Hurt Society Blog Carnival Call: ePatient Travel Edition

Fellow advocate HurtBlogger and I have been traveling a lot lately — cross country flights, multiple hotel room nights, long drives, public transportation, business and pleasure. All the travel takes its toll. We aren't always as rested as we should be, perhaps have always eaten the best, have logged too many steps, or carried too many things. But our advocacy work is important enough that we are willing to make certain sacrifices in order to represent.

This week she and I have met in San Francisco for a rare day of rest and relaxation prior to a Medicine X planning session. Although she lives in Southern California and I in Western North Carolina, our meeting comes on the heels of trip to Boston and Philly — her for the American College of Rheumatology and me for the American Society of Nephrology. Catching up this morning over breakfast, we discussed our travels. We didn't focus on sights we'd seen or foods we'd eaten. Frankly those kinds of things are rather low on the list compared to networking and learning.

Instead we lamented the physical demands of traveling and dealing with an industry — though often called "hospitality" — that is less than patient-friendly. I've heard more stories in the past two years about patients with invisible disabilities being disbelieved and harassed while seeking needed accommodations such as extra time to board a flight, a room with a refrigerator for medication and nutrition or assistance carrying luggage. Many such things can be had by paying more money, but as patients know — problems most easily solved by throwing money at them are the ones that present some of our greatest challenges.

How might we better address these challenges? As individual advocates, we and many others have voiced our concerns and pointed out problems — but that doesn't mean that we've been successful in making it easier for others. So we're launching an offensive. In preparation for the holidays' busy travel period, HurtBlogger and I are joining forces to bring you the Hurt Society Blog Carnival ePatient Travel Edition that will pull together posts highlighting what it's like to travel as a patient.

We want to hear from you. This isn't just about venting — it's about calling out bad policies and proposing solutions; it's about recognizing those who are getting it right and holding them up as shining examples; it's about sharing tips to help others survive whether that's enrolling in TSA's Pre-Check program or finding hotels with free breakfasts.

Submit your post to us for review and possible inclusion by noon (Pacific) on Saturday, Nov. 21. Be sure to format your submission with the following:

Post Title:
Blog Title:
Name:
Twitter Handle:
1-3 Sentence Post Summary: 

Note: perhaps you are not interested in writing a post of your own but know of one that has provided you with valuable tips. Send it to us!

Look for the Hurt Society Blog Carnival ePatient Travel Edition to post this holiday season.