With the global health situation looking calmer and the holidays around the corner, there’s one activity we’re looking forward to. Travelling is back on the agenda! For many travelholics out there – including yours truly – it’s an exciting time to look out to the world again. Whether that’s a weekend away to Sydney, a fortnight in New Zealand or six months travelling Europe. But for hearing aid wearers, there’s more to think about than just packing your toothbrush. So here are some tips for hearing aid wearers getting ready to change their scenery for a bit.
Start with Insurance.
First and foremost, your hearing devices are small items, easy enough to lose and costly enough to replace. We always strongly recommend having your hearing aids on your home and contents insurance even when at home. And making sure they are listed as an item to be removed from the house. That way, should they become misplaced, your insurance will generally cover most of the cost of replacing them.
When you are travelling, check your policy to make sure the devices are covered for your trip away. This is especially important if you are travelling overseas – make sure the devices are still covered outside of Australia. While you may not necessarily be able to replace them overseas directly, this is about the cost itself being reimbursed. If you find your home and contents don’t cover, make sure your travel insurance will.
Make a checklist.
Packing bags are always so much fun – you always forget something, don’t you? With hearing aids, make sure you don’t forget your charger or your batteries. If you are going away for a longer period, let our team know to give you extra batteries. If you have a charger, make sure to pack the charger, the cord and the power plug. Certain chargers will only accept voltage from a power plug, not a USB wall point, so it’s best to be safe. A power point adapter may be necessary for some countries, so check that also.
Portable charging units.
While you can, of course, charge your hearing aids every night in a hotel room, sometimes that isn’t enough. In particular, if you are travelling away from power points, camping around, for example. In these cases, it may be worth looking at a portable charger system with usually around three full charges. Not all hearing devices come with a portable charger option, however. If you’d like to look at this option, call your Falls of Sound clinic, and they’ll see what is available.
Before you leave, it’s also a good idea to stop by for a clean and check and for supplies. Ask the team to give you a crash course on how to clean your hearing aid. It’s good to have some spare domes and wax filters to take with you as a backup. Most often, when your hearing aid suddenly stops, it’s a wax blockage that you can easily fix.
Record the details.
It’s also a good idea to familiarise yourself with the make and model of your hearing aid. Should something go wrong where you might need a hearing aid repair, you’ll need to find the right clinic. Most independent clinics will service all or most hearing aid brands. Larger franchised clinics will often be tied to specific brands, however. So should you need to find help, knowing your model and brand will help identify a suitable clinic.
Warranty dates are also something that can be useful if going away for a longer period of time. Should the hearing aid need repair, other clinics will usually charge a small handling fee. However, your manufacturer’s warranty – for repairs being sent back to manufacturing – should still cover you as per usual. Check with your clinic as to the exact dates. In general, hearing aids come with a 3-year warranty within Australia but only a 1-year international warranty.
If going overseas, be sure to take a copy of your original invoice as a backup as well. But remember if your hearing aid is over one year old, chances are you’ll be charged for a repair. And it may take time to come back to the clinic you find, so not ideal if you are moving around. So if you know it’s still in warranty back home, depending on the circumstances, it might be worth waiting.
If you have any questions or concerns before or during your travels, get in touch with us. You can call us or email us, and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible. Be sure to come in for a cleaning of your hearing devices before you leave. And most importantly, don’t forget to send us a postcard!