Preparing to Travel with Eczema

The summer is coming to an end. The kiddos are back in school and guess what that means? It's cheaper to travel! It's coming up on "slow season." With college students going back to school, younger kids going back as well and a lot of people wrapped up in the 9 to 5 life, traveling the US and even internationally (now) will save you a few hundred bucks at the least!  The costs of flights are going down which means our urge to get up and go is increasing!

Traveling with eczema

So how should we prepare to travel with our conditions? That's a tricky one! There is no set guide to traveling with atopic dermatitis and eczema. There's essentially no right or wrong way to do it. However, I do have some tips and tricks up my sleeve.

Get a doctor's note

TSA is super funny about how many liquid products you can squeeze into your carry-on. With that being said, a doctor's note may be helpful. I think it's up to each individual agent on whether they'll let you slide or not, but my sister and I have had this issue a few times and they let us pass. Thank God because what else would we do right!? 3 girls with eczema and no products! While I'm not for sure on this particular condition, quite a few of my friends with inflammatory bowel disease have brought doctor's notes for various reasons and TSA always obliged.

Travel size products

Travel products: Yes ma'am or major scam?? - Don't get me wrong. They're so cute! For me to spot a little tiny pink bottle of Caress in Target is like seeing a cute kitten or puppy! I just HAVE to look and touch, consider taking it home although I know I absolutely do not need it at this time in my life. I love travel products and yes the size is super convenient, but come on! What are we really paying for? A lot of the time we will pay thirty to fifty percent of the price (of the regular size), just to get a quarter of the (normal) quantity! Save money and buy the $1 travel containers and fill them up with products. You're not wasting so many plastic bottles and you're keeping an extra dollar or two for your trip!

Eczema friendly bedding

Ask about the bedding in advance. A huge thing for me when traveling is the bedding. I'm sure it differs from each one of us depending on the condition we're living with and the severity, but for me, bedding has always been a major problem. While bedding doesn't have to be luxurious or expensive, I've found that if it's not of a certain texture, generally my skin won't have it. Calling your hotel or hostel in advance to see what kind of bedding they use can be an awesome way to avoid any travel mishaps. Don't get me wrong, just because a hotel doesn't have exactly what you wanted or expected doesn't mean you have to switch up your accommodations. Simply add an extra sheet or cover in your luggage and be careful not to allow your skin to touch hotel products. It's worked for me!

Do you have any tips for travel? Let us know in the comments below!