Occupational therapist, patient advocate, and person living with rheumatoid arthritis shares her secrets to minimizing joint pain when you travel.

Travel is a meaningful and cherished hobby for many people, including those living with chronic joint pain. While living with rheumatoid arthritis for the last nineteen years, I’ve traveled to India, China, Europe, Central America, Canada, and around the United States.

After traveling by airplane, boat, car, train, foot, ferry, seaplane, kayak, and even “tuk-tuk” (aka rickshaw), I’ve gathered a number of tools and tips for preventing, reducing, and coping with travel-induced joint pain.

A wise person once said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” With that in mind, I do everything I can to make sure my disease is under control possible before traveling.

When I’m actually traveling, I keep a pain toolkit handy and continually remind myself to conserve energy.

I pack a “pain toolkit” of my favorite tried and tested pain reduction methods, including: compression gloves, topical creams, pain medications, joint support braces, heat and cold packs, compression socks, and more.

For some, bringing a portable TENS unit (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) may also be necessary for daily pain relief. I make sure my pain toolbox is easily accessible throughout the entire trip. I usually put it in my lightweight travel backpack near my essential travel docs like my ID and license.

Kat recommends bringing a “self-heating disposable heating pad” and disposable cold packs to reduce her back pain.

This one frustrates me because I want to “do it all,” but I truly have to prioritize rest breaks. I tend to be overly optimistic and also want to pack a lot into a short period of time to “make the most of the trip.”

However, if I rest, I not only prevent additional pain from overdoing it, I also am able to conserve my energy more efficiently so I can last the whole day.

It helps me to plan out a general itinerary in advance, and to plan for about 75 to 80 percent of what I can do on a “good day.” This allows me to have some wiggle room in case I’m more fatigued than usual or jet-lagged.

Jenn put it succinctly when she said she finds it helpful to “schedule and take time to rest,” and also “move around however you can, whenever you can.”

Kat shared that she also packs a package of shower wipes so that she can “stay fresh even if too tired to shower.”

Additionally, I use strategies that are specific to the method of travel, which you can find below.

Some of my best tips are specific to the method of transport.

Car travel poses some unique challenges. Here are tips that have helped me:

Most people who’ve traveled a lot learn to “expect the unexpected.” For better or worse, sometimes you do everything right and you still end up experiencing joint pain or a disease flare-up. In these moments of disappointment, I find it crucial to practice self-compassion and to focus on what I can do to cope in the moment.

Instead of focusing on what I “should” have done in the past to prevent this flare-up, how can I offer myself compassion and support now? Sometimes this simply means taking 10 slow deep breaths and reminding myself that “this too shall pass” or “I can do hard things.”

As stressful as travel can be (especially during a worldwide pandemic), seeing new places and visiting friends around the globe continues to be a valued hobby for many living with chronic pain. I hope that these tips help you with your upcoming travels!

Important: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not Everyday Health.

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