Tips for carers when travelling with someone with a disability

When travelling as a carer with someone who has a disability, either locally or abroad, your needs can often be overlooked and neglected. So much time and focus are spent looking out for the person you are caring for that you seldom make time for yourself or your individual needs. However, it’s important to meet your own requirements in order to have a smoother sailing trip and to be in the best state of mind to care for your travel companion. In this latest blog post, we provide some top tips for carers when travelling with someone with a disability.

Plan your trip well

One of the best ways you can look after yourself as a carer is to reduce stress at all avenues. There is no denying that travelling with a disabled person can be stressful at times, mainly because you have a huge amount of responsibility for their wellbeing. This stress can only be exasperated when travelling abroad with different customs and levels of disabled accessibility. The best way to remove this element of stress is to plan your trip well beforehand, with all of your activities and backup options finalised. This means you both enjoy a seamless and easy-flowing trip away.


Make sure to plan activities everyone can enjoy

As a carer, it is important to plan a trip that all people on the holiday can enjoy. While it’s necessary to make sure that all activities are accessible for the disabled person in your party, there should be activities that you as a carer can enjoy too. This will reduce the levels of stress and fatigue that can come from caring for someone on a long trip.


Book accommodation where you can have time to yourself

With any caring position, it’s important to have some time to yourself to recharge and rest, especially if you’re on a long holiday abroad. Make sure the accommodation you stay in allows you to spend some time alone and get adequate sleep. This means you’ll feel refreshed for each new day and ready to complete a range of new activities. Caring can be an extremely full-on job, so it’s important to take these times for yourself and to fulfil your own needs as well as the person you’re caring for.


Pack with care

Packing for all eventualities and with care is vital when travelling with someone who has a disability. You need to make sure certain things, like medications, for example, are easy to access and packed sensibly. Consider making a list of all the things that need to be packed for your companion to ensure you don’t forget anything. This is especially important when travelling abroad with little access to medications and products. Don’t forget to take the time to pack fully for yourself either, so that you have everything you need for a comfortable trip away.


Research beforehand

When travelling to a brand-new location that you haven’t visited before with someone who has a disability, it’s a great idea to research the location. Travelling with a disability can be tricky as there may not always be access to appropriate facilities. By researching disabled-friendly public transport, toilets, and activity locations, you can avoid disappointment and hassle when travelling around.


Look into medical contacts

If you’re travelling abroad with someone who has a severe medical disability, you should always make sure to look up medical contacts and centres in the country you’re visiting. This not only means that if anything were to go wrong your companion can be cared for but also gives you peace of mind, reducing your stress for the trip.

So there we have it, a few simple ways that a carer travelling with a person who has a disability can help to look after themselves while on the go. Remember, the better you look after your own needs, the better you can look after another person.