Better Hearing offers tips on traveling with hearing loss

Whether for business or pleasure, traveling can be as stressful as it is enjoyable, and even more so if suffering from hearing loss.

Common problems for travelers with hearing loss include: Inability to hear or understand airline boarding and in-flight announcements; difficulty making reservations; inability to hear hotel room telephones, someone knocking on the door, or warning signals such as smoke alarms; difficulty using public telephones, hotel phones, cell phones, etc.Inability to hear or understand scheduled events such as planned activities, tours, museum lectures, and live performances; lack of oral and/or sign language interpreters; lack of accommodations for hearing dogs.

Better Hearing and Balance Connection offers these tips for travel:

Try to make all travel arrangements in advance. Once transportation arrangements have been made, request written confirmation to ensure that information is correct. Always inform the ticket representative if hearing-impaired.

If possible, meet with a travel agent to allow the opportunity for lip reading, or if necessary, written exchange to help confirm travel plans. Agents can contact airlines, hotels, and attractions to make necessary reservations.

Travel information and reservation services are also available on the Internet. Be sure to print copies of important information such as confirmation numbers, reservations and maps. Keep copies of travel arrangements, including confirmation numbers, easily available.

Arrive early at the airport, bus terminal, or train station. Tell the agent at the boarding gate if hearing-impaired and need to be notified in person when it’s time to board.

Inform the security officer or TSA if hearing-impaired. In most cases, hearing aids worn on ears will not set off the alarms during security screenings at airports. Keeping the hearing aids on will allow for communication with security officers during screening, if necessary. It is OK to ask a security officer if it would be advisable to take the hearing aids off, however, body-worn hearing aids and personal listening devices may contain enough metal parts that they should be packed in a carry-on bag. The security scanner will not harm hearing aids or other related devices.

Check the display board repeatedly while in the terminal to confirm flight destination and departure time, as there may be delays, or the departure gate may change. Confirm the flight number and destination before boarding.

Inform the flight attendant if hearing-impaired and request that any in-flight announcements be communicated in person. Consider reserving aisle seats to allow for easy communication with flight staff.

Do not be afraid to ask for help from fellow travelers — most are more than willing to offer assistance.

If wearing hearing aids, be sure to pack extra batteries and tubing. These may be difficult to obtain in some places.

Strongly consider taking a dehumidifier for drying the hearing aids each night to prevent moisture problems, especially if the destination has a warm, humid climate.

To prevent loss, avoid storing hearing aid equipment in checked luggage. Keep an extra set of batteries in a separate piece of luggage to prevent total loss of hearing aid use.

Carry printed copies of lodging reservations, dates and prices. Inform the receptionist at the front desk if hearing-impaired. This is very important in case of an emergency. Certain major hotel chains now provide visual alerting devices to help the hearing-impaired traveler recognize the ring of the telephone, a knock on the door, or a fire/emergency alarm. Contact the hotel in advance to make the necessary arrangements.

If traveling soon and would like to hear better, consider a free hearing consultation at Better Hearing and Balance Connection. Appointments can be made by calling (479) 657-6464 or by visiting www.

betterhearingandbalance.net for more information.