WELLNESS WEDNESDAY

Hey folks, Sally Riggs here, Psychologist, fellow long hauler, and your long COVID Coach, and welcome to another Wellness Wednesday. And today is part two in the series talking about traveling with long COVID.

The other thing to think about with travel is what to take with you. And obviously, that is a little bit of a rigmarole with all of our medications and supplements and other types of things. I have learned in recent months that and I think this also applies internationally, most airlines will allow you an additional bag for medical supplies. So for example, I do try, I didn't manage it this time. But if I'm doing a shorter trip, I do try to do carry on only, because obviously, then you don't run the risk of losing anything that has been checked by the airline. But I was getting to the point where three-quarters of that space was medications and supplements and rehydration powder and snacks and special foods that we can eat, etc. And I realized that actually, I could just take a whole extra bag and so take three bags instead of two. And you can buy some medical ID tags very easily from Amazon and other places. And I just have one of those on that bag. And ever since I have not been queried. Now I haven't tried it super far afield internationally, but I'm going to Japan next month. So I can report back then as to whether that is permitted with that type of a flight. And I always make sure that I have enough meds for the whole number of days that I'm traveling.

And then I always keep, and I've kind of portion this out ahead of time so that it just goes in my bag every time now, two extra weeks worth of every medication, every supplement. I also carry COVID tests and I have a little pouch full of all of the supplements that are recommended to take if you get COVID. So that if I do get sick while I'm traveling, and I'm stuck somewhere I have enough to tide me over until I can be well enough to get home again. And those just automatically go in my bag. I also bring Clorox wipes and all kinds of other wipes. So that I can disinfect things if the hotel room doesn't feel clean enough to me, and things like that.

The other thing that I would say in terms of making travel easier, because that's really the most crucial thing if you want to go somewhere and have some nice relaxing time. In some warmer weather. Obviously, we want to save our strength to be able to do that rather than using up all of our spoons on the journey to get there. So I always try and make sure that my journey to the airport is as little stressful as possible, which these days means taking a cab. And oftentimes it means I booked a slightly more luxurious one so that I know that ride will definitely be comfortable. And then this is not a video about points and Miles hacking. But I have done that for a while. And having status makes a huge difference. By which I mean if you are a particular level of the executive club with an airline or with a hotel, and you don't necessarily need to spend a lot of money to get these statuses. A quick Google search will show you how to hack these things very easily. And there are lots of people on YouTube and Instagram that will tell you how to do that. But for example, if you have status with an airline, it means you're more likely to get a comfortable seat, it means they're going to give you way more support in the air if you need additional things. And the same with a hotel chains. When I checked in here yesterday, I realized I'd gotten all the way up to my room, which was quite a long walk. And I didn't hadn't collected the free bottles of water that I was entitled to. And I didn't have the strength to walk all the way back down to the front desk and get them so I called and the guy very rudely said to me, well, you'll just have to wait until tomorrow then even though I disclose my disability, which obviously is not acceptable. So I immediately got on to the status line with the hotel chain that I'm staying in and I said listen, this has happened. This is not acceptable. This is not the level of service I would normally expect and immediately they Within the hour, I had the manager Call me back when I went down for breakfast this morning, she was hugely apologetic. She actually said she'd looked at my room and realized that it wasn't in an optimal position. And I should have been in a different place. And I said, unfortunately, I have unpacked my things now, and I don't have the strength to move. But I know and I'm going to be here for a few weeks that she will now take care of me anything that I need. In fact, she said, You know what, why don't we just put a case of water in your room, obviously, you're going to need it. And then you won't have to keep coming down to the front desk and get into bottles every day. So if there are ways that you can optimize, so that you're in loyalty programs, and you have that kind of support, there's a phone number you can get through to when normally reaching airlines and hotels can be very hard, that does make a huge difference.

And then when you mentioned that you have a disability, obviously, they know that we're a protected class and that they cannot be rude to us. And when somebody is they will get in a lot of trouble. So this is not the definitive guide to traveling with long COVID. But hopefully, I've given you some little tips and tricks and how to make it easier. And for perspective. Although I've been flying to London threw out, I did actually skip summer of 2021 when I was meant to be flying and there was a huge wave of COVID again in London, and I was so sick with chronic fatigue that I wasn't well enough to fly. But aside from that I have pretty much done every trip that I had planned. Domestically, I started traveling again within the US last July, and took a little trip to Chicago for three days just to test it out and see. And it was hard work. And it was a stretch and not made easier by the fact that in the middle of the night, I accidentally walked into the corner of a wall and gashed my head open, which when you're on blood thinners is not particularly pretty. And I had to fly home with a bandage on my head and go straight to urgent care had to get stitches.

But aside from that, which obviously wasn't hugely related to long COVID each trip I've made has been significantly better. You may remember I went to Florida in October for the Polyvagal Institute conference. I then went to Sedona in November to check out possible retreat venues to watch this space. And then here I am now in Texas, and comparatively speaking of light yesterday, I feel much, much better compared to each of the other ones that I've done in the past. And again, this goes to show that all of this work is helpful to us what I'm doing with my nervous system, what I'm doing medically. And so there is hope for you, that you also if you wish can get back to traveling on your schedule, what works for you what supports your nervous system.

And please, if you have any other top tips that I have not mentioned, feel free to pop them in the comments of wherever you are watching this video. Or if you're seeing it on the email, just hit reply and let me know what those are. I'm always intrigued to know what other folks are doing to also help manage their nervous system and their long COVID when they travel. And hopefully just in time as we come into the spring and we're beginning to think more about sunny places that we might go. I hope you have a tolerable week. Feel free if you have any other top tips on traveling with long COVID that I haven't covered here. Please pop them in the comments below or hit reply to this email and share them with me. And we have a new round of our safe and sound protocol group coming up starting April 27. If you are curious whether the safe and sound protocol would be right for you in your treatment journey, you can book a call at the link below. I will see you again on another Wellness Wednesday. Take care!