{"id":6765,"date":"2025-02-05T12:02:49","date_gmt":"2025-02-05T12:02:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.oxygenworldwide.com\/?p=6765"},"modified":"2025-02-05T12:02:49","modified_gmt":"2025-02-05T12:02:49","slug":"exploring-the-world-with-medical-oxygen-yes-its-possible","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.oxygenworldwide.com\/en\/exploring-the-world-with-medical-oxygen-yes-its-possible\/","title":{"rendered":"Exploring the World with Medical Oxygen: Yes, It\u2019s Possible!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Janet* always wanted to travel, ever since she was a child reading stories about wonderful places all over the world. But Janet has cystic fibrosis and needs regular home-based oxygen therapy. Her parents have always told her that her life would have to accommodate her illness and that there will be things that she could not do because of it. Maurice* has severe asthma, barely kept in check by his preventer inhaler. He uses oxygen therapy at night to ensure that he is rested. He has given up on his dreams of going on tour with his favourite international rugby team, traveling widely across the southern hemisphere. A working lifetime spent in a textile factory, especially before health and safety legislation was enacted has seen Chris* developing COPD, the management of which requires the near constant supply of high concentrations of oxygen throughout the day and night \u2013 Chris’s dreams to visit family abroad have been shelved due to this condition.<\/span><\/p>\n

And these three people are not alone. Many people long to travel but believe that their illness is too serious and that managing it will be too much bother to be worth trying.<\/span><\/p>\n

But, this is not true at all. Yes, there is a bit more to do logistically, and you will have to start planning your holiday or tour early on in the process and be very thorough with it \u2013 but traveling with medical oxygen is possible and you can have a great time away from home, even while relying on your oxygen supply while traveling to keep you happy and healthy to enjoy it all.<\/span><\/p>\n

You may be thinking, ‘Hey? But I need oxygen all the time! I can’t go on a plane without my supplementary oxygen and it’s a hazardous chemical, it’s banned!’ And this is broadly true \u2013 many airlines do not allow any oxygen cylinders to be brought along with them, and there seems to be a hard and fast agreement on this. However, digging a little deeper, into the various international travel authorities shows that there is some leeway when it comes to flying with oxygen: the TSA, known for being incredibly strict, says the following: ‘<\/span>Personal oxygen is permitted<\/b> if the regulatory valve has not been tampered with or removed. <\/span>Unless being used for personal medical oxygen<\/b>, the gas cylinder regulator valve must be completely disconnected from the cylinder (in other words, the cylinder has an open end that allows the TSA officer to visually inspect the cylinder)’ [per <\/span>https:\/\/www.tsa.gov\/<\/span><\/a> emphasis the writer’s own].<\/span><\/p>\n

As well as this tiny offer of some medical oxygen cylinders being permitted on board flights \u2013 and do check with your chosen airline well in advance and make sure you meet all their requirements and have confirmations from them before you head to the airport.<\/span><\/p>\n

So much for the flight \u2013 what about accessing portable medical oxygen while you are abroad, potentially facing language and culture barriers as well as treatment differences and their associated costs? This is where companies like OxygenWorldwide can help you. Working with a huge array of local partners in countries all over the world, they will help ensure your oxygen supply while traveling, delivering it where it is needed, when it is needed \u2013 they will even meet you right off the plane, if that’s what you need.<\/span><\/p>\n

Let’s have a look at how to travel with oxygen and how OxygenWorldwide<\/a> can help you realise your dreams of touring the world.<\/span><\/p>\n

Can You Travel with Medical Oxygen? Absolutely!<\/h2>\n

As we have seen from the section above, talking about how restrictive traveling with medical oxygen can be, it is easy to assume that other methods of travel, and indeed places like Airbnb rooms, hotels, self-contained flats and more, must have similar restrictions and be unwilling to take on the responsibility of having an unwell person staying with them. But this is not the case at all. Many people travel with medical conditions that require some form of allowances to be made, including their use of medical oxygen: from athletes like Serena Williams, Michael Phelps, Christiano Ronaldo and Tiger Woods, to stars like Lady Gaga, Billy Joel and Keith Urban \u2013 all have used portable oxygen to heal from injuries faster, to sleep better and more restfully, and to maintain their good looks and high energy levels.<\/span><\/p>\n

Any time you need to invest in oxygen for travel<\/strong>, you will have to check with your airline about what forms of oxygen therapy you can take and use on board the plane \u2013 and it is mainly planes that have restrictions on oxygen, due to the fact that flying happens at altitude, which can affect the way oxygen cylinders behave. Most airlines are sanguine about oxygen concentrators, which do not have any compressed oxygen at all, instead using the air around you to filter out the high proportion of nitrogen and leaving nearly pure oxygen for your use while onboard so if you have any doubts, that might be the way to go. Other options include oxygen cylinders (usually a hard no on flights) and liquid oxygen (or LOX) tanks<\/a> which are a useful solution for regular oxygen users who need to be out and about for a lot of the day.<\/span><\/p>\n

Other forms of public transport tend to allow traveling with oxygen as long as the equipment and cylinder do not take up too much space and encroach on other passengers’ comfort and safety. But, as always, it is worth calling ahead and making sure \u2013 it is better to ask and not need to have done so than the alternative.<\/span><\/p>\n

Planning Ahead: The Key to a Smooth Trip<\/h2>\n

As mentioned in the introduction, you must plan ahead<\/a> if you’re looking to sort out your oxygen supply while traveling. This is simply to allow your chosen supplier \u2013 someone like OxygenWorldwide<\/a> \u2013 the time they need to source oxygen from their contacts on the ground and arrange for deliveries to be made at the times and places that suit you. Once you make contact, with your planned itinerary, OxygenWorldwide will spring into action and ensure that all your needs are seamlessly met.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you have never traveled while needing oxygen before, there are some key steps you should be aware of.<\/span><\/p>\n