By: Ashley McGoey
I was lucky enough to go to Florida with my family a couple of times, growing up. I absolutely loved the beaches there and I remember feeling so shocked that the salt water hurt my eyes when I was swimming in the ocean. The water in our Wisconsin lakes doesn’t hurt my eyes! I particularly enjoyed looking for seashells in the sand. The shells by the lakes weren’t particularly interesting, but the ones by the ocean had more color and some were even bigger. When we went to Disney World, I was so excited to meet the princesses, especially Ariel! Then…
Uh oh
That awful sound started playing in my ear… my hearing aid battery was dying.
Luckily, mom had packed extra batteries in her purse. We changed them quick while we were waiting in line to meet Ariel. Just in time! “Watch out for the fins!” she said as my sister and I shyly approached her in her “grotto” for a picture. I was fascinated that I had met my favorite princess whose songs I would sing in our little microphone by heart.
Now I am 24 and packing for vacation is something I do on my own. It seems like every time I pack to go somewhere; I always forget something. But I never forget to pack the essentials for my hearing aids! Here is a list of hearing aid essentials that I bring with me:
- Extra batteries. This may seem obvious, but it needs to be here at the top of the list because nothing ruins a vacation faster than not being able to hear due to dead batteries. Have extras with you at all times so you can hear the rush of the ocean, enjoy the conversations at dinner, or play beach games! It’s easy to think, “Well, I’ll just go to a store if I run out,” but that can be a real pain. Not just because you have to pause your vacation plans to get to a store, but if you’re in an unfamiliar place, it can be difficult to find what you’re looking for.
- Hearing aid case. It is super important to protect your hearing aids from water so I always bring my hearing aid case or something to put them in while I go swimming. Throwing them in a bag can work perfectly fine, but it could be trouble if the bag gets wet. By having your hearing aids in a case, you minimize the risk of damaging or losing them.
- Hearing aid cleaning brush. I never thought to bring this until recent years, but it really makes a difference. Sometimes I would notice that I couldn’t hear with my hearing aids so I would assume the batteries were dead and change them. You can imagine my frustration when I still couldn’t hear with brand new batteries! It was then that I noticed my hearing aid was blocked with ear wax. Using the brush to clean it out solved the problem instantly, and now I make sure to have it with me on vacations too.
- Dry and store box (optional). I typically store my hearing aids overnight in their dry and store box when I’m not on vacation. I have been on vacation without it and it was perfectly fine, but my hearing aids felt less “fresh” in my ears. The dry and store box does an excellent job of drying them so that the next time you put them in, they no longer have yesterday’s moisture hanging on to them. This isn’t absolutely necessary or always convenient to pack in your suitcase, but it can help with comfort if you have the space for it.
Taking care of your hearing aids on vacation will ensure a fun and relaxing time!
For more tips on living with hearing loss, check out Ashley’s blog: https://canyouhearmenow.home.blog/
Learn more about hearOclub, the hearing aid battery subscription service here: https://www.hearoclub.com/how-it-works/
