If you rely on medical oxygen for your health and comfort, you don’t want to risk not being able to access it. It is for this reason that many patients actively avoid travel, preferring to stay home, where their oxygen supply is well-established and personal doctors and GPs are easily accessible. However it is perfectly possible to source a reliable oxygen supply for travel with the help of niche oxygen travel support services. With their expertise and wide network of suppliers, traveling with medical oxygen does not have to be the minefield it is often assumed to be. No one would travel without being absolutely sure that they will have a roof over their head and food to eat while they’re there, as a minimum. When it comes to medical oxygen, you need even more confidence that your needs will be met, and met wherever you are: on the plane, at the airport and, of course, at your destination. Medical oxygen is not a variable in your journey planning, it is absolutely essential. Let’s have a look at some oxygen problems while traveling that could occur without careful planning and specialist backup.
What Can Go Wrong Without a Reliable Supply?
Different oxygen users have different needs: some are mostly fine, just needing an occasional ‘breather’ to restore them, but others have more urgent needs, requiring access to medical oxygen at frequent intervals throughout the day, if not all the time. While the former might be prepared to ‘wing it’ hoping to manage their health through low exertion and avoiding stress until they are back in the proximity of their oxygen supply, the latter cannot take such chances. For these people, missed or delayed deliveries to travel destinations, not being able to access oxygen at the airport or while in transit can be devastating to their holiday, and even have longer-term health implications as they try to recover from the short period of no-access to their essential oxygen supply.
And it’s not only the oxygen supply that might be problematic – certain airlines only permit specified makes and models of oxygen equipment, meaning that your tried and trusted portable oxygen concentrator might not be permitted on the flight despite you checking which portable oxygen devices were acceptable for air travel. And occasionally, even if you have done your due diligence and hired a qualifying POC for the flight, it might not be able to provide the flow rate you need.
Communication issues are the final item in the list of possible oxygen problems while traveling – and they are two-fold. First of all, if you don’t have an emergency contact number, you might not be able to alert anyone to issues that might have occurred to disrupt your oxygen supply: delays in taking off or landing, requiring a higher flow-rate than planned due to the altitude or low-oxygen environment of the plane, getting lost navigating to your hotel, or any of a number of other delaying factors that might see you running out of oxygen with few options for a resupply. And the other problem is being able to find an oxygen supplier, but having a language barrier that prevents you from asking what proofs you need to supply to get the oxygen you need, or even from expressing what you need and why.
“Even one missed delivery or incompatible cylinder can ruin a trip—or worse, put your health at risk.”
While the above comment is very true, you really don’t have to let worries about a reliable oxygen supply for travel put paid to your dreams to travel.
What a Reliable Oxygen Supply Looks Like
How much more reassured would you be if you knew there was a company that specializes in oxygen travel support services? Immensely so, is the guess. Let’s take a look at what a reliable oxygen supply company would look like.
- They would deliver your required oxygen to wherever you need it: airport (for take-off or landing), while in transit (especially if traveling by cruise or overnight train), or to your pre-booked accommodations. And they would do this at exactly the time requested so you don’t have to spend a single minute worrying about if your oxygen or equipment is going to turn up.
- They would ensure that what you have ordered is what you get. You will have let them know your needs in detail, and the company will supply everything that you’ve ordered in the quantities and style you prefer. A tailored oxygen supply will ensure that you are happy and healthy throughout your travels, as you leave your home country, travel to or through various destinations, and then back home again.
- They would have clearly defined and easy to use backup plans in place for you, with customer service available around the clock, with experts able to make real-time changes to your supply should it become necessary due to unforeseen circumstances or unavoidable delays.
Such an oxygen supply company does, in fact, exist. OxygenWorldwide has been supplying travel oxygen to those in need for over thirty years. Let’s have a closer look at what they do.
How OxygenWorldwide Ensures a Reliable Supply
With that thirty-plus years of experience in the business, OxygenWorldwide has had the time to build up a global network of tried and trusted oxygen suppliers in over a hundred countries all over the world. The team members are multi-lingual, able to talk to you and to the oxygen suppliers with native-level fluency, so there are no misunderstandings or losses in translation between your needs and the oxygen supply. OxygenWorldwide can supply your oxygen across your entire trip, from pre-boarding to arrival and the reverse when you are on the way home again afterwards.
OxygenWorldwide can help you tailor an oxygen supply plan for regular holidays, for multi-country trips, for cruises – land-hugging or otherwise – and even in the case of medical repatriation.
The company has an emergency line which is manned around the clock – and every customer is given this number and strongly encouraged to save it into their phone and with any emergency contacts so that it is at hand should it be needed at short notice.
Real-Life Travel Scenarios
Are you planning a lengthy cruise that will encompass multiple destinations? Not only will we send you off with a good supply of oxygen, but we can meet you with refills at every port along the way, so you are never fearful that you’re getting down to the last dregs of your final cylinder.
Has your flight been delayed for hours? No problem, ring that twenty-four hour line and let us know and we’ll adjust the time with local suppliers so everything can get back on track smoothly once your flight has landed.
Your bags have gone off on their own holiday and you’re worried that your oxygen supply might be affected? Your oxygen supply is handled separately, often by local partners in the destination country, so your oxygen supply will be reliable, even if you are not entirely sure where your favourite shirt and swimsuit has ended up!
Are you traveling for medical treatment? Or perhaps you fell ill while abroad? Once your medical personnel have discharged you, OxygenWorldwide will pick up the logistics seamlessly, ensuring that you have enough oxygen for the remainder of your stay in the foreign country, as well as for getting you safely home to complete your recuperation.
It’s YOUR Trip – Make Sure It’s Safe
Your oxygen needs should never be something that you feel awkward or embarrassed about, and you should never have to become stressed because of late or cavalier supplies. The right oxygen supply partner will provide you with freedom, safety and peace of mind, allowing you to plan and enjoy your travels without any excessive concerns.
If you’re planning to travel, we’re ready to help. Start your journey with OxygenWorldwide by filling in the following free enquiry form. Go on. You’ll never know how efficient oxygen delivery can be until you try it!
