Long trips

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Trellum

Legendary member
Joined
Jul 17, 2013
Messages
1,788
Reason
DX FIBRO
Diagnosis
04/2011
Country
NL
State
NL
I will be traveling to Holland, thankfully this trip won't be 1 day long, it will be 15 hours long tho :oops: I still fear my knees will be killing me, plus you know tourist class isn't that good for people like us!

Good thing I'll have seats next to the aisle! But still, I know my legs will suffer, so will my butt :p Yup, that place hurts too after a few hours sitting down.

I still think plane trips are way better than road ones! I once traveled (bus) for 20 full hours... sitting down! At least during a 15 hour plane trip you know you will not be sitting down the whole time. That makes a HUGE difference :?

Do you guys do something special when you will be on a long trip? How do you handle the pain?
 
They say it is good to get up once in a while and stretch your legs and even do exercises while sitting down. Like rotating your neck and shoulders and feet. I think your right in stating that planes are better than buses. I think the best way to travel other than in a car, is by train. I love using Amtek to go down the east coast to florida. The out west trips are even more fun because they have lots of snack and observation cars where you can sit and look out the windows or visit with friends.

The only downside is it is risky leaving your belongings on your seat or in the rack, unattended, even to go to the restroom. Last time I traveled by train I saw a woman walking through the train cars glancing back and forth at peoples luggage. I ask her straight out what she was looking for? She said "nothing." Later someone in a car behind us had lost a wallet. I think the person I saw was looking for things she could easily steal.

So it is better to take a friend along to help guard each others stuff.
Getting back to the fibro effects I am usually stiff and sore, by the time I get where I am going. Seats in all forms of travel were not make to be comfortable for sitting long periods of time or sleeping.

Good Luck on your trip to Holland. :)
 
I hope you'll have a great and memorable trip to Holland without any excessive pain issues!

Probably the most important thing is something you already said... keep moving as much as you can and don't sit still too long for any one stretch of time. That causes problems even for people who don't have fibro, so heading off those potential problems is something that needs to be dealt with. There are stretches and movements you can do while sitting, too, that won't be a bother to people sitting near you.
 
I hope you have a good trip. I also hope you are not in a lot of planes. I can see for sure how just the way you have to sit could bring on some plane. I agree that it is still probably a bit easier on the body than a long long ride in a car though.
 
Thanks! I actually have to catch only 1 connecting flight! Yay! I'm visiting family, so I already know where I'll be staying :) The problem as usual is getting there! Now that's the tricky part! Thankfully the trip won't be so long, I think I'll just walk around the plane whenever I get the chance. The hardest part is the 8 hours long flight from Newark to Amsterdam!
 
I hope you'll have a great and memorable trip to Holland without any excessive pain issues!

Probably the most important thing is something you already said... keep moving as much as you can and don't sit still too long for any one stretch of time. That causes problems even for people who don't have fibro, so heading off those potential problems is something that needs to be dealt with. There are stretches and movements you can do while sitting, too, that won't be a bother to people sitting near you.

Thanks, I hope so too. I'm visiting family there, so I'm hoping this will be a really relaxing and good experience. The only worriesome part of the trip is how long it will be! The hardest part is the 8 hours long flight from Newark to Amsterdam. What could be even worse? The fact I can't sleep during flights :( What's even worse is the fact I need to get there so early in the morning. No sleep for me that day. I'll try to do as you said :) I'll google some stretch movement on Google.
 
They say it is good to get up once in a while and stretch your legs and even do exercises while sitting down. Like rotating your neck and shoulders and feet. I think your right in stating that planes are better than buses. I think the best way to travel other than in a car, is by train. I love using Amtek to go down the east coast to florida. The out west trips are even more fun because they have lots of snack and observation cars where you can sit and look out the windows or visit with friends.

The only downside is it is risky leaving your belongings on your seat or in the rack, unattended, even to go to the restroom. Last time I traveled by train I saw a woman walking through the train cars glancing back and forth at peoples luggage. I ask her straight out what she was looking for? She said "nothing." Later someone in a car behind us had lost a wallet. I think the person I saw was looking for things she could easily steal.

