Traveling With Hearing Aids: An Updated Packing Checklist

Our 2023 travel guide remains one of the most-read posts on this blog, so with summer here, it’s worth an update. Hearing aid technology has changed since then (rechargeables are now the norm), and so has the packing list.

Pack like a pro

Build a small hearing aid go-bag:

  • Your charger
  • A portable USB charger/power bank if your devices are rechargeable and you’re going to be away from outlets
  • Spare disposable batteries if your devices use them
  • Extra wax guards and domes
  • A cleaning brush
  • Your drying kit
  • A hard case

Split essentials between bags when you can and always keep hearing aids and chargers in your carry-on, never checked luggage. Anything with lithium-ion batteries (which includes rechargeable hearing aids, hearing aid chargers, and power banks) must be packed in carry-on bags for safety and compliance with aviation guidelines as they are a fire risk.

At the airport

Hearing aids can stay in your ears through security screening; they won’t harm the equipment and the equipment won’t harm them. Removal isn’t required. In flight, keep them on and if your devices stream Bluetooth, you may be able to send entertainment audio straight to your ears.

Humidity, beaches, and hotel rooms

Vacation destinations are often hotter and more humid than home, so nightly drying matters even more than usual. At the beach, guard against sand; it’s as damaging as water. In hotel rooms, pick one consistent spot for your devices, away from curious pets and housekeeping shuffles.

Before you go

Schedule a pre-trip clean-and-check about two weeks before departure. We’ll service your devices, confirm everything works, and make sure you’re stocked so a clogged wax guard doesn’t ambush you in another time zone. Note that the FDA classifies prescription hearing aids as medical devices with professional support behind them; support worth squaring away before you’re 2,000 miles from home.

Hear every moment

Vacations are made of sound: waves, music, toasts, laughter. Travel prepared.

Leaving town soon? Call (812) 273-6262 for a pre-travel hearing aid check-up at Madison Hearing Health.

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