaxing. You might not even do much of anything on this type of vacation. Perhaps you spend a lot of time on the beach with some cocktails. Or maybe you’re getting pampered at some resort for your entire vacation. These types of vacations will leave you really rested and recharged.
Everyone has their own idea of the perfect vacation. Whichever way you prefer, however, untreated hearing loss can put your vacation in jeopardy.
Your vacation can be ruined by hearing loss
There are some distinct ways that hearing loss can make a vacation more challenging, particularly if you don’t recognize you have hearing loss. Look, hearing loss can creep up on you like nobody’s business, many people have no clue they have it. The volume on all their devices just continues going up and up.
But the effect that hearing loss can have on a vacation can be lessened with some proven methods, and that’s the good news. Making an appointment for 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 ahead of time.
How can your vacation be impacted by hearing loss
So how can hearing loss negatively effect your next vacation? There are actually a few ways as it turns out. Individually, they might not seem like that big of a deal. But when they start to add up it can become a real problem. Some common illustrations include the following:
- Important notices come in but you frequently miss them: Perhaps you’re waiting for your train or plane to board, but you never hear the announcement. And as a result, your whole vacation schedule is cast into absolute disarray.
- You can miss significant moments with family and friends: Maybe your friend just told a hilarious joke that everyone enjoyed, except you couldn’t hear the punchline. When you have neglected hearing loss, you can miss important (and enriching) conversations.
- The radiant life of a new place can be missed: Your experience can be rather dull when everything you hear is muted. After all, you could miss out on the unique bird calls or humming traffic noises that make your vacation spot unique and memorable.
- Language barriers become even more challenging: Managing a language barrier is already hard enough. But deciphering voices with hearing loss, especially when it’s really noisy, makes it much harder.
Not surprisingly, if you’re wearing your hearing aids, some of these negative impacts can be mitigated and minimized. Which means the proper way to keep your vacation on track and stress free is to manage your hearing needs before you start.
If you have hearing loss, how can you prepare for your vacation?
That doesn’t mean that you can’t go on vacation if you have hearing loss. Not by any Means! But with a little extra planning and preparation, your vacation can still be enjoyable and fairly stress-free. Of course, that’s rather common travel advice no matter how strong your hearing is.
Here are some things you can do to ensure hearing loss doesn’t negatively impact your next vacation:
- Keep your hearing aids clean: It’s a good idea to make sure your hearing aids are clean and functioning properly before you jump on a plane, train, or automobile. This can help avoid problems from developing while you’re on your vacation. Keeping your hearing aids on their regular maintenance is also a good plan.
- Bring extra batteries: Having your hearing aids quit on the first day is the worst! Always make sure you bring spares! Now, you might be thinking: can I have spare batteries in my luggage? Well, maybe, check with your airline. You might be required to put your batteries in your carry-on depending on the type of battery.
- Do some pre-planning: It’s okay to be spontaneous to a degree, but the more planning you do ahead of time, the less you’ll have to figure things out on the fly (and that’s when hearing loss can present more obstacles).
Hearing aid travel tips
Finally, it’s time to hit the road now that all the planning and preparation have been done! Or maybe it’s the airways. Before you head out to the airport, there are a number of things about flying with hearing aids you should certainly know about.
- When I go through the TSA security checkpoint, will I be required to take out my hearing aids? You won’t be required to remove your hearing aids for the security screening. Having said that, telling the TSA agents you’re wearing hearing aids is always a good plan. 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 type X-ray devices generate.
- Will I be able to hear well in an airport? How well you can hear in an airport will depend on what airport it is and what time of day. But a telecoil device will normally be set up in many areas of most modern airports. This device is specifically made to help individuals with hearing aids hear their surroundings better.
- Will my smartphone be useful? Your smartphone is very useful, not surprisingly. After you land, you can use this device to change the settings on your hearing aid (if you have the correct kind of hearing aid), get directions to your destination, and even translate foreign languages. If your phone is prepared to do all that (and you know how to use all those apps), it could take some strain off your ears.
- Do I have some rights I should know about? Before you leave it’s never a bad plan to get familiar with your rights. Under the American Disabilities Act, individuals with hearing loss have lots of special rights. Basically, you must have access to information. Talk to an airport official about a solution if you feel like you are missing some information and they will most likely be able to help.
- Can I wear my hearing aids while I’m on the plane? You won’t need to turn off your hearing aids when you get that “all electronics must be off” spiel. Having said that, you might want to enable flight mode on hearing aids that heavily rely on wifi or Bluetooth connectivity. Some of the in-flight announcements could be hard to hear so make sure you tell the flight attendant about your hearing loss.
- If I wear my hearing aids more than usual, is that ok? Hearing aids are designed to be used every day, all day. So you should be wearing your hearing aids whenever you aren’t in a really loud place, swimming, or showering.
Vacations are one of life’s many adventures
Whether you have hearing loss or not, vacations are unpredictable. Not everything is going to go right all the time. So be prepared for the unforeseen and try to have a good mindset.
That way, when something unforeseen takes place (and it will), it’ll seem like it’s all part of the plan!
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 wrong, so an inconvenience doesn’t grow into a catastrophe.
Having a hearing examination and making certain you have the right equipment is usually the beginning of that preparation for individuals who have hearing loss. And that’s true whether you’re going to every museum in New York City (vacation type number one) or hanging out on a beach in Mexico (vacation type number two).
Still have some questions or concerns? Call us today!