VACATIONING WITH CPAP

I went away for a few days and the hotel didn't have an outlet near the nightstand so I pugged in my cpap on the other side of the bed and placed it on the mattress next to me. After awhile the bottom of the humidifier got really hot and made the mattress very hot. I turned off the humidifier and that seemed to cool it down.
the mattress was so hot I was afraid it would catch on fire. Is this possible?
Also the first night, the smell of the heater in the room came right through my mask and I had to sleep without cpap.
How do people travel with cpaps in hotel rooms?
The machine was easy to pack and I just carried along some distilled water so that was not a problem.

Next time you might want to pack an extension cord so if there is no close outlet you will be able to reach one with the extension cord.

We spent the night away in a motel a few weeks ago and guess what the lamp and the clock radio had the only available plug in by the bed. There wasn't another around except across the room.

We didn't need the clock radio so close so we unplugged it and moved it across the room and set it on the table and used that plug for my cpap. Things worked great that way.

What's in my cpap bag...

extension cord
three into two plug in adapter
bungee cord (for hanging the hose over my head)
small hook with screw threads to screw into ceiling for the bungee cord
extra nasal pillows

Added all these items after learning the hard way.

I have tent camped and traveled all over the world with my CPAP, mostly staying in hostels and somtimes hotels. It can be done! Don't even think of leaving home without your CPAP machine, and if you travel outside the US, make sure your machine can work on 220v. Here are my suggestions:

1) Travel with at least 1 long extension cord and surge protector.

2) Camping - insist on a site with access to electricity, otherwise life gets really complicated and expensive. Call ahead.

3) Never be shy at a hotel, motel or on a cruise asking for what you need. I've often had to ask for a bedside table to set up my CPAP. Once they even set it up on milk crates. Who cares? Your health comes first.

4) I have never bothered to travel with a humidifier because most of my travel destinations are more humid than northern Illinois. Do what you have to. Newer machines have integrated and much smaller heated reservoirs, but make sure they're compatible with local electricity, too.

5) For long flights, there are now rechargeable models available. (In coach, it's unlikely you'll get access to electricity) Rechargeable xPAP's are NOT cheap, but can be lifesavers.

6) If possible, pack an extra old mask and hose. An ounce of protection...

Hope that helps! I've stayed in the mountains of Guatemala, the slopes of the Pyrenees, a nudist camground in Michigan - never without my CPAP. Travel safe and happy!

(Oh, yeah and then I stopped using it for several years and developed all the related health problems. Don't do what I did!)

You've gotten some excellent tips here. I always carry an extension cord and multi-tap (multiple plug). I also include a piece of stiff wire and a rubber band to suspend my hose from the headboard. The headboard is usually screwed into the wall, but there is almost always a slight gap. The wire (or a paper clip) goes into the gap and the rubber band through the wire, and the hose through the rubber band.

As to the smell. you might look into a product called Pur-Sleep. Essential oils, on a small pad, placed near the machine's air inlet (NOT on the machine's air filter!)... a variety of scents, all of them nicer than Eau de Stale Motel Room

Good luck and happy travels.

> a nudist camground in Michigan

"Look at that guy, he's wearing a mask!"
"Who is that masked man?"

The recommendation for an extension cord _and_ a surge protector is a good one. You can even get a small, multi-outlet surge protector that has a long cord on it. Kills two birds with one stone.