Over60
Travel Tips

Top tips for travelling with hearing difficulties

Planning a trip can be stressful — especially for the one in three Australians over 55 with hearing difficulties. But hearing loss is no reason to avoid travel; by planning ahead and managing the problem early, you can set yourself up for a safe, worry-free, enjoyable trip.

How could untreated hearing loss impact you on holiday?

Coupled with some clever listening techniques, a reliable and adjustable hearing aid is one of the best ways to manage a hearing difficulty on holiday. Hearing aids take the hassle out of planning and ensure smooth sailing throughout your trip. Just ask Australian sailor Angus Lockheart.

Angus has sailed thousands of nautical miles in and outside Australian waters. He’s been living on a yacht with his wife for more than five years. “A yacht’s living space is much smaller than a house, and a couple spend more time together,” said Angus.

But as his hearing loss increased, so too did his wife’s frustration at having to constantly repeat herself. With his living quarters tightening in on him, Angus finally ordered a pair of Blamey Saunders hearing aids online. They were posted to a port for him to collect, perfectly programmed using his results from Blamey Saunders hears’ online hearing test.

“The difference is amazing!” Angus said. (And Mrs. Lockheart is pretty happy too.)

When flying to your dream destination, you can wear hearing aids through airport security screenings and on your flight without any damage to your devices or discomfort to you. But people with impaired hearing can’t sit in exit row seats for safety reasons, so double check the seat on your ticket and notify your flight attendant.

Back on land, outback traveller David Lloyd has visited some of Australia’s most remote deserts with hearing aids but says not all aids are created equal. “The first problem that I faced was feedback when flies flew past, but I was able to stop that happening,” said David, who recently switched to a hearing aid that can be adjusted to suit any environment using a program on his smartphone.

Travellers should look for a hearing aid that has self-adjustment capabilities, such as Blamey Saunders aids, which allows you to adjust your settings on the go — using an app on your smartphone or Windows computer.

For additional support, Blamey Saunders hearing aid users can contact the company’s telehealth team by phone or email. The team can even adjust a person’s hearing aid settings for them remotely, making things easier for people in remote areas.

Managing your hearing difficulties while travelling:

Looking after your hearing aids while travelling:

Has your hearing ever affected your travel plans? Let us know in the comments.

Written by Mahsa Fratantoni. Republished with permission of Wyza.com.au. 

Tags:
travel tips, hearing loss, hearing aids, hearing aid