Travelling With Fibromyalgia: Is It Worth It?
Best Vacations For People with Fibromyalgia
Travelling with Fibromyalgia can affect us all in different ways but the best vacations for people with fibromyalgia usually involves a warmer climate. Warmth and sunshine can make us feel a hundred times better and at times eliminate fibro pain.
Travelling with Fibromyalgia to colder climates usually means you will experience more fibromyalgia pain. If this applies to you then chillier climes will be something you avoid so seek out the sunshine. This often means you need to travel in Winter and find a sunny long haul destination. Don’t be put off long haul because of your condition. You deserve your holiday as much as anyone else – maybe more.
Successful Travelling With Fibromyalgia
Successful travelling with fibromyalgia can be a real challenge but you can take steps to help.
Plan Ahead
You can plan ahead and keep a checklist to combat fibro fog moments. There’s nothing worse than not being able to remember what you’ve already packed. The chronic fatigue that accompanies fibromyalgia has to be carefully managed so organisation is key.
An early part of your planning should be finding travel insurance. I won’t go on about it at length but you know you should have it as soon as you book. If your medical conditions make it expensive try treatufair.com or travelinsurance4medical.co.uk
Getting To The Airport
If travelling by car you can make the journey to the airport as relaxed as possible. Make regular stops for coffee and meals and keep the car warm inside. If you have a good distance to travel then consider booking a hotel room near to the airport. You can enjoy an evening meal and a comfortable bed ready for your big day tomorrow.
If you’re using public transport to get to the airport then I will always choose the train over the bus. The convenience of being able to move around the carriage without annoying your fellow passengers beats negotiating narrow bus aisles.
Premier Inns are one of my favourites to stay with, the price is reasonable and the food is excellent. They have such comfortable Hypnos beds and a choice of pillows to suit. They also offer a unique good nights sleep guarantee or your money back. Sleep is such a big issue for anyone diagnosed with fibromyalgia so being as comfortable as possible is top priority.
Airport Comfort
Drop your cases off and go through security as soon as you arrive. Then you can browse the shops and look for somewhere to relax until your flight is called.
Those endless rows of metal fixed airport seating are not for us Fibromites. We need more cosy comfort to keep our fibro pain at bay. All major airports have cafes, bars and restaurants offering tub chairs, padded seating or even sofas. If your budget will allow then Number 1 Lounges are worth considering. Adult entry is from £26 and all your food and drink (including most alcoholic drinks) are in with the price.
Long Haul Loyalty
This is often the most difficult part of a journey. Sitting through a long haul flight with fibromyalgia can get those Fibro flare-ups into pole position. Long periods of inactivity can cause excruciating fibro pain and joint stiffness.
Even cruising doesn’t get us off the hook. Unless you book a round-trip cruise you’ll have to fly in one direction. To see how we got our first upgraded cruise click here.
Having enough personal space in economy class seats is pure fantasy. The obvious (and most expensive) thing to do is upgrade your seat. Easier said than done for a lot of Fibromites who are on a tight budget.
Get With The Program!
Loyalty programs are a good way around this but it takes patience and time to build any real benefits. There are lots of loyalty cards to be had so rather than be swamped by joining every program going.
My preferred airlines are Virgin Atlantic and British Airways. Both these airlines allow you to convert your Tesco Clubcard points to flying miles. £2.50 of Clubcard Vouchers gets you 600 British Airways Executive Club Avios points or 625 Virgin Atlantic Flying Club miles.
I already shopped at Tesco so this was a no brainer for me. You can also apply for the British Airways or Virgin credit cards to boost your points even further. Whoever you choose to travel with they’ll have a loyalty program so tailor them to your needs. If you need help picking the right program for you click here.
Virgin’s Shops Away section helps you collect more miles by shopping online through their website. You’ll find all your favourites such as Ebay, John Lewis, M&S and many more. British Airways Avios are equally as good and have lots of spending and earning opportunities.
Planning an upgrade takes time but not too much effort and typically will pay for upgraded seats every other year for us, leaving only the taxes to pay.
Once you’ve gone to all the trouble of getting your upgrade why not stay away for longer? A few extra days or weeks in the sun is good for our health so add extra accommodation costs into your travel plans and feel the benefit.
Short-Haul Economy
If you can’t bag a free upgrade by using loyalty points or flying miles then most economy travel classes offer seats with slightly more legroom for a nominal fee. Airlines have recently begun to introduce up to three levels of economy seating offering different options. Extra legroom usually features in at least one of these options.
Once again plan ahead by choosing your seat from the seating plan as soon as your airline allows. If it’s an Exit Seat make sure you or your partner are capable of opening a heavy door if necessary.
I can suffer economy on a flight of 2-3 hours by doing a lot of in-seat fidgeting, ankle/joint rotating. Frequent trips up the aisle help to keep everything moving.
Long-Haul Flight With Fibromyalgia
A successful long-haul flight for me is the holy grail. Travelling with Fibro means economy does not work for me in this scenario. If I can’t upgrade I can’t go. My last economy long-haul flight without an upgrade left me in so much pain hubby wanted me to go to hospital. The last thing you want at the start of your trip!
Travelling with fibromyalgia means finding ways to control fibromyalgia symptoms and avoiding a flare up. Moving around on the flight as much as possible can prevent joint stiffness and an inflatable travel pillow provides support. TRTL is one of the best on the market.
Supplements
Anyone who lives in the UK should be taking Vitamin D, especially in Winter time. People with Fibromyalgia often need extra vitamin D, B and Magnesium to help us through. Magnesium helps with muscle cramping so whenever I’m travelling I take an extra dose to prevent those painful spasms
Overall Opinion
There’s no doubt that holidays in the sun give us a real boost. If you take the time to plan ahead to make your journey easy and comfortable, the benefits are huge. And if you encounter any severe difficulties airport/airline staff are always happy to help you overcome them. Your holiday begins the moment you step out of the house and making it as easy as possible will reduce an anxiety you may feel. Our overall opinion is that yes, it’s more than worth it.
See our post 10 Top Tips For Travelling with Arthritis for more helpful suggestions. We also have a sister site for people with living with fibromyalgia. Click our link to take a look at fibrostars.com. Happy travels Fibro friends!
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