BACK TOTOP Browse A-ZSearchBrowse A-ZABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ0-9 E-mail FormEmail ResultsName:Email address:Recipients Name:Recipients address:Message: Print-FriendlyBookmarksbookmarks-menuTraveling with breathing problemsOxygen - travel; Collapsed lung - travel; Chest surgery - travel; COPD - travel; Chronic obstructive airways disease - travel; Chronic obstructive lung disease - travel; Chronic bronchitis - travel; Emphysema - travelIf you have breathing problems such as asthma or COPD, you can travel safely if you take a few precautions.Talk With Your Doctor About TravelingIt's easier to stay healthy while traveling if you are in good health before you go. Before traveling, you should talk with your health care provider if you have breathing problems and you:Are short of breath most of the time Get short of breath when you walk 150 feet (45 meters) or less Have been in the hospital for breathing problems recently Use oxygen at home, even if just at night or with exerciseAlso talk with your provider if you were in the hospital for your breathing problems and had:Pneumonia Chest surgery A collapsed lung Check with your provider if you plan to travel in a place at a high altitude (such as states like Colorado or Utah and countries like Peru or Ecuador).Oxygen and air TravelTwo weeks before you travel, tell your airline that you will need oxygen on the plane. (The airline may not be able to accommodate you if you tell them less than 48 hours before your flight.)Make sure you talk with someone at the airline who knows how to help you plan for having oxygen on the plane. You will need a prescription for oxygen and a letter from your provider. In the United States, you can usually bring your own oxygen on a plane.Airlines and airports will not provide oxygen while you are not on an airplane. This includes before and after the flight, and during a layover. Call your oxygen supplier who may be able to help.On the day of travel:Get to the airport at least 120 minutes before your flight. Have an extra copy of your provider's letter and prescription for oxygen. Carry lightweight luggage, if possible. Use a wheelchair and other services for getting around the airport.Stay Away From InfectionsGet a flu shot every year to help prevent infection. Ask your provider if you need a pneumonia vaccine and get one if you do. Be fully immunized against the virus that causes COVID-19. Use a mask according to guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Use a maskIn places where COVID-19 is spreading, wearing a face mask in public helps protect other people from possible infection with COVID-19. Other people ...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Wash your hands often. Stay away from crowds. Ask visitors who have a cold to wear a mask.Find out About Medical Care Where you are GoingHave a name, phone number, and address of a doctor where you are going. Do not go to areas that do not have good medical care.Bring enough medicine, even some extra. Bring copies of your recent medical records with you.Contact your oxygen company and find out if they can provide oxygen in the city you are traveling to.Other Travel TipsYou should:Always ask for non-smoking hotel rooms. Stay away from places where people are smoking. Try to stay away from cities with polluted air.Open ReferencesReferencesAmerican Lung Association website. What goes in an asthma or COPD travel pack? www.lung.org/about-us/blog/2017/09/asthma-copd-travel-pack.html. Updated September 8, 2017. Accessed April 27, 2022.American Thoracic Society website. Oxygen therapy. www.thoracic.org/patients/patient-resources/resources/oxygen-therapy.pdf. Updated July 2020. Accessed April 27, 2022.Luks AM, Schoene RB, Swenson ER. High altitude. In: Broaddus VC, Ernst JD, King TE, Lazarus SC, Sarmiento KF, Schnapp LM, Stapleton RD. Murray and Nadel's Textbook of Respiratory Medicine. 7th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2022:chap 105.McCarthy A, Burchard GD. The traveler with pre-existing disease. In: Keystone JS, Kozarsky PE, Connor BA, Nothdurft HD, Mendelson M, Leder K, eds. Travel Medicine. 4th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2019:chap 26.Suh KN, Flaherty GT. The older traveler. In: Keystone JS, Kozarsky PE, Connor BA, Nothdurft HD, Mendelson M, Leder K, eds. Travel Medicine. 4th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2019:chap 24.AllVideoImagesTogSelf Care Traveling with breathing problemsRelated Information Lung surgery(Surgery)Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)(Condition)Interstitial lung disease(Condition)Asthma(Condition)Breathing difficulty(Symptoms)COPD - control drugs(Self-Care)COPD - quick-relief drugs(Self-Care)Using oxygen at home(Self-Care)Oxygen safety(Self-Care)Asthma - child - discharge(Discharge)Bronchiolitis - discharge(Discharge)Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease - adults - discharge(Discharge)Pneumonia in children - discharge(Discharge)Lung surgery - discharge (Discharge)Using oxygen at home - what to ask your doctor (Doctor Questions)Asthma in adults(In-Depth)Asthma in children and adolescents(In-Depth)Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(In-Depth) Review Date: 1/17/2022 Reviewed By: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team. The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed medical professional should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. © 1997- A.D.A.M., a business unit of Ebix, Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. © 1997- All rights reserved. A.D.A.M. content is best viewed in IE9 or above, Firefox and Google Chrome browser.Content is best viewed in IE9 or above, Firefox and Google Chrome browser.
