Travel with a health condition or disability

The CDC suggests seeing your healthcare provider at least 4 to 6 weeks before an international trip, and sharing your mental health history. For long trips or moving abroad, ask about a referral to a mental health professional at your destination.

Things to ask

• Can I keep therapy going by video while away?
• How do I keep my care plan going while I’m away?
• What are my warning signs, and what should I do if they show up?
• What should I bring, and how much extra in case of delays?

The CDC suggests that travelers with a current mental health condition arrange regular teletherapy or follow-up sessions with their provider before they go. Culturally fitting mental health care varies a lot between countries.

Check

• Time zones for your sessions
• Whether your therapist can see you while you’re abroad
• Wi-Fi or data where you’ll be staying
• A private, quiet place for calls

The CDC notes that short, occasional tourist trips are usually the least stressful. Frequent travel, aid or disaster work and living abroad tend to be the most demanding.

Look for

• A 24/7 assistance phone line
• Clear wording on existing conditions
• Cover for mental health emergencies
• Emergency medical evacuation

Home health plans often don’t cover care outside the U.S., and U.S. government insurance and Medicare or Medicaid usually won’t pay for care abroad.

The CDC suggests

• A letter from your clinician on office letterhead listing your conditions, treatments, allergies and any equipment you need, with their contact details
• Digital copies of key records in an app, email or secure website
• A medical alert bracelet or card, if it fits your needs
• Papers for a service animal, if you have one

Before you go

• Look up clinics and pharmacies near where you’ll stay
• Save the nearest U.S. embassy’s contact details; it can help find medical care and contact your family
• Know how to reach local emergency services

The CDC encourages travelers to keep healthy habits, such as good food and regular exercise, while away. Small routines like a morning walk, journaling or a set bedtime can keep you grounded in a strange place.

Ideas

• Bring a journal or a familiar object
• Keep your usual wake-up time where you can
• Plan quiet time each day
• Schedule a check-in call with someone you trust

Jet lag, tiredness and stress can stir up anxiety or low mood. Knowing your own early signs, like poor sleep, skipping meals or racing thoughts, helps you act before things get harder.

If they show up

• Contact your therapist or provider
• Cut back your plans and rest
• Get extra sleep and regular meals
• Tell your travel companion or check-in person

If you are in recovery from alcohol or drug use, the CDC notes that some mutual-help groups hold English-language meetings abroad. Check meeting times and language before you go. Drug laws can be very strict in some countries.

The CDC suggests

• Ask hotels, airlines and cruise lines about the services they offer
• Check the State Department’s country page, under “Local Laws and Special Circumstances”, for accessibility information
• Enroll in STEP so the embassy can reach you
• Make sure accommodations are available for the entire trip

Cruises that dock at U.S. ports are covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act, even on ships registered in other countries. Confirm what you need is available before booking; some operators and travel agents specialize in travelers with disabilities.

If you have both a disability and a chronic illness, the CDC suggests planning for both: a pre-trip visit, a health letter and checking with airlines about any medical devices.

Airlines can’t require advance notice of a disability, and must accept your word that you can manage on your own. They may ask for up to 48 hours’ notice and a 1-hour early check-in for services that need setting up, like medical oxygen or a stretcher.

The CDC explains

• Planes with fewer than 30 seats are generally exempt from seating and access rules
• Planes with more than 60 seats must carry an onboard wheelchair
• Only wide-body planes with two aisles must have accessible restrooms
• Airline staff don’t have to help with eating or using the restroom, so bring a companion if you need this

Travelers with hearing loss can let staff at the ticket counter, gate or service desk know, so they get flight announcements in an accessible way. Safety videos must have captions or a sign language interpreter, though in-flight entertainment doesn’t have to.

The U.S. Department of Transportation disability hotline is 1-800-778-4838 (voice) or 711 (relay), 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern, Monday to Friday except federal holidays. It gives general information and helps with time-sensitive problems.

TSA Cares lets you request help from a Passenger Support Specialist, a TSA officer with special training. Contact them at least 72 hours before your flight at (855) 787-2227, or 711 for relay. Hours are 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Eastern on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern on weekends and holidays.

They help with screening, but you still go through security, and it isn’t a faster line.

You might request help if you

• Have a device that may affect screening machines
• Have trouble following instructions because of a disability or condition
• Have trouble understanding or speaking English
• Need to carry medically necessary liquids over 3.4 oz
• Travel with a child who has a disability or medical condition
• Travel with a service animal

TSA offers a Disability Notification Card you can show officers to explain a condition that affects screening. You don’t have to remove hearing aids or external cochlear implants.

Ideas

• Ask about quieter boarding or waiting areas
• Book direct routes to reduce transitions
• Bring noise-reducing headphones
• Plan recovery time after arrival
• Use a visual schedule for the travel day

The Hidden Disabilities Sunflower is a lanyard or pin that lets staff know you may need more time or support. Hundreds of airports around the world take part, including many in the U.S. Each airport chooses whether to join.

It is a signal to staff, not a fast pass. It doesn’t let you skip security, so still book any specific help with your airline.

The CDC points travelers to resources such as Autism Speaks’ “Traveling With Autism”, the Epilepsy Foundation’s travel tips, the Society for Accessible Travel & Hospitality and the American Council of the Blind.

The CDC suggests

• Ask a veterinarian for travel tips
• Carry all the paperwork
• Check hotels will accept the animal
• Confirm the airline and destination country accept your service animal
• Find out about quarantine, vaccines and permits

The CDC suggests

• Check DOT and TSA rules on wheelchairs, batteries and portable oxygen
• Check voltage, plug type and how reliable power is at your destination
• Consider renting a wheelchair or equipment there
• Some in-flight services may need up to 48 hours’ notice

About 3 to 4 weeks before you fly, check whether your airline or cruise line must approve any medical devices you plan to carry on. Their medical teams make the final decision.

The CDC suggests clinicians ask travelers aged 65 and older about memory and thinking before a trip. For someone with mild to moderate memory problems, a change of surroundings can lead to confusion or wandering, so it’s worth thinking about whether someone should travel with them.

Ideas

• Carry ID and a contact card at all times
• Keep the travel day simple, with direct routes
• Stick to familiar routines for meals and sleep
• Travel with a trusted companion

Since 2023, many cruise lines ask passengers over 70 for a Certificate of Medical Fitness to Travel, whether or not they have health conditions. Check with your cruise line when you plan.

Ideas

• Ask for wheelchair or cart help in big airports, even if you walk well
• Build in rest days
• Choose fewer stops for longer
• Tell the airline early if you need lifting or wheelchair help