Go While You Want To

The trip you always meant to take does not have to be cancelled by a diagnosis. It may need more planning, and it may be worth doing sooner rather than later.

Can I still travel?

Many people can and do, especially in the early stage. The question is how to plan it so it stays enjoyable.

Travel can be one of the best parts of life after a diagnosis: new places, time with people you love, things you have always meant to do. One person posted from a three-month road trip across Australia, taken after the diagnosis, with no plans to cut it short.

What changes is the planning. Busy airports, schedule changes, jet lag and unfamiliar rooms at night are where people with dementia tend to struggle. A trip designed around those things goes much better than one that ignores them.

Should I go sooner rather than later?

If there is somewhere you really want to go, probably yes. Most people find travel gets harder over time.

That is not a reason to rush into something you do not want. But if you have been putting off a trip, the early stage is often the easiest time to take it. Some people make a short list with their partner or family: the places that matter, in the order that makes sense.

How do I get through the airport?

Call TSA Cares ahead of time, allow plenty of extra time, and travel with someone if you can.

• TSA Cares. Call 855-787-2227 at least 72 hours before your flight. You can ask for a Passenger Support Specialist, a TSA officer trained to help travelers with disabilities and medical conditions through screening.
• Tell the airline. Most airlines offer assistance on request, such as help getting to the gate, early boarding and a wheelchair if walking long distances is tiring.
• Consider a Hidden Disabilities Sunflower lanyard. Some US airports now recognize the sunflower as a discreet signal that a traveler may need extra time or help. Check your airports first.
• Fly direct when you can. Connections are where people most often get confused or lost.
• Carry a card that says you have a memory condition and lists a contact, alongside your ID.

What about travel insurance?

Read the pre-existing condition rules before you buy. A dementia diagnosis can affect what is covered.

Many travel insurance policies exclude or limit claims related to pre-existing conditions unless certain conditions are met, such as buying the policy within a set time of your first trip payment. Check:

• Whether your diagnosis counts as a pre-existing condition, and what that excludes
• Whether there is a waiver if you buy early
• Medical evacuation coverage, especially for trips abroad
• Whether Medicare covers you where you are going. Original Medicare generally does not cover care outside the United States.

If the fine print is unclear, call the insurer and get the answer in writing.

How do I make the trip itself easier?

Fewer moves, more rest, familiar routines, and a companion who knows what helps.

• Stay longer in fewer places. Three nights in one hotel is easier than one night in each of three.
• Keep your routine. Same wake time, same meals, same medicines at the same times.
• Build in rest. One big thing a day, with downtime after.
• Make the room familiar. A night light, the same pillow from home, your things in the same places each night.
• Keep the itinerary written down, with addresses and phone numbers, in your pocket and on your phone.
• Share your location with your travel companion and someone at home.
• Carry medicines in your hand luggage, in original containers, with extra days' supply.

When might travel no longer work?

When the trip itself causes more distress than joy. That is a decision to make together, openly.

Some signs: getting very confused or upset in new places, not recognizing where you are at night, or being exhausted for days afterward. Shorter trips closer to home, or visits from family instead of to them, can keep the good parts. The point of travel is the experience, and there are many ways to keep having experiences.