Hacks for Traveling with Chronic Pain

I am always searching for ways to make traveling with chronic pain easier.  I had a very bad incident when I was young and the back pain is getting much worse now.  I don’t want it to stop me from traveling – as I live for travel.  Here are some of my favorite hacks for traveling with chronic pain:

1.  Be sure you have enough prescription meds before you leave.  Ask your doctor for enough to last the duration of your trip and take the prescription with you in case something happens to your supply.

2.  Plan your trip carefully – building in plenty of time to “rest and recover”.  Don’t plan a short, hectic trip – instead, try and extend to make each day at a pace where you can tolerate your pain.  I got “into trouble” in New York City this Christmas because I tried to do too much and “paid for it” for a week.

3.  If you need it – buy something like a cane with a built-in seat or a backpack with a built-in seat – that you can carry and use you wherever you need.

4.  Do some kind of self therapy… get exercises from your doctor or PT that you can easily do in a hotel room or wherever you are staying.

5.  Try and stick to some kind of regular routine.  For example, if you exercise regularly try and do some exercise every couple of days.  Your body will thank you.

I’m off on a 5-week trip to Asia so I will heed my own advice to have a more enjoyable experience.  Let me know about your hacks for traveling with chronic pain and most importantly, don’t let it stop you from seeing this beautiful world.