I’m in beautiful Cyprus at the moment staying with family, and someone asked about how I found the flight now I have RA and Fibromyalgia with mobility issues. I’ll share my tips as it’s absolutely doable, it just takes a little thought and planning, especially if like me you travel alone.

1. Use Airport assistance ♿ – it’s free of charge and I couldn’t travel without it.  You get transported in a wheelchair right through airports both ways.  An absolute must, it saves spoons and keeps pain levels down.

2. Book extra legroom seats. Worth the few extra pennies,  it does make a massive difference to how much you can wriggle and stretch, very important if you don’t want to arrive as stiff as a board!

3. Hydrate.  Lots.  Water is your friend on a plane – that actually applies to anyone – alcohol is so dehydrating.

4.  Face mask.  Yes, you probably look a little nuts, but when you have a suppressed immune system you do not want recycled germs. Planes are the worst. I always wear one when I fly – paper ones like dentists have, cheap as chips. Pop on some shades too & look mysterious 😉

5. Neck pillow.  I have an inflatable one, my neck is affected by RA and it saves so much pain, even if you don’t sleep it helps you support your head. I always book a window seat so I can ‘lean’ and get comfortable.

6. Meds bag.  I have a large multi zipped handbag I use to transport my meds – never put them in the hold, always carry on.  Take everything in original packaging with prescription labels attached,  it saved me a lot of odd questions on a complete bag search last time! I include meds, BP monitor, tissues, voltarol gel, pain relief etc.  Only thing that goes in the hold is oxycodone as it’s liquid. You can get notes from GP to allow you to carry on but this was just easier.

7. Give yourself permission right now to have “rest days” whilst your away.  It’s really,  really easy to overdo it, and then you end up spoiling days on end. Let your schedule be as flexible as it can be,  it’s better value to fully enjoy 11 days out of 14 rather go all out and miss half the holiday.

I’m in Cyprus staying with family, and I know I will spend tomorrow on the sofa because I’ve had two fabulous but exhausting days with my nieces/nephew.  They go back to school tomorrow so I can rest

It’s very important not to guilt trip yourself into a painful flare,  by pacing and resting you will relax properly and enjoy more of your holidays – after all that’s what they’re for!

Happy Holidays!