So it is better to take a friend along to help guard each others stuff.
Getting back to the fibro effects I am usually stiff and sore, by the time I get where I am going. Seats in all forms of travel were not make to be comfortable for sitting long periods of time or sleeping.

Good Luck on your trip to Holland. :)

I've never had the plasure to travel by train :( Is it really that nice? It must be! All the movies I have watched have people sitting in those trains, while admiring the landscape! That beats traveling by plane easily, I mean... all you can see when you are up there is just a bunch of clouds! Plus I'm so scared of planes! But I've family to visit over there! So no choice!

Uhm, that's really uncool! I hope they caught that woman? Stealing someone's wallet can really ruin one's day. Specially if you are going tru difficult times :( Hopely that guy wasn't carrying a lot cash on him! That's why I always take my handbag with me whenever I have to use the bathroom.

Sadly I usually travel solo, so traveling by train might not be the best choice for me :(

Thanks! I will need a lot of that :p It's going to be a really long day!
 
I traveled out west to Montana, on a bus trip that involved using Amtak, and the bus was alright but the train ride was better. We saw beautiful countryside and wild animals, high mountains and deep valleys. We crossed high bridges and went along side rivers and lakes. It was a wonderful trip that included most of the upper western states. Got to see Yellowstone National Park, which was amazing. Like I said the trains in the western part of US, have sightseeing cars with big windows for viewing and of course plenty of snack cars. The hardest part of train riding is learning how to walk like a drunken sailor or a wobbley duck, that is how people describe it. The train cars sway back and forth as the rails are not completely smooth, so you learn to walk that way to avoid falling down.

The train rides up and down the east coast are not as nice nor kept as clean. The bathrooms only work when the train is running, and quickly get bad when the electric is off. I was not very happy with most of the train attendants, as they are rude and somewhat unhelpful. If you ride try to request a window seat. They have very nice dining cars and good food. They also have sleeper cars which are great if you can afford them as you have your own space and can lock the door for safety. If something comes up missing usually no one can leave the train until the object is found. I did not get a chance to report this woman, because the attendants were focusing their questions on a passenger near me who could not have done it as she was disabled and had not gone back to the car behind us.

I have watched train ride videos for Canada and over seas, and they look really nice. Hope that answers your question. :)
 
It did :) More than that, you should work for one of those travel agencies... I loved the way you described the ride and the things you saw. I almost felt like I was there for a brief moment :) Just amazing! I really need to travel by train one day, actually I plan to go to a place named ''Chihuahua'' in Mexico. I plan to get from that city to creel by train! I heard the main attractive of that ride is the sightseeing bit :) That place is full of mountains, small lakes, and a really blue sky!

I'll definitely try the route you mentioned :) I'm sticking to the west, no doubt about it!

What a pitty! I feel awful for that poor woman! I hope they left her alone soon enough! It must be so frustrating to be accused of doing such a thing!
 
Hi Trellum, I just got back from a 8 hour trip to Hawaii - first 2 hours to Seattle and then the next leg was a 6 hour flight. I too was worried because last year I went to Mexico which is a 5 hour trip and I had a horrible time. My legs hurt for 3 days after which impacts your vacation time. I talked about it with my doctor and he prescribed me Lorazepam - he gave me 6 pills at 1mg each. I just took 1 pill right after getting in my seat for the 6 hour plane trip. It worked very well for me. I felt relaxed and my muscles were not all tight so I had less pain. I even slept for 2 hours with my neck pillow which I turned around and rested my chin on the pillow part. I also made sure to get up and just stand by my isle seat. I didn't sleep on the return trip so maybe I should have taken 2 pills for coming home. Hope this helps.
 
Hi Tracy! Lorazepam you say? I might ask my doctor to give me that, I really try not to take a lot pain meds (unless is 100% necessary), but sometimes is really needed. I hadn't thought about my legs hurting once I arrive there, I mean, I know they will! So will my back, neck, arms... etc. Gosh, it seems I need to take care of several things before my trip :( Thanks a lot for sharing what worked for you :) I hope you had a great trip! Mine is in just a month... so nervious!
 
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