Travel.
Having just had your surgery, travel whether within Ireland or sunnier climes can be daunting. While
some people have no issues travelling as far away as Australia, others fear a train journey or even
heading to town for the day.
From my own experience I had my operation in July 2023 and my son was getting married the
following September in Croatia (8 weeks later) so I had no choice but to travel. It was not plain sailing
but I got over it. Based on my limited experience here is my advice for travelling.
1) For travel within Ireland and the UK (cool climates)
a. In your carry on bag (the bag that holds your day to day supplies)
i. Replace your adhesive remover spray with a new one
ii. Replace your protective spray with a new bottle
iii. Now make sure your bag contains the following
1. 2 ostomy bags cut to your size
2. 2 rings (if used)
3. 2 adhesive wipes
4. Extenders for 2 bag changes
5. Odour eliminator spray
6. Stoma powder (if used)
7. Cloths and wipes for 2 changes
8. 4 disposable bags
iv. Remove the scissors from your bag (or lose it at security)
v. A copy of your prescription
b. In your checked bag sufficient supplies for the duration of your stay plus 50% extra!
Use items 1 to 8 above as a guide to make sure you have everything you need.
Put your scissors in the checked in bag. Bring a measuring guide as the size of your
stoma may change.
2) For travel to hotter countries
Bring double the amount of supplies you think you will need
i.e. If you change your bag every day and you are travelling for 14 days bring 28 bags and
associated supplies. This is in addition to what’s in your day to day or carry on bag.
3) Travel certificate & No Waiting card
these are available from your Ostomy bag supplier and should be signed and stamped by
your specialist nurse or doctor. Depending on your supplier the travel certificate has
information in up to 16 languages
4) European health insurance card
available from your local health centre or Online Here
5) Hidden disability lanyard
The hidden disability lanyard with the sunflower is recognised by Dublin Airport. It is
available Here
6) Travel Insurance
Check that it covers all your current conditions. Some companies will charge extra based on
your current conditions.
7) Medical bag
When travelling you are entitled to bring an extra bag on board free of charge on some
airlines. This must be booked in advance with the airline. Click on one of the links below or
call the airline you are travelling with.
Assisted Travel Queries – Ryanair Help Centre
Ryan Air Special Assistance +353 1800 807 799
Aerlingus Special Assistance tel:(01) 761 7839
Online Disability Assistance – Aer Lingus
Online Medical Conditions – Aer Lingus
Online Aer Lingus Medical Form
8) The day of travel
a. Before you leave
i. Empty your ostomy bag just before you leave the house
ii. Check that you have your day bag with fresh supplies
iii. Enough supplies in your checked in bag
iv. A change of clothes in your carry on bag
b. Before going through security empty your bag again. An empty bag might be missed
by the scanner. If you use a shield it might be worth removing this before going
through the scanner.
c. Consider emptying your bag again before you board the plane. Toilets on busses,
trains, boats and planes are all small and it will be much easier to empty the bag
before you get on-board.
9) On Holiday
In hot climates and if swimming you will need to change your bag more frequently.
Remember an empty bag will not leak. Empty frequently. I wear a level 1 support at night to
help prevent any leaks from escaping
Keep your supplies out of the sun.
10) What’s in the bag
a. Day bag
I bring this everywhere. Enough supplies for 2 to 3 changes of Ostomy bag
b. Car
One change of clothes and one Ostomy bag change
c. Swimming bag
One Ostomy bag change and some extra extenders.
During swimming the bag/extender may start to peel away so I put on an extra
extender either before or after swimming depending on the condition of the bag.
d. Canoeing bag (also suitable hiking wild camping etc)
Dry bag containing
i. One ostomy bag change
ii. 1 litre container with
1. Disposable bags
2. Cloths
3. Wet wipes
4. Hand sanitizer
iii. 2
nd 1 litre container/s to hold the contents of my emptied bag
e. Checked in bag
Scissors, twice the number of supplies that I think I will need plus a bit. Don’t pre cut
all the bags as things may change while on holidays.
How to empty the Bag in an airline toilet
An airline toilet is different to the ones we are used to as it uses suction rather than water to empty
the bowel. This changes how we use it. Having recently taken several flights I found the following
method works well.
I generally kneel to empty the bag and this can be an issue in public toilets including airlines as the
floor can be damp or dirty. In the airline toilet I have used a couple of paper towels to dry the floor
and then place them in the bin (not the toilet). Then place 2 clean paper towels down to kneel on.
Next prepare the bowel before emptying the bag. Place sheets of toilet paper in the bowel as shown
in the picture and empty the bag onto them. It will help if they are a bit wet as seen.
After you empty Your bag it should all then get sucked down in the normal way. If you bring a paper
cup with you into the toilet you can fill it with some water and use that to help flush it down. Or use
a few sheets of toilet paper to push it down and flush it again.
A word of warning:
Using odour eliminator spray in an airline toilet could setoff the smoke alarm – so be warned.
Canoeing Bag
This is the bag I bring with me when Canoeing and with this I can empty my bag at the side of the
river and bring it with me to dispose of at the end of the day.
Dry bag and its contents
1) Container for clean items
a. Disposable bags
b. Cloths
c. Wipes
d. Hand sanitizer
e. Disposable gloves (hidden at the bottom right)
Here I have prepared a 1 litre container to receive the contents of my bag. I place the disposable
bag in a 1 litre container and place a cloth at the bottom to absorb some of the contents and also
to keep the bag in place.
When finished tie the bag and put the lid on.
Everything then goes back into the dry bag and I can go back on the river.
If you look closely you can identify the containers. No need to buy special containers other than
a good dry bag to seal everything in. The second container is a used yogurt container and when
empty they stack inside each other so I can bring 2 or 3 of them with me.
Enjoy your travels
