There are a couple of kinds of vacations, right? There’s the type where you jam every single activity you can into every waking moment. These are the vacations that are recalled for years later and are full of adventure, and you head back to work more worn out 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 spend a lot of time on the beach with some drinks. Or perhaps you’re getting pampered at some resort for your whole vacation. These kinds of vacations will leave you quite rested and recharged.
There’s no best to vacation. But untreated 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 challenging, especially if you don’t know you have hearing loss. Look, hearing loss can creep up on you like nobody’s business, many people have no clue they have it. On all their devices, the volume just continues going up and up.
The nice thing is that there are some proven ways to minimize the impact hearing loss might have on your vacation. Making an appointment for a hearing exam is definitely the first step. The effect that hearing loss has on your fun times will be greatly diminished the more ready you are ahead of time.
How can your vacation be effected by hearing loss
So how can your next vacation be adversely effected by hearing loss? There are actually a few ways as it turns out. And while some of them may seem a little insignificant at first, they have a tendency to add up! Some common illustrations include the following:
- You miss important notices: Maybe you miss your flight because you didn’t hear the boarding call. And as a result, your whole vacation schedule is cast into total chaos.
- You can miss important moments with family and friends: Everybody loved the funny joke that your friend just told, but unfortunately, you missed the punchline. When you have neglected hearing loss, you can miss important (and enriching) conversations.
- The vibrant life of a new place can be missed: Your experience can be rather lackluster when everything you hear is muted. After all, your favorite vacation place is alive with unique sounds, like bustling street sounds or singing birds.
- Getting past language barriers can be frustrating: It’s difficult enough to deal with a language barrier. But understanding voices with hearing loss, particularly when it’s really loud, makes it much more difficult.
Of course, if you’re wearing your hearing aids, some of these negative impacts can be lessened and decreased. Which means the best way to keep your vacation on track and free of stress is to manage your hearing needs before you start.
If you have hearing loss, how can you get ready for your vacation?
All of this doesn’t mean that hearing loss makes a vacation unachievable. Not by any Means! But with a bit of additional planning and preparation, your vacation can still be fun and fairly stress-free. Of course, that’s rather common travel advice no matter how strong your hearing is.
Here are a few things you can do to ensure hearing loss doesn’t negatively effect your next vacation:
- Bring extra batteries: There’s nothing worse than your hearing aid dying the first day because your batteries quit. Don’t forget to bring some spare batteries. Now, you may be thinking: can I bring spare batteries in my luggage? The exact rules and guidelines will depend on which airline you’re using. Some kinds of batteries must be kept in your carry-on.
- Do a little pre-planning: When you need to figure things out on the fly, that’s when hearing loss can introduce some challenges, so don’t be overly spontaneous and prepare as much as possible.
- Keep your hearing aids clean: Before you go out on your travels, make sure you clean your hearing aids. If you have clean hearing aids, you’re less likely to have difficulties on vacation. Keeping your hearing aids on their regular maintenance is also a smart plan.
Hearing aid travel tips
Once all the preparation and planning is done, it’s time to hit the road! Or, well, the airways, possibly. Before you go out to the airport, there are a few things about flying with hearing aids you should definitely know about.
- Is it ok to take a flight with hearing aids in? You won’t have to turn your hearing aids off when you get that “all electronics must be off” announcement. But it’s a good idea to enable flight mode if your hearing aid heavily relies on Bluetooth connectivity or wifi. You might also want to tell the flight attendants you have hearing loss, as there may be announcements throughout the flight that are hard to hear.
- Do I have some rights I need to know about? It’s not a bad idea! Generally, it’s smart to become familiar with your rights before you travel. If you have hearing loss, you’ll have many rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act. But essentially, it boils down to this: information has to be accessible to you. Talk to an airport official about a solution if you think you’re missing some information and they should be able to help.
- 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 setup throughout many areas. This is a basic wire device (though 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.
- Do I have to take out my hearing aids when I go through TSA security? 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. Don’t ever allow your hearing aids to 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.
- Is it ok to wear my hearing aids longer than usual? Hearing aids are meant to be used every day, all day. So you should be using your hearing aids anytime you aren’t in a really noisy place, swimming, or showering.
- Will my smartphone be useful? This will not be surprising, but your smartphone is extremely useful! Once you land, you can use this device to adjust the settings on your hearing aid (if you have the right kind of hearing aid), get directions to your destination, and even translate foreign languages. If your phone is capable of doing all that (and you know how to use all those apps), it may take some strain off your ears.
Vacations are one of life’s many adventures
Vacations are hard to predict with or without hearing loss. Sometimes, the train can go off the rails. So be prepared for the unforeseen and try to have a good attitude.
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 surprised less if you put together good preparations. With the correct preparation, you can make sure you have options when something goes wrong, so an inconvenience doesn’t turn into a catastrophe.
Getting a hearing test and making sure you have the right equipment is usually the beginning of that preparation for people who have hearing loss. And that’s accurate whether you’re visiting 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? Schedule an appointment with us for a hearing test!