Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion #1 AS Web Support Group Any tips for traveling in Europe?

I am planning a 3 week trip to visit my brother and travel around Europe. I was wondering if anyone has any tips or suggestions about traveling with AS and/or traveling in Europe.

We are looking into renting a car so that we can be more flexible with our schedule, take breaks when needed, and be able to drive to hotels/restaurants/etc if they are far away.
I am really concerned with how I am going to survive the trip since 1 day of extra activity wipes me out. I've been working with my rhuemy and pain management specialist trying to find procedures (trigger point injections, SI injections, etc) that will give me benefit long enough to last through the trip but so far I am lucky to get 2 weeks of decreased pain. The trip happens to fall between Simponi injections so I don't have to worry about traveling with the medication. I've also been working on slowly increasing my activity level by going to the gym and planning to start in the pool now that the weather is getting warmer. Though, I'm really counting on my excitement to see my brother and his wife to get me through it.

Sorry I ended up rambling. I would appreciate any tips/words of wisdom about traveling.

Thanks,
A worried traveler

I'm not sure about three weeks, but with me I am always better when I have a week away from home with work travelling. There are several reasons for that. First is diet. I have a gluten free diet anyway, but in order to be safe away from home I end up not eating any gluten substitutes, which means a reasonably strict no-starch diet, so that helps to start with. Then I am not having to do any of the usual household tasks like making beds, preparing meals, etc, so again, I'm limiting doing some of the things that hurt at home. The third thing is that I am totally in control of my timetable. I only drive for an hour or so at a time, schedule activities (meetings) at the times of day and for the length of time I can manage, and not too much in a day. The only real variable is hotel beds, but I make sure I grab every pillow I can and prop them all around me when I am sleeping, and that seems to take the edge off even a not very good bed.

I think you are doing the right thing working with your pain doc to get yourself into the best shape for the trip. Perhaps as an extra you could have a pack of oral steroids on hand?

Don't push yourself too hard, and try and check into hotels early or stay several days in the same place so you do have a place to return to and crash if you need to.

Good luck, and I hope you really enjoy your trip.

when i travel, i always take one of those old fashioned ice bags (the rubber ones with the screw top). at least in the U.S., i can always find ice on planes, in fast food restaurants, in hotels. not quite the same as my gel ice packs at home, but a good substitute.

i also take my heating pad with me.

and my feather pillow.

i try to stay in good hotels, with good beds. i've suffered staying at a B&B with an old saggy bed and barely survived it.

good walking shoes. comfort first. fashion last.

comfortable clothing as well. layers.

and i pack all my meds (twice as much as i think i need).

and i pack as much food as i can. i take things like my herbal teas especially, as they are like medicine and comfort to me all rolled in one. i also tend to go to grocery stores and get food i can eat, more than relying on restaurants. a cheaper way to travel too. usually i'll eat only dinners out and "snack" on stuff i pick up at the grocery store.

for me, its the getting there part that stinks. once i'm there, walking around much more than sitting, i actually do better than in my day to day life that requires too much sitting for my job. too much walking gets to my feet if i'm not careful, and i'm rarely careful, but the all that walking and very little sitting, does wonders for the rest of me.

but, the next trip i go on, i'm gonna start a 6-day medrol dose pack the day i leave, per my rheumy's recommendation. at least that's my plan right now.

in the past, i'd take extra zanaflex and some aleve for the days i was traveling (though i can't take aleve for more than a day or two at a time). i think the pred will be a better way to go for me.

and personally, i do better on trains than in cars, but that may just be me. i especially do well when i can sit with my back against the wall with my legs spread out taking up two seats. so long as the train seats are flat and not too soft and saggy. wish i could get around here in the U.S. by train more readily.

just take it easy and don't push yourself. don't "run around" and try to see everything. rather just take it slowly if you can.

Plan a few stops at a Spa! -Warm water and gentle massage (make sure you instruct them that GENTLE is the key word) might do wonders to reload your batteries and take some pain out.

Other tips: Get enough sleep whenever you can, sleep deprevation strongly increases pain levels. Bring a pillow for the car, to rest your head against while sleeping. Not a small inflatable one, but a real good soft pillow!

A lot of the countries in Europe have public healthcare, in some of them that includes free healthcare to americans, why not do some checking on it before you go. If it's free, then an extra visit to an ER for some pain relief or guidance might come in handy.

Icebags as Sue said, but some sort of heatpack might be wise too. A lot of As'ers find both useful. Generally, Ice is good for inflamed tendons and bone, heat is good for inflamed muscles.

Every hotel, check if they have a warm water pool. Could work miracles.

Have a great trip and as free of pain as at all possible!

Oh, and maybe for backup a short prednisone taper?
Just in case, to get you through a rough stretch?

Love
gilth

PS: Wich countries are you planning to visit?

It sounds like everyone gave some very helpful tips on how to travel with AS. It is good to rent a big enough car so you can lay down, change positions frequently, stretch legs out, etc., bring your own pillow and blanket, more than one ice pack, stay somewhere with a heated pool (that saved me my last trip), eat out only once a day (pick up healthy food from a health food store for the other meals), try to stay at the same hotel (packing up all your stuff and moving it is very tiring), pace yourself throughout the day between activity and rest and bring some relaxation CDs. Getting a steroid pack is a brilliant idea for the trip. I will go that route the next time I travel if my doc will prescribe it.

Good luck and have fun!

Thank you all for such great advise! Just reading it, and having these other ideas that I didn't think of to help manage the pain, is already helping my stress level. I appreciate how supportive everyone is.

Thanks!

We are planning on spending most of our time in the South of France, Italy, and Czech Republic. We haven't figured out the in-between plans yet, but stopping in Austria, Germany, and maybe Switzerland as we drive through.
Thanks for the great tips. I'll be sure to check about heated pools!

Thanks!

The riviera at the coast in the south of France is well worth a visit, if you come close. Maybe you could even go to Monte Carlo, the Casino capital of Europe, and also one of the worlds smallest states.

Italy is great, personally I favour the northern part for its beautiful mountain towns and landscape, but Italy in general is specced with historical sites and beautiful scenerey. Venice if you get the chance, it's great!

I have only ever been to the capital, Prague in Czechia, but I would rank it as one of the two most beautiful larger cities in Europe. I've been to 21 European countries, so thats saying something.

Austria, Switzerland are both all about the mountains, what an awesome landscape!

Germany is great with lots to see, Berlin is well worth a visit if you get a chance!

Meds in carry on bag (never let it out of your sight), take plenty and carry them in original bottles. Ask pharmacy for smaller bottles if you need them. All pills in original bottles, in fact.

Put meds in safe in room (don't forget them when you check out) when you are out and about.

Hi there,

Make sure you stand up, walk around the plane a little, and do some stretching every hour or so while you're on your flight. If you have a walking stick, take it with you on the plane. Use it from the time you get out of the car at the airport (whether you need it or not). They may let you by-pass the long line ups at security and such and you'll get to board earlier. Of course, you'll have to wait to disembark at the other side, but that just means you can spend a few minutes stretching at the end of the flight. Also, if you are too stiff from being on the plane, the walking stick will be of help as you try to walk off it.

Take one of those inflatable neck pillows as it will help support your head if you doze on the plane. Drink tons of water and take your medications in your carry-on luggage, in their original bottles, with a list from your pharmacy proving that you have prescriptions for them. If I recall, they do not have to be in the little ziploc bag that your stuff has to be in (lipstick, eye drops, stuff like that).

The idea to get a bigger car so you can stretch out if you need to is a good one in North America, but European roads are very often very narrow, twisty and winding. Big cars can be difficult to drive in Europe. Just make sure you stop and stretch every hour or so, walk around a bit to get the circulation going again. Besides, this will come in handy as you might as well take photos of the amazing scenery while you're stopped!!

That's all I can think of right now. I hope you have an amazing trip!!!

Hugs,