Planning for a trip is always a chore, whether it’s a weekend jaunt to the beach or a month-long vacation in an exotic location. If you suffer from hearing loss, it can make planning even more complicated. How will you navigate? Will you need special accommodations?
We want your trip to be a breeze! To minimize the pre-trip stress, we’re providing you with a few helpful tips to make traveling with hearing loss easier.
1. Use Technology to Your Advantage
Instead of booking hotels and reservations over the phone, book them online. If you are struggling to hear what the reservation agent is saying, you could miss important information. With online booking, you’ll receive email notifications and confirmations that will provide you with all the pertinent information and will make check-in easy when you arrive.
Whether you're booking with an airline or a hotel, have the documents and identification you will need ready to show at the desk. Printing the confirmation out or showing it to the reservation clerk on your smartphone can also help to speed the process and keep voice communication at a minimum.
Speaking of your phone, it can come in handy on trips! If you’re traveling internationally, you can find translation apps to download that will help you communicate in a foreign language. You can also ask others to use a phone to type you a note if you are having trouble hearing them.
2. Book Hearing-Impaired Facilities
Did you know hotels have ADA-compliant rooms designed specifically for the hearing-impaired? If you suffer from hearing loss, you can book a room that will cater to your needs. ADA-compliant rooms built for hearing-impaired individuals should include services to make you more comfortable, like visual fire alarms, hearing-aid compatible telephones, or a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD).
The hotel will most likely have closed-captioning set up on the electronic devices in the room as well so you don’t have to bother.
If the hotel doesn’t have an ADA-compliant room available, you can contact them directly to see what they can do to help you. If talking on the phone is difficult, send an email. Hotels will often go out of their way to accommodate guests and make them feel comfortable.
3. Make Others Aware
Make the people around you aware of your hearing loss. That way, in the case of an emergency, they can ensure you are cognizant of the situation.
This includes the flight attendant, the hotel staff, your tour guide, and even your traveling companions. Several people should understand your situation so they can take proper steps in an accident or crisis.
4. Consider Tour Guides or Guided Trips
Dealing with the day-to-day difficulties of hearing loss can be a frightening experience, especially if you’re in an unfamiliar area. Traveling may be less stressful if you hire a tour guide for local attractions, or if you book a guided trip.
You can book trips to various locales where you and other tourists are led by a guide throughout your stay and the itinerary is planned for you, which is convenient and may relieve some of the stress of traveling.
5. Pack Carefully
If you have a hearing aid, be sure to pack carefully and with consideration. Take extra hearing aid batteries and pack a cleaning kit so you can perform any needed maintenance during your vacation. Also, if possible, consider having an extra set of hearing aids that can get you by in case something happens to your main set.
Keep the hearing aid and needed extras close to you. If you’re not wearing your hearing aid, place it in your carry-on luggage to minimize the risk of losing it.
6. Get a Hearing Aid in Advance of Your Vacation
If you have hearing loss but you have yet to make the leap and purchase a hearing aid, now’s the time. You will want to start wearing the hearing aid well before you travel, however, as it will take time for your body and mind to adjust to wearing the new device.
Fortunately, affordable hearing aids are easily available. You can order yours today on our website, or you can give us a call at 1 (800) 804-0434.
An Advanced Affordable Hearing professional will be happy to assist you!