I love to travel but sometimes travelling can be scary, particularly if you have health concerns such as epilepsy to think about.
I first started travelling on my own in my fourth year of university, when I had the amazing opportunity to work in Jakarta, Indonesia for four months. Living abroad was a terrifying thing, even more so with worrying about what would happen if my temporal lobe epilepsy started acting up.
After I was crowned Miss British Columbia 2018, I was consistently on the road around the province. After I was crowned Miss Canada 2019, I got to travel across the nation, going to different provinces on almost a weekly basis.
As the travel in my life got more consistent, I learned more about travelling with epilepsy. Here are the three things that I do to stay safe:
1) I always bring my medication in my carry-on: I make sure to NEVER pack my medication in my checked luggage. This was a mistake I made early on in my travels. My luggage got lost on a flight and never made it to my destination and the only medication I had packed for my trip was in there. I spent the next few hours in a drop-in clinic and pharmacy to get a new prescription filled. Now I always make sure I have my medication in my carry-on bag and also that I remember to pack a few extra days worth of y medication, just in case.
2) Take time changes into considerations: One of the biggest triggers for many people’s seizures, including mine, is lack of sleep or irregular sleep patterns. When I am travelling, my sleep pattern is one of the first things to be disrupted. I always plan an extra day on any trip that requires over 10 hours driving, long flights, or a time change. This way, I can take time in my hotel to relax and sleep.
3) I always let the airline know about my epilepsy: I will always let my airline know about my epilepsy. Sometimes this enables me to preboard, prior to general boarding, which cuts down on added stress. I also let my airline know because of safety concerns. If I were to have a seizure while onboard, the flight attendant knowing beforehand that I have epilepsy means they are more prepared to help me.
Travelling doesn’t have to be scary – it’s all about being prepared. What are your tips for safe travel with epilepsy? I’d love to hear them and share them! Send me an email at impactspeaker@bcepeilepsy.com. Safe travels everyone!
Christine Jamieson is Miss Canada 2019, Miss British Columbia 2018/2019, and a person living with epilepsy who works for the BC Epilepsy Society as an Impact Speaker. Christine believes in impacting the world for the better and is a strong advocate for epilepsy and mental health.