Travelling with nappies/diapers?

[Teddy02]

I’m interested in how you inco folk travel and deal with the incontinence. How many bags do you pack or do you order them to be delivered to the hotel, and what about travelling or staying with friends?
I would prefer to travel with my terry nappies and plastic pants but that is not practical, so I recently went on a five day European trip with just hand luggage but I packed all the disposables (pull-ups and Tykables for overnight) in ‘space saving bags’ where you put them in a plastic bag and take out all the air with a pump. It saved do much space!!!
How do you all manage?

 

[Pino]

I do not fly (at the moment), i usually take enough diapers with me and some extra, when going on short trips, this is no problem.
For holidays we usually drive by car, so i put some packages "under" the trunk, the space where the reserve tire used to be. The rest i pack in some bags, where they fit perfect and no one will suspect diapers in them.

When i would go on a trip by train or plane, i would look for possibilities to buy diapers local. In most European and western Countries this should be no problem at all, i think. Perhaps i would ask on this forum where to buy for example in UK, same for "the key", i have got one for Europe, but not for UK. When going there, i would like to get one for my stay.

 

[gregs]

Sometimes a take a lot of diapers with me, some times i buy them at the destination.

 

[passion4life]

I travel with pull-ups and plastic pants. I bring plastic grocery bags to dispose of wet diapers and merely wash out me plastic pants in the room, hanging up to dry

 

[ParaRomeo]

For anything Local,short, or driving, I pack them in my truck in separate bag(military sea bag works great) most trips are short enough but usually pack for 2 extra days.

Air travel, I carry 3 days of diapers in carry on(2 full days + the travel day, usually have my diaper bag and a carry on bag) depending on where I am going because of lost luggage and not trusting airlines even though medical bags in the US as long as they contain only medical items they fly free. I will call the hotel I am staying at inform them I need to ship something there and give them my check in info and never had an issue. Before the pandemic it was actually cheaper to buy a case of diapers from retailer at that time most cases shipped free and would ship most times a case because one of the times they lost my luggage was on a trip to Disney and airlines was like go buy what you need keep the receipt and you can file for refund and not having a rental car I legit flipped out because those was no where I the supposedly happiest place in earth that had adult diapers I didn't tell them what the medical items were and may of said the item were prescribed and had my meds and I was going to be completely screwed, while they were trying to un-F themselves I fortunately have contacts that have contacts and my luggage was in the hotel lobby the next morning unfortunately this doesn't work for everyone or a the time (but it's really really bad when they loose your gun case only other time lost luggage arrived quickly but have actually lost or.got.stolen on way home a bag with like package of diapers, wipes and some food for.my service dog )

I haven't done international travel yet and my situation is different than most being paralyzed in a wheelchair and most trips are with my service dog but do require some help occasionally.

One big thing I do no matter what or how traveling I do diaper myself for extended periods and that does change on duration of break periods. So like car travel I plan on making stops every 3 hrs but diapered for 4-5hrs but will change when I stop right before I get on the road. Air travel similar set-up but the difference right before boarding In have special use diapers which are rearz inspire + nights & 2 boosters(both folded in half one in front on in back and a smaller booster across the top front because that where most of my leaks happen) I will usually pack couple of the special diapers. Flights can be different depending where I am going because being paralyzed I can only change laying down and fortunately many airports now have changing tables but in same token I rather be over diaper than b undered. Even if you can walk bathrooms on planes are usually smaller than port-a-potties so unless emergency I would change before boarding or it's better to change when you can like driving even though good for say 5hrs i rarher change close to 4 even if only half wet because traffic jams suck and been in that situation. Also stay hydrated and limit alcohol use.

 

[IncontinentBro]

I fly with my luggage and a 27-gallon tub (black bin, yellow top)with all my diapers and service dog's food. The tub flys free as a medical assistive device. Just be prepared to disclose the contents at check-in.

I typically pack 1.3x what I usually wear in a 24-hour period, in case of delays or if I decide to extend my trip. Weather can also play a role on using more supplies than I would at home.

In fact, I'm all loaded up for our 10-day trip to Hawaii tomorrow!!!

I've also been thousands of miles away when they've misplaced my tub, or it misses my flight. Luckily I keep about 2 days worth of diapers handy in my personal bag.

 

[derek245]

I travel light overall, so I have a lot of room in my bag to store my nappies and plastic pants. On really long trips, I sometimes have to buy more nappies from local stores, which is never embarrassing for me, since I don't know anyone there. I'll sometimes request for a hotel to put a plastic sheet on my bed, but if it ends up not being possible, I'll usually bring my own in a separate bag.

 

[padded1989]

i've been back in diaps for a long time, and have become used to just having my diaper bag nearby most of the time and ready. They become such a big part of your lifestyle that embracing it usually feels better for me, but they also still feel very shy at times and I am not sure that will ever go away. On a long trip it might mean bringing a big suitcase of just diaps, but it's much better than having to wear a kind you are not used to right?

 

[jaredc3]

Depends on the length of my trip. For a short trip, I just try to bring enough diapers in my luggage. That still takes up a bit of space for sure, but manageable. For longer trips, I tend to get diapers drop shipped to my destination. That plan is vulnerable to shipping disruptions, but knock on wood, I've been generally successful with this approach.

 

[Raven801]

Most airlines will allow a free large checked bag of medical supplies. Just FYI done it a lot

 

[jaredc3]

Most airlines will allow a free large checked bag of medical supplies. Just FYI done it a lot

How do you request this? Or how do you indicate that a large suitcase is medical supplies and not just regular luggage? Do you have to produce any documentation? Very curious about this!

 

[Raven801]

Speak to a person and check the bag and inform them it is a bag of medical supplies baam checked bag and no cost done it alot ...only had them really question it once and the asked what was in there and I told them diapers wipes powder chux and gloves just all the supplies for an incontinent person. Just remember you can't have anything else in there except spare clothes because of the possibility of leaks hence more changes of clothing. It's really quite simple
You can also call the air line and inquire/inform them that you have a bag of medical supplies that you will be checking seriously I've been doing it for years and years. Delta seems like the easiest though

 

[KrankyPants]

Cool idea putting them in a space saver bag, @Teddy02! ✌

 

[ParaRomeo]

So in the US it falls under the Air Carriers act to have medical supplies fly free but like it was posted just have needed supplies, though I never had an issue with what I fly with if they scan your bag and it has other stuff they can charge you for it. But I have done it many times last it was like 50lbs.i personally use a military type sea bag can be pain to pack as it opens on top but it's something I can secure and easily pick out also for me I got one as a gift from the govt haha but has backpack straps and I can put on my wheelchair so getting around is easier.

 

[Teddy02]

Most airlines will allow a free large checked bag of medical supplies. Just FYI done it a lot

Thank you for this. I have heard about it, but in these days of cut price flying I though they would have found a way to get some more money off us!!
Thanks to all for your input, always valuable.

 

[Raven801]

Thank you for this. I have heard about it, but in these days of cut price flying I though they would have found a way to get some more money off us!!
Thanks to all for your input, always valuable.

Flew to Jamaica less than a year ago still worked then, been doing it for like 10 years as my incontinence always acts up when drinking so yeah what do you do on a beautiful beach at an all inclusive resort where alcohol is included? LoL

 

[Rob110]

I learned the hard way on our last Disney trip as I miss calculated my diaper supplies, and I ran out of my betterdry diapers. Add one extra diaper per day then you normally use then add a reserve supply as a just incase you can allways bring the extra diapers home with you if you are driving and if you drop ship a case or so to your hotel if flying you can allways leave the remaining diapers if you donot have room to pack them . With vacation costs these days ordering extra diapers for peace of mind really won’t break the bank

 

[virginiadiaper]

I completely agree to bring some extra diapers so you don’t have to buy some awful store ones. Pack one extra diaper per day and then a few more. I tend to come home with about 40% of my supply that I take, but I’ve never had the disaster of running out. I can’t be without diapers so having none would be awful.

 

[jaredc3]

I learned the hard way on our last Disney trip as I miss calculated my diaper supplies, and I ran out of my betterdry diapers. Add one extra diaper per day then you normally use then add a reserve supply as a just incase you can allways bring the extra diapers home with you if you are driving and if you drop ship a case or so to your hotel if flying you can allways leave the remaining diapers if you donot have room to pack them . With vacation costs these days ordering extra diapers for peace of mind really won’t break the bank

I do the same thing. And sometimes unexpected challenges can still occur.

A few years ago we went to Disney World, and I ordered diapers to be delivered to our Disney resort hotel. (Had always been successful before). I got an email that they had been delivered a few days before we were supposed to arrive. Awesome. So when we checked in, I inquired about the package, and they looked it up on the computer, and said something like, "yes! let me go get that from the back." They were gone a while, then came out looking sheepish. Said they couldn't find it in there, but they would keep looking at would let me know when they had located it. No problem. I had brought a few diapers in my carry on so it wasn't an emergency.

I got a call from the desk after we had already turned out the lights to sleep. They said that they still had been unable to find my package, and they would be happy to order whatever was in it as a replacement and rush shipment. I wasn't totally comfortable saying what was in the box... lol. So I asked if I could order it myself and just get reimbursed. They said we could do that, and to stop by the desk in the morning to arrange for the reimbursement. So I ordered and went to sleep.

In the morning I went to the desk to arrange reimbursement, and they wanted to see the order on my phone to verify the total cost. I hesitantly brought the order up on my phone and showed them. They were totally professional about everything, and even said something like, "I can see why this is important that we rush shipping."

After the reimbursement was complete, they explained what had happened... Someone with my exact name had stayed at that hotel just the week before--and when my box arrived, they looked up the guest list, and delivered the box directly to this other jaredc3's room. I would have LOVED to have been a fly on the wall when this person came back from the parks, sees this package in their room, gets excited about some amazing Disney magic, even sees their name on the label, and opens it to find--ADULT DIAPERS?! lol. Interestingly he never reported that to the desk. Maybe he needed them? Maybe he assumed a friend played a silly prank on him? IDK. But it was amusing. Moral of the story is: if you drop ship diapers to a hotel, any hotel, include your reservation # or confirmation # on the address/shipping label so they can match it up to you and only you.

 

[ParaRomeo]

I learned the hard way on our last Disney trip as I miss calculated my diaper supplies, and I ran out of my betterdry diapers. Add one extra diaper per day then you normally use then add a reserve supply as a just incase you can allways bring the extra diapers home with you if you are driving and if you drop ship a case or so to your hotel if flying you can allways leave the remaining diapers if you donot have room to pack them . With vacation costs these days ordering extra diapers for peace of mind really won’t break the bank

Kind of funny, it was my second trip to Disney when airlines lost my bags and learned about drop shipping supplies because the airlines was like go get anything you need and you can file to get paid back and was like I'm in I middle of Disney where the F do I get stuff I was staying at technically a Disney property and not being from area I didn't realize there was stuff close by(i was thinking worse case the store in hotel had baby diapers and could use like a pad which I actually did one day/night in the park because I used more than expected but was also drinking in Epcot but not recommended as there expensive but for emergencies) . Think at time I was mainly wearing Abena M4 and Comfidry 24/7 as special use I was really fortunate for some people and forget brand but there is few DME/Home Med Supplies stores in area(they do a lot of wheelchair/scooter rentals) but was able to get supplies delivered I honestly forget what they had it wasn't Abena level but at that point something better than nothing for some reason I want to say Tranquility but fortunately it was only like less than 24hrs without my bags but learned valuable lessons. But I also do now when flying have plenty of supplies just Incase also on that flight I am happy I had meds in carry on because I really would of be F'd.

Though I do have few horror stories of flying but after over a many years flying and being disabled I have learned a lot which some can be used when traveling in general.

Though will say if driving any distance I do usually drive with supplies because I have had times where I had an issue enroute to destination fortunately I decided at last minute to put in my truck vs shipping them to hotel

I will say no matter the medical issue usually your first couple trips might be nerve racking but I would suggest people doing few short trips like 2-4hrs away from home before bigger ones. But also know you really can't plan for everything and know somethings maybe out of your hands keep calm and it will work itself out.

That same trip they lost my bags on flight home when landed being paralyzed in am usually first on last off because they use a special chair for boarding because my wheelchair is to wide(actually most chairs are) ya Delta actually forgot about me I was watching something on my phone to kill time and looked up and everyone was gone it wasn't till the cleaning crew came on and flipped out I realized situation I was fortunate for me I have plenty of contacts and it worked out but the cleaners called the cops and they were dinks at first(I am pro Leo) and wouldn't let me talk luckily call in made showed up and interrupted the Trooper and was like hey when you got on did you see the wheelchair on the ramp by the door Trooper was like what does it matter Firefighter was like well it matters because it's his and he can't walk after that thinking felt like a dink and was very apologetic and very helpful though Delta offered me a free round trip if I knew what I knew know that's a violation of the Air Carriers act and if I wanted to I could of brought them to court I definitely don't fly delta anymore but everyone does as they please or don't let my experience wave yours.