In the not too recent past people with respiratory disorders who required supplemental oxygen would find it extremely difficult to travel because of their specialist needs. The longer the distance, the more difficult it would be to plan ahead when it came to organising vacations due to the exhaustive list of things that needed to be prepared. Not only would a portable oxygen concentrator need to be sourced, but the rules and regulations for the planned public transport would have to be taken into consideration.

It used to be the case that the only realistic alternatives for portable travel oxygen would be oxygen tanks. The most obvious issue with these would be the weight of the tank – and then there is the amount of oxygen it could store. If this weren’t awkward enough the various public transport organisations all had different rules and regulations as to what you could carry on board. This would be especially problematic if you had planned on travelling by air as the set of regulations that were in place meant that the amount of oxygen you could take would severely restrict what you could take on board. This of course would limit how long the oxygen supply could last for so any sort of air travel would require meticulous calculation ahead of the journey. Thankfully as the technology has improved there are now a wider range of travel oxygen concentrators which are much smaller, yet can deliver more oxygen.

If you are one of these people who have lived with supplemental oxygen for a long time, you will know that day-to-day activities have become much less stressful due to the adaptability of these portable oxygen devices. It is only in recent years that air travel in particular has become that much more accommodating for oxygen dependant passengers.

If you are travelling by train then it is recommended that you notify the train company at least 24 hours prior to travelling. As with any sort of travelling plans, it is always best to give yourself as much time as possible. Usually the maximum amount of oxygen allowed on board should not exceed 50lbs (the size of a double tank). These tanks should not be separable and they cannot be on wheels. A six tank setup may be allowable; however each individual tank must not exceed 20lbs. Most travel oxygen concentrators will require electrical power and as such must have their own self contained battery pack as you shouldn’t rely on the train having an adequate power source.

If you are travelling by car then most travel oxygen devices can be used with a car lighter adapter or internal batteries. You should get into the habit of carrying a copy of your prescription with you at all times. This should contain details of the required oxygen litre flow as well as the hours of use along with a list of any additional medications that you are receiving. It is well worth making several copies of this prescription in case you need to present it to flight attendants or oxygen suppliers throughout the duration of your journey.

Author Bio: Trevor Richards is writing on behalf of Pure O2 (www.healthoxygen.com), a leading UK supplier of portable oxygen devices for travel.

Category: Medicines and Remedies
Keywords: health, home oxygen, portable oxygen, POC, oxygen concentrator, breathing, air