Traveling can be exhilarating. Exploring different locations, learning to appreciate how others live, and challenging your own perceptions. You can get this experience just from traveling throughout the US!
But traveling can also be a headache. Getting everything to fit inside a carry-on bag (especially when the allowable size keeps shrinking), making sure all your liquids are under 3 oz, and not to mention the stress of connections and missed flights.
Of course, packing for cystic fibrosis is even more of a pain.
Amazingly, Stacy Motenko, a frequent traveler who has CF, has packing for CF down to a science–and she’s willing to share what she’s learned!
Whether she’s going on a short work trip or an extended vacation in a foreign country, there is one constant in Stacy’s packing routine–her checklist.
Without her checklist, Stacy won’t get very far. After years of realizing she’d forgotten something important only after arriving at her destination, Stacy came up with the ultimate cystic fibrosis checklist. You can download it here and customize it to fit your needs, especially your medications.
However, Stacey’s golden rule of traveling is to make sure you have extra medications, and to keep them (and your equipment!) in your carry-on. The worst thing would be losing your checked bag with all of your essential treatments!
Carrying a doctor’s note with you is another great tip. It’ll justify your need for your equipment–and hopefully help you avoid extra fees! You can check out the TSA’s guidelines to help you get familiar with their exemptions and policies before your next trip.
While the effort and forethought that goes into packing for a trip does seem tedious, once you get to your destination, you can actually relax and enjoy the experience!
But tell us–what tips and tricks have you learned to make packing and traveling with cystic fibrosis easier? Learn more about how Stacey manages her travel here. Additional tips provided by the CF Foundation can be found here.
PatientWorthy is teaming up with CysticLife.org to spread awareness of CF and support their collaboration with the Mayo Clinic for a community-driven research project investigating the benefits of exercise for CF patients. If you’re interested in contributing to the fund or want to become a CysticLife member, drop by CysticLife.org or donate here today! Don’t forget to share this post!
