TRAVELLING WITH HEARING AIDS

Using your hearing aids at home can be straight forward and a lovely listening experience, as generally, the environment is calm and you can keep everything you need in one place.
When you choose to be away from your home, there are a few things you need to take into account to ensure that your hearing remains in top condition.  Our Audiologists at Pindrop Hearing are all hospital trained, clinical Audiologists and are very experienced in advising patients on what they need to be aware of when travelling, whether that be close to home or abroad.
We asked our team what advice they give to patients travelling abroad and these were some of the areas covered.  Some of these areas also apply to day trips close to your home when you do not need to travel on a plane.
Airport security
There are no problems with hearing aids and airport scanners, most people can wear their hearing aids through the body scanners, if you are worried you can ask the staff on the scanners or make them aware.  Some patients like to turn their volume down at this stage too for comfort but it is personal preference.
Noise on the plane
Once on the plane, you will find the noise levels are around 85dB which is similar to a busy street.  This can make it difficult to hear announcements but you are safe to wear your hearing aids during the flight.  Some patients choose to take their hearing aids out during the flight just to preserve battery life.
Air pressure
During take off and landing you might choose to suck a sweet, swallow or yawn more in order to regulate the changes in air pressure too.  This will not affect your hearing aids so you do not need to worry.
Humidity
When drying your ears, we advise not to use things like cotton buds but to use a dry tissue and your finger only to wipe the entrance to the ear canal.  To protect your hearing aids from moisture and sweat when it is warm, perhaps invest in a drying box (available from us at Pindrop) and take that with you to leave your hearing aids in overnight.  Some hearing aids are more water resistant than others but our team can advise you on this and give you clarity about what you can and can’t do when abroad or in a hot climate.
Swimming & water
Beach trips can cause issues for some hearing aids if you do not take care, the delicate microphones should be protected and any sand can block the filters which will inhibit your ability to hear at your best.  The basic rule is to take them out before swimming and just use common sense when wearing them in beach environments.
What you will need to take with you