By Kayla Beirne
Few things are better than getting on a plane to see the world’s far-flung places, from the white sands of Whitehaven Beach to the lush green jungles of Bali.
But if you’ve ever tried to travel with an injury, you know that globetrotting on broken toes isn’t exactly easy.
But an injury doesn’t have to end your hope of having a truly relaxing vacation. By following these essential tips for traveling with an injury, you can still savour your trip.
Look for Accessible Options
We often take for granted how much mobility is necessary for even the smallest parts of trips.
There’s walking across the airport, hoisting luggage onto the baggage check counter, and shuffling down the narrow aisles of the plane. And that’s all before takeoff.
Keep these ideas in mind when you’re trying to make sure your trip is accessible, whether you’re on crutches or in a cast:
- Make sure your hotel’s bathroom is equipped with shower bars.
- If your hotel doesn’t have an elevator, see if you can get a room on the first floor.
- Older towns have older buildings that may not be equipped with wheelchair ramps—double-check your desired vacation locations.
- Look at all the public transportation options before you go.
If you’re not sure whether you’ll be able to navigate an area with your injury, just call ahead. Even if a building isn’t accessible, they may be able to accommodate you if you ask.
Be Selective About Medications
Managing your pain is essential to having a relaxing trip, but not all pain medications are made equal. Keep in mind that side effects such as drowsiness may affect your trip.
Be sure you know how your body responds to your medications when you’re deciding whether to pack them or consider different pain-relief methods.
For example, you can pack pain-relieving patches to wear under your clothes. CBD is also known to relieve chronic pain, and it may also help you get some much-needed sleep.
Build Extra Time into Your Itinerary
Nothing makes a trip more stressful than feeling like you need to rush from activity to activity. And when you have an injury, that’s the last thing you need.
Instead of pushing yourself to do things as quickly as you could without the injury, be intentional about building extra time into your itinerary.
This will allow you to take your time and get to each new location safely—not to mention, it will make your trip far more relaxing.
Listen to Your Body
Travel is exciting. But when your body is tired and in pain, the worst thing you can do is keep racing forward despite it. Vacations are supposed to be restorative.
So the most essential tip for traveling with an injury that we have is this: listen to your body. When it’s time to rest, don’t be afraid to take it.
MORE OF THIS
Get the best stories from our magazine every month, plus an advanced copy of the next issue. Subscribe now.