Traveling with breathing problemsOxygen - travel; Collapsed lung - travel; Chest surgery - travel; COPD - travel; Chronic obstructive airways disease - travel; Chronic obstructive lung disease - travel; Chronic bronchitis - travel; Emphysema - travelIf you have breathing problems such as asthma or COPD, you can travel safely if you take a few precautions.Talk With Your Doctor About TravelingIt's easier to stay healthy while traveling if you are in good health before you go. Before traveling, you should talk with your health care provider if you have breathing problems and you:Are short of breath most of the time Get short of breath when you walk 150 feet (45 meters) or less Have been in the hospital for breathing problems recently Use oxygen at home, even if just at night or with exerciseAlso talk with your provider if you were in the hospital for your breathing problems and had:Pneumonia Chest surgery A collapsed lung Check with your provider if you plan to travel in a place at a high altitude (such as states like Colorado or Utah and countries like Peru or Ecuador).Oxygen and air TravelTwo weeks before you travel, tell your airline that you will need oxygen on the plane. (The airline may not be able to accommodate you if you tell them less than 48 hours before your flight.)Make sure you talk with someone at the airline who knows how to help you plan for having oxygen on the plane. You will need a prescription for oxygen and a letter from your provider. In the United States, you can usually bring your own oxygen on a plane.Airlines and airports will not provide oxygen while you are not on an airplane. This includes before and after the flight, and during a layover. Call your oxygen supplier who may be able to help.On the day of travel:Get to the airport at least 120 minutes before your flight. Have an extra copy of your provider's letter and prescription for oxygen. Carry lightweight luggage, if possible. Use a wheelchair and other services for getting around the airport.Stay Away From InfectionsGet a flu shot every year to help prevent infection. Ask your provider if you need a pneumonia vaccine and get one if you do. Be fully immunized against the virus that causes COVID-19. Use a mask according to guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Use a maskIn places where COVID-19 is spreading, wearing a face mask in public helps protect other people from possible infection with COVID-19. Other people ...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Wash your hands often. Stay away from crowds. Ask visitors who have a cold to wear a mask.Find out About Medical Care Where you are GoingHave a name, phone number, and address of a doctor where you are going. Do not go to areas that do not have good medical care.Bring enough medicine, even some extra. Bring copies of your recent medical records with you.Contact your oxygen company and find out if they can provide oxygen in the city you are traveling to.Other Travel TipsYou should:Always ask for non-smoking hotel rooms. Stay away from places where people are smoking. Try to stay away from cities with polluted air.Open ReferencesReferencesAmerican Lung Association website. What goes in an asthma or COPD travel pack? www.lung.org/about-us/blog/2017/09/asthma-copd-travel-pack.html. Updated September 8, 2017. Accessed April 27, 2022.American Thoracic Society website. Oxygen therapy. www.thoracic.org/patients/patient-resources/resources/oxygen-therapy.pdf. Updated July 2020. Accessed April 27, 2022.Luks AM, Schoene RB, Swenson ER. High altitude. In: Broaddus VC, Ernst JD, King TE, Lazarus SC, Sarmiento KF, Schnapp LM, Stapleton RD. Murray and Nadel's Textbook of Respiratory Medicine. 7th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2022:chap 105.McCarthy A, Burchard GD. The traveler with pre-existing disease. In: Keystone JS, Kozarsky PE, Connor BA, Nothdurft HD, Mendelson M, Leder K, eds. Travel Medicine. 4th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2019:chap 26.Suh KN, Flaherty GT. The older traveler. In: Keystone JS, Kozarsky PE, Connor BA, Nothdurft HD, Mendelson M, Leder K, eds. Travel Medicine. 4th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2019:chap 24.
