Traveling with RA is not something that I would say is enjoyable. Flying makes my feet swell till I can hardly walk, sitting in a car for hours on end makes me stiff as a brick, walking for very long periods of time makes my fatigue come at me like crazy. I tell people I am a 29 year old trapped in an 80 year old body. Some days and trips are better then others, but all and all the journey itself is not pleasant.
But I still do it anyways, because I love experiencing new culture and learning something outside my comfort zone. I have traveled alone and learned more about myself and what I am capable of then I could have ever imagined.
So here are some of my best tips for traveling around the world with RA:
- Wear compression leggings while flying/travel days. THESE LEGGINGS CHANGED MY LIFE. https://www.2xu.com/us/p/refresh-recovery-compression-tights/WA4420b.html?lang=en_US&dwvar_WA4420b_color=BLACK_NERO#lang=en_US&start=1 I refuse to go on any semi long trip without them. I get really stiff and sore when I sit around for any extended period of time, and when I got off the plane I would hardly be able to walk for at least a couple hours. These are recovery leggings for runners, and when I learned about them I had to get a pair. (When I was in remission I was a hobby runner, but not so much anymore.) They are medical grade compression for your legs! Bye bye stiffness! I have had my pair since my trip last fall to Thailand and Singapore, and I’ve worn them on every trip since. I also wear them when I get my Rituxan infusions, since I am sitting in a chair for 6 hours.
- BYOS Bring Your Own Snacks. You can bring snacks/food through TSA, It feels wrong, but you really can. I typically will bring snacks on the plane because I try to follow an anti inflammatory diet when I travel to not make my RA worse…. but one of my favorite parts of traveling is trying new food, so it is not something I follow strictly. I say everything is good in moderation, but if I am having a flare up it is nice to have some anti inflammatory snacks packed. My personal favorite are cashews to pack in my bag for on the trip and fruits like strawberries or blackberries for the plane ride.
- Take breaks when you can. This is one of the reasons I like traveling by myself, I can take a break whenever I feel like it and I don’t have to justify it to anyone. If I want to sit on a bench drinking coffee for an hour because my feet are swollen, more power to me. I also typically stay in hostels, and if I just want to stay around the hostel generally there is someone there to hang out with and talk to. As I’ve learned the hard way, that if do 8 million things the first day because you are excited, chances are the next morning you are going to regret it because you won’t be able to move. Things will be there tomorrow is something I have to constantly remind myself.
- Pack multiple pairs of shoes. I have a slight obsession with shoes, so normally packing too many shoes is a problem for me! I have arthritis in my feet so I have custom orthotics which are a lifesaver while traveling, but it is also nice to have different shoes to switch in and out of throughout the day. I normally bring 3 pairs of shoes, flip flops, tennis shoes, and flats. My flats are very comfortable so I can wear them for small day trips, but anything more then a couple hours walking and I need my tennis shoes. Also if your feet swell too much to get your foot into your shoe or your fingers are too swollen to tie the laces, then having flip flops is a great alternative. (When I am that swollen generally I don’t leave where I am staying anyways unless its to the pool)
- Bring a list of all of your medication. I have one of those day of the week pill containers so that I don’t have to carry all of the bulky bottles, so having a list with everything on it is pretty important. The only time I carried all my bulky bottles was when I went to Singapore, because they have a very strict drug policy and I did not want to have any trouble.
- Enjoy the adventure!
Sauntering Spoonie 