International travel with CPAP

[CelesteinDE]

Hi - I'm new here. Wondering if anyone has traveled to and from Europe with their CPAP, and did you have any trouble going through customs or security on either side of the pond. We"re going to Belgium and Italy - I'm not so worried about Belgium, because many people speak English there and I speak pretty good French. It's Italy I'm most concerned about. Wondering if I should go to the trouble of getting my doc to write a note on her letterhead, and also get it translated into Italian? Any thoughts?

[LinkC]

Yes, I have. And had no trouble whatsoever. Flew into Rome and back from Amsterdam. I DID have a Medical Equipment tag attached, but I don't remember if they even looked at it. At each border crossing all they looked at were passports.

[CelesteinDE]

Linkc - how does one get a medical equipment tag?

[LinkC]

Yikes! The link to a free printable one has expired. I think I have it in my Documents. If so, I'll post it.

Failing that, you CAN buy one from several sources. Give me a day or two...I'll get back to you.

[LinkC]

This link should work. Click on "Download" to get the PDF file.

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B3gmFzw ... sp=sharing

If it doesn't work, PM me an email addy and I'll send it as an attachment...

[beautifuldreamer]

This link should work. Click on "Download" to get the PDF file.

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B3gmFzw ... sp=sharing

If it doesn't work, PM me an email addy and I'll send it as an attachment...

For some reason I could not get the link to work for me. Is there any way you could post another link?
Thanks so much.

[LinkC]

You are correct. That link doesn't work. PM me an email addy and I'll send it as an attachment.

[Drowsy Dancer]

Frankly, I don't think TSA and their international counterparts give a hoot about luggage tags, because anyone can make one up.

That having been said, I flew to Europe and back and my final destination was a pretty small town in Spain, and I had no problems with it. Just make sure you take it out of its case like it was a laptop.

If your flight is long enough that you want to use your machine on the plane, you may have some additional legwork to do.

It's not a bad idea to have a copy of your Rx with you in any event (and also uploaded to CPAP.com in case you need to replace some equipment while overseas).

[msla]

Next spring we get to try it going to Tahiti.

[backdoc]

I travel internationally 6-10 times/year I can say that a medical device tag does make a difference. I've been brought to the front of the security line at London Heathrow with 2 other passengers who were traveling with me because the security officer saw the tag and escorted us past about 200 people. I've had my carry-on passed-over for weighing during check-in after the agent saw my tag. Before about 2 years ago screeners would always swab my CPAP for bomb residue until some policy changed and they stopped doing that.

Since December 2012 I've taken flown Los Angeles-London-Johannesburg-London-Los Angeles, Los Angeles-London-Milan-London-Los Angeles, Los Angeles-London-Johannesburg-London-Los Angeles. So what's that 15 international flights segments? I always take out my CPAP and battery and place it in a separate tray, I always give a heads-up to the person sitting behind the X-Ray monitor that I have a CPAP. I usually have a roll-aboard and a smaller "boarding bag" that I keep my CPAP, hoses, and battery in. I've never had my "extra bag" with the tag on it questioned as a second carry-on where others were forced to combine their carry-on stuff into a single carry-on.

This is the one that I use, I bought it from a supplier on Ebay 5 or 6 years ago. http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-CPAP-MEDICAL- ... 19da3f0855.

[Drowsy Dancer]

I travel internationally 6-10 times/year I can say that a medical device tag does make a difference. I've been brought to the front of the security line at London Heathrow with 2 other passengers who were traveling with me because the security officer saw the tag and escorted us past about 200 people. I've had my carry-on passed-over for weighing during check-in after the agent saw my tag. Before about 2 years ago screeners would always swab my CPAP for bomb residue until some policy changed and they stopped doing that.

Since December 2012 I've taken flown Los Angeles-London-Johannesburg-London-Los Angeles, Los Angeles-London-Milan-London-Los Angeles, Los Angeles-London-Johannesburg-London-Los Angeles. So what's that 15 international flights segments? I always take out my CPAP and battery and place it in a separate tray, I always give a heads-up to the person sitting behind the X-Ray monitor that I have a CPAP. I usually have a roll-aboard and a smaller "boarding bag" that I keep my CPAP, hoses, and battery in. I've never had my "extra bag" with the tag on it questioned as a second carry-on where others were forced to combine their carry-on stuff into a single carry-on.

This is the one that I use, I bought it from a supplier on Ebay 5 or 6 years ago. http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-CPAP-MEDICAL- ... 19da3f0855.

Interesting.

Well, I figure I might as well give it a stab. I dummied up this one on my computer and laminated it at Kinko's for $1.27. If I had to do it over again I'd shrink the image very slightly because it was a little too big to fit into the tag with an aesthetically pleasing border around the edge. The CFR citation won't necessarily have as much meaning on international flights (although the regs do apply to foreign carriers in certain circumstances). It's a reminder to me of the authority for the proposition that my CPAP has a higher priority as a carry-on than everything except folding wheelchairs.

[CelesteinDE]

Well, interesting. Now CPAPtalk won't let us post links. Go to "sleepguide - dot - com" Add "/photo/cpap-medical-equipment-tag"

[BrandonB]

I'm making a trip the day after tomorrow to London from the US. Gotta connect through Frankfurt. This will be helpful, thanks.

On the flip side, is the ResMed S9 power adaptor world use? My laptop just needs a prong adapter as the power adapter can handle either voltage, so no converter needed. I hope the my Autoset is!

[jdm2857]

Same for the S9. All you need is an adapter to make the US plug fit the UK outlet.

[-tim]

If your power brick says "230V 50Hz" on it, it will work outside of the US with the right cheap plug adapters. If it only says 120V AC 60Hz, it won't work but those are rare as most will be abled "120-240VAC 50-60Hz" which cover 99% of the world's power. I have power cords for around the world, so I take the ones I need rather than the adapters. My ResMed and PR506 both use a "figure 8" or IEC-C7.

Make a checklist of what should be in the bag. Include "Empty water" on that checklist and don't forget the power brick. Spare filters are helpful too. If your on a long trip, try a new mask the days before you go to test it before your trip.

Take a plastic bag for the humidifier tank. It is amazing how many people forget and end up getting their machines all wet.

Finding distilled water can be tricky in places. You may find "de-mineralized water" (which I use) in some shops, but getting the distilled water could be a problem in some parts of the world.