Cpap travel

Welcome to the club. The links to these posts will answer some questions:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/packing/traveling-with-a-cpap-9178af9a-ab77-4881-ae3e-e7cad072ba48

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/packing/traveling-with-a-cpap-eec8b978-723f-452c-8348-09c83e1c7ba3

Thank you for the links! They were very helpful.

My husband just went to his one year follow up with the doctor today. The sleep doctor has been in practice for over 30 years. He said you don't have to have distilled water just clean water. Bottled or even tap no worries. I don't know which machine you have but he recommended separating.

for Bob -
500 words? I can do it in 3: "mandibular repositioning device". Think of a dental retainer. Basically it pulls the lower jaw forward a few mm to keep the airway open. I got one a year ago and love it. I tolerate it much better than a CPAP. It weighs a few ounces, fits in my shaving kit and requires only enough water for some daily rinsing. Oh, and my sleep study showed it is "very effective". I use it all the time. Now all I need to do is get rid of a couple of lightly used CPAPs. Best wishes.

Check with your doctor. I went to Italy for three weeks last year and he told me that he preferred my continuous use but it would be okay not to drag it around for three weeks. BUT remember every partient's case is different!

I was with my daughter in Europe for a month last summer and my snoring was so loud it was what prompted me to have the sleep study. So, traveling without my cpap would make me unbearable to my travel partners!

And very tired.
David travels with it in a carry on, but I think everyone else has to check a bag but carry on the machine. Just saw a new tiny
one on the market that may change travel for a lot of people.

Yes! I saw an advertisement for a mini that looks very intriguing. Now to weigh the cost of it with what that money could buy on my Europe trip.

"David travels with it in a carry on, but I think everyone else has to check a bag but carry on the machine."

At least when leaving the US, a CPAP counts as a medical device, and can be taken on board in addition to the allowed carryons.

I really wasn't very clear with that comment. I meant that David actually fits the machine into his carry on with his clothes, toiletries, electronics. He has said in the past that he doesn't carry a separate cpap case. This is in response to londa's wish to travel light.

Yes, you can stick to a carry on bag, but most likely you'll have an additional cpap case, too. And yes, you can carry it all on.

I've enjoyed reading everyone's comments. Here's my plan.....Since most airlines allow a 'personal item' I'm hoping to put my cpap into my backpack along with my shoes and then have my 'carry on' be just for clothes. I don't want to lug around a third item even though it's ok to have medical equipment. Time to get creative with my packing.....Wish me luck!

Ionda we did that for our France trip in May. My husband put the hose and mask on top of his clothes in the suitcase, and carried the unit in his backpack. We did not want another carry on piece to keep up with.
We also take an extension cord since outlets can be hard to come by in some places.

I've heard about taking extension cords, did you use yours much? I wonder if I should just wait and buy one there. I am hoping there will be a plugin near the bed at the hotels I will stay at.

If you are in hotels it probably won't be an issue since there is generally a bedside lamp therefore an outlet. Where we've run into issues are in older buildings.
We stayed in a guesthouse in Nicaragua that only had one outlet in the room on the opposite wall from the bed.

My husband has sleep apnea, and this will be our first European trip with his CPAP machine. I have emailed our hotels to let them know that we will need an outlet close enough to the bed to accommodate a CPAP machine. Their replies have been uniformly gracious - even saying that they will provide an extension cord if needed.

I'll be going on my first RS tour (best of Switzerland) so once I get the hotel list I will contact them about extension cords, thanks for the tip!