One of the great advantages of choosing to treat hearing loss with hearing aids is the ability to get back to doing the things that you love. That can certainly be said of adding a renewed ease to traveling, where conversation and verbal communication are part of the experience. If you’re concerned about traveling with your new hearing aids, we’ve gathered together a primer on how to prepare and what to expect.
Before You Leave
Prepare a carrying case
Purchase or repurpose a small carrying case for your hearing aid essentials. You’ll want to include your clean and dry carrying case, battery charger or extra batteries and a clean dry cloth for cleaning. If you have an older set of hearing aids, they can also be included to serve as an emergency backup. Label this bag with your name and telephone number or email address so that if it is lost, it has a chance of being returned to you. Pack this special bag in your carryon luggage if flying in the unlikely event there is a delay with your checked luggage.
Download itineraries and ticketing information
In busy listening environments like airports, train stations and hotel lobbies, it can be easier to show the person you’re checking in with your reservation instead of over-efforting to discern what they’re saying. Make it a point to save all your information onto your phone using booking apps or screenshots and practice calling them up so that it’s easier to do on the spot.
On Your Travels
At the airport or train station
Most importantly, be aware that you do not have to take your hearing aids out when going through airport security.
People with the healthiest of hearing complain about the clarity of overhead announcements. Don’t be dependent on an undependable resource! Check your downloaded airline, booking or travel apps for the latest information on the status of your flight. You can also check in with the gate personnel to ensure you haven’t missed any announcements.
Flying with hearing aids
Upon boarding, inform your flight attendants that you have hearing loss and wear hearing aids. This will let them know that any emergency announcements must additionally be directed to you individually. Many people choose to take their hearing aids out and store them in their carrying case while they fly in order to have a more relaxed experience. As long as the flight staff are aware that you require extra support, this can be an excellent idea! If you choose to go this route, be sure to put your hearing aid case back in your carry-on luggage and never tuck them into the seat pocket in front of you. This is a notorious place of lost items!
Selecting Restaurants
Trip Advisor and Yelp can be wonderful resources for discovering quiet dining spots in foreign places, especially when you don’t have anyone on the ground to confer with. Be a sport and add your own feedback after you visit in order to make selecting hearing loss-friendly restaurants easier for people in similar situations. There are also crowd-sourcing apps that evaluate noise levels in public places. Download one on your smartphone and it can even give you decibel readings in real time as you contribute to their data pool.
Regardless of whether you know a dining destination is quiet in advance, you can make a reservation (or consult your concierge if your accommodations allow) to request a table in the corner and a seat with your back to the wall. This placement will allow you a better listening environment and less background noise.
Tours and tourist destinations
On guided tours or group activities, let your hosts know that you have hearing loss. In almost every situation, they will work hard to accommodate you to make sure that you get the most out of the outing. This could include having you stand close by in order to more clearly hear their speech or providing you with printed materials. Many museums and larger outfits have special tools that service people with hearing loss, like self-guided audio tours with headphones so that you can control the volume and pace. The same goes for theater or other performances whose spaces might be optimized for those with hearing loss by including hearing loops or other sound enhancing aspects.
Schedule a hearing consultation
If you are an avid traveler that’s been staying close to home due to untreated hearing loss, schedule a hearing consultation today. There are a variety of options for intervention and we can explore whether you’re a good candidate with just a simple hearing test.