Travelling safely with a lung condition

Before planning a trip, speak to your doctor for advice. If you haven’t seen your doctor recently, it’s worth arranging a review and making sure your self-management plan or asthma action plan is up to date.

Travelling abroad can take more planning than travelling in the UK, especially if you’re flying. You should give yourself enough time to speak to your doctor before travelling. They will be able to advise you about taking medicine or equipment abroad. If you’re planning to fly, they can also tell you if you’ll need to do a fitness-to-fly (hypoxic challenge) test.

Your doctor will be able to give you advice about any vaccines you might need before you travel. If you take oral steroids or immunosuppressive medicine, see your doctor at least eight weeks before you plan to leave. You may not be able to have some vaccines, or you may need a vaccine further in advance before going away.

You can find more information and advice on the NHS Fitfortravel website.

When you’re planning a trip, it’s good to think about things like:

Weather

Very warm or cold weather can affect you and lead to flare-ups or an asthma attack. Hot weather also increases the amount of ozone in the air, which can make symptoms worse. 

Weather changes like heat, cold, humidity or thunderstorms can make symptoms of lung conditions worse. For some people with asthma, they can trigger attacks. 

We have more advice about keeping your lungs healthy in hot weather and cold weather, and about weather as an asthma trigger.

Pollution

Air pollution is harmful to everyone, but people with lung conditions are more at risk.

Pollutants can irritate your lungs and trigger symptoms, so you may want to consider the air quality at your destination.

You can find information about air quality in the UK on the Defra website. You can check the air quality of locations around the world on the World Air Quality Index website.

High altitude

Your lungs get less oxygen at high altitude, for example in mountainous areas. This can make it more difficult for people with lung conditions, so it’s a good idea to talk to your doctor before travelling.

For some conditions, your doctor may suggest you have a test to see if you should use oxygen while at high altitude. If you already use oxygen, they may suggest you increase your flow rate.

Pollen

Pollen can trigger symptoms for some people with lung conditions. Some people find they actually get fewer symptoms from pollen when abroad, because they’re not allergic to some native trees and grasses in the way they are in the UK. 

You still might want to avoid going to countries that have high pollen levels, especially during their pollen season. There are plenty of destinations that have lower pollen levels. Areas by the coast also tend to have lower pollen counts.

Accommodation

If your condition is triggered by things like cigarette smoke, pets or dust mites, you should check whether these could be a problem at your accommodation. If you cannot avoid a trigger, make sure you follow your treatment plan and take your medicines as prescribed to lower your risk of symptoms.

If you have access needs, we have more information about finding accommodation.
 

Most people with a lung condition can travel safely on planes, but you should talk to your doctor before you make any plans. 

You may need a fitness-to-fly (hypoxic challenge) test to confirm whether you need in-flight oxygen. We have specific information about flying with oxygen.

Contact the airline before you book to discuss your needs. If you’ll need assistance, tell your airline at least 48 hours before flying. 

The UK Civil Aviation Authority provides detailed guidance about special assistance for air passengers. Find out more about the help you’re entitled to in the UK and the EU on the GOV.UK website.

Give yourself plenty of time to organise medicines for the whole of your trip. Discuss your plans with your doctor at least two months before you plan to travel.  

For some conditions like severe asthma, COPD, or interstitial lung disease, your doctor may prescribe an emergency supply of antibiotics or steroids.

Will my medicine be allowed?

Different countries have different rules about the types of medicine they allow to be taken into the country, and how much you can take in. Make sure you check the rules for all the countries you’re going to, even if you’re just passing through them.

Some prescribed medicines contain controlled drugs and may require a personal licence to take abroad. 

International rules vary – contact the embassy for the country you're visiting. GOV.UK has a full list of foreign embassies in the UK.

Taking your prescription and a letter from your GP 

It’s a good idea to travel with a copy of your prescription and a letter from your GP with:

• details of your medicine 
• the name of the health condition you need it for.

These will help if security staff ask about your medicine at customs. They will also be useful if you need medical help while you’re away.

Your GP may charge for writing this letter, as it’s not a required NHS service.

Flying with medicine

If you’re flying, you should carry your medicines and any medical equipment in your hand luggage. Keep your medicines and medical equipment in their original, correctly labelled packages. If you can, split your medicines between several bags, so you have some available if one bag goes missing. 

It’s a good idea to take paper copies of all your prescriptions with you. You can also keep photos of them on your phone or view them in the NHS app.

If you need to take medical equipment or more than 100ml of liquid or gel medicine in your hand luggage, you’ll need a letter from your doctor or a copy of your prescription. 

Travelling with medicine checklist

Check the expiry dates for your medicines to be sure that they are valid for the whole of your holiday. 

• Make sure you’ll have enough medicine and equipment to cover your whole trip.
• Make sure you have a copy of your prescription and a letter from your GP with you. 
• Some medicines need to be stored at room temperature or in the fridge. If you need advice on how to keep your medicines cool, talk to your GP or pharmacist. They might advise you to store your medicines in a thermos flask or cooler bag. 
• If you’re given medicine abroad, check whether it can be brought back into the UK. If you’re in any doubt, declare the medicine at customs along with your doctor’s letter. 
• Take a photo of your passport, prescriptions, and insurance policy details to keep on your phone, so you always have a copy with you.
• If you use a reliever inhaler, make sure you can find it quickly in an emergency. 
• If you use a spacer, don’t travel with it in a plastic bag, as this will cause it to build up static. Try a medicine bag instead, and make sure it’s easy to find if you need it. 
• If you have a rescue pack for flare-ups, make sure it is stocked and make sure you know when to use it. Talk to your GP if you’re not sure.
• If you normally use a peak flow meter, take it on holiday so you can monitor your symptoms while you’re away.
• If you use equipment like a nebuliser or CPAP machine, remember that other countries may have different electric sockets and voltages, so you may need an adaptor or battery-powered equipment. If you’re not sure, check with the manufacturer or your healthcare professional. 
• Most airlines allow battery-operated medical equipment to be used on board, but do not