Carry your medication and letter in your hand luggage in case your checked on luggage goes missing, and store your medication in it’s original packaging.- Make sure you have all the medication you need in case of a delay in getting to your destination or getting back home.
- If you plan to carry liquid medication which is more than 100ml you will need to get agreement from the airline and the departure airport. Also be prepared to verify the liquids by tasting them.
- If your holiday destination is in a different time zone, you may find that you are taking your regular medications at awkward times. You may wish to gradually adjust the times that you need to take these to fit in with the local time. Your doctor or pharmacist can help you to plan how to make this adjustment.
- If you are unsure whether you are allowed to take your medications into a country you can check with their high commission or embassy.
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Medication – before you travel
- Make sure that you take enough of your regular medicines to last for your whole trip. If you have regular medication delivered in a Dosette box let the GP /pharmacist know of your plans so that arrangements can be made in advance.
- If you have ‘rescue medication’ take that with you in case you have a flare-up.
- If you have medication by injection for example insulin or an Epipen you must include this in your GP letter and inform cabin crew so they can safely dispose of used needles. You must be able to self inject as cabin staff will not normally do this.
- Ask your doctor to provide a letter describing your medical condition and medication. This is useful should you become unwell abroad. If you are travelling by plane it will also be required by airport security. Helpful information to include in the letter is:
- Your name and address
- Your date of birth
- Your dates of travel in and out of the country
- The country you are visiting
- The medicines you are taking, including the doses and the total amounts The trade names of some medicines may vary from country to country, so it helps to record the drug (generic) names of your medicines, as well as the trade (brand) names.
Insurance
Arrange full travel insurance as early as possible before going away.
- It is up to you to make sure that you inform the insurance company of your medical history and answer all their questions honestly. Check that your insurance policy covers all of your medical conditions. Withholding information may make your insurance invalid.
- Insurance companies often charge more for people who have long term medical conditions as their is the increased risk that a claim may be made. This can make travel insurance expensive so give yourself time to shop around.
- It is important to have travel insurance as it will protect you against having to pay huge medical bills if you are unwell or have an accident while abroad.
- Take your insurance documents away with you, and keep them in a safe place. When travelling keep them in your hand luggage.
- If you are planning to take more than one trip an annual travel insurance policy is often more cost effective.
- If you are going on holiday in Europe you can apply for a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). This entitles you to free or reduced cost medical treatment if you fall ill when travelling in Europe. It is not a replacement for travel insurance.
Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland (CHSS) cannot make any specific recommendations but does have contact details for companies known to be sympathetic to people affected by chest illness.
Accommodation
How do I choose my accommodation? Think about whether the accommodation meets all your needs. In addition to your usual accommodation wish list consider:
- The surrounding terrain – will you need to climb a hill to get to it?
- Does it have parking nearby?
- Does it have stairs or a lift?
- Is it wheelchair accessible?
- Can it cater for people who require oxygen therapy?
- Useful website – Tourism for All UK.
- Tourism for All UK is a national charity dedicated to making tourism welcoming to all.
- Their website contains information on a wide range of services and products that may be helpful when planning a holiday.
- Includes a link to ‘Open Britain’ which allows you to search a number of properties within the UK to find accommodation that meets your needs. You will also find information on places to eat and drink, activities and events.
Your destination
Think about:
- How far away are all the things you’d like to see and do? – how far are you willing or able to walk?
- The terrain – is the resort very hilly or has lots of stairs?
- Will you need to use public transport – are there good links in the area you are looking at.
- What is the climate like? Are your symptoms made worse by very hot, cold or humid conditions?
- What is the air quality like? Some large cities have a lot of pollution that may make your asthma symptoms worse.
- Remember destinations that are at high altitude can make you feel more breathless.
Are you fit to travel?
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It is important that you discuss with your GP or healthcare professional before booking a holiday.
- They can give you advice and information, as well as discussing any concerns you have.
- If your asthma is difficult to control you may need an assessment to check if they are fit to fly. There are a variety of ways in which a health care professional may assess whether you are “fit to fly”.
- The airline may have their own medical paperwork which needs to be completed. This may involve some tests.
- Not all airlines use the same paperwork or tests so it is important that you check this with them. Do this before you make a booking so that you can be sure that you will be allowed to fly.
- Remember there are many places within the UK and Europe that you can visit without having to fly.
Things to consider before booking
Before booking your holiday you should consider:
- Are you fit enough to travel?
- What medications you need, and how they should be transported.
- Do you need any vaccinations?
- Do you have adequate insurance?
- Is your preferred destination & accommodation going to meet your needs?
- How will you get there?
- Have you considered possible additional costs?
Introduction
Holidays are a good way to spend time with friends and family, as well as unwind and relax.
Being able to take a holiday can have a big impact on your quality of life, whether staying in Scotland or going further afield.
Having asthma should not stop you from going on holiday.
Planning ahead and letting your travel operators know about any special requirements can overcome many of the potential obstacles to getting away.
Example of an asthma action plan
You can discuss and personalise your action plan whenever you have your asthma review with your asthma nurse or GP. It is important to attend your asthma review even though you may be feeling well and in control of your asthma.
If your asthma is well controlled you may be able to step down some of your medications but you should only do this after discussions with your GP or asthma nurse.
If you are having difficulty controlling your asthma, using your personalised asthma action plan can really help. Make sure you note any changes to your medication or inhalers on your plan.
Self management
The following links show two examples of asthma action plans. One is in a leaflet format and the other is a pocket guide which you can carry with you.
How to use your asthma action plan
Your nurse will talk through your asthma action plan with you when they write it out.
- The plan will have 3 or 4 “zones” usually in the form of traffic lights -green, yellow/amber and red.
- Each zone tells you what action to take if you have mild symptoms, worsening symptoms or an emergency.
Personalised asthma action plans have been shown to help people with asthma manage their asthma safely.
You must follow your action plan and take the action as advised.
The plan is designed to keep your asthma under control and make sure you are seen at an early stage by a doctor or nurse before things get too bad.
Important
Don’t stay at home if your plan tells you to get a medical review.
