The holidays can be very exciting and complicated times of the year, especially if you are traveling. Find out what opportunities you can take advantage of while carrying your hearing aids!
Have you ever anticipated a holiday trip, but didn’t know how to make all the proper accommodations? If you intend to take your hearing aids with you, a little planning goes a long way. Tips you can use to manage your hearing aids during holiday trips include:
Notifying a Security Officer about Your Hearing Aids
Your hearing aids and hearing aid accessories could possibly set off metal detectors. Be sure to let a security officer know what kinds of hearing aid technology you are using before you get screened at the airport. You can also specify what kind of communication you would like to use during the screening process, which can be done by using the TSA’s Notification Card. You are allowed to wear your hearing aid without having to remove it during the screening process.
Pinpointing Hearing-Friendly Locations Beforehand
For travel in the states, many locations offer hearing-friendly accommodations that you can take advantage of. In New York City, MTA Subways are equipped with hearing loops, systems that transmit sound to hearing aids. Other locations that offer hearing loops include the New York Botanical Garden, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Jacob Burns Film Center.
Protecting Your Ears During Travel Time
Trains, airplanes and other forms of transportation can prove to be excessively noisy. A jet engine from 100 feet away can be as loud as 140 decibels, which is loud enough to cause hearing loss if the exposure lasts for more than 15 minutes. Take ear plugs or earmuffs with you when you travel and take short breaks from areas that are particularly noisy.
Wearing Your Hearing Aids In Between Destinations
Travel locations during the holidays are bound to be very crowded! Make sure to wear your hearing aids so that you can hear your travel partners over the noise of other passengers. Announcements about delays, rerouting and other changes to traveling schedules are often times announced over a loudspeaker or personnel, so it is important that you use your hearing aids while at a train station or airline if hearing-friendly services aren’t available. You can usually find out the specific hearing services your travel agency offers by checking its online website.
Taking Multiple Accessories
You can eliminate possible complications during your holiday trip by carrying additional hearing aids and hearing aid accessories, including earwax guards and volume controllers. To streamline the screening process, notify an airline security officer about the types of hearing aid technology you are carrying in your luggage, in addition to the hearing aids you are wearing.
One of the best things you can do while traveling with hearing aids is prepare ahead of time. Finding out which items you’d like to carry and the places you’d like to visit early on will make for a more comfortable holiday trip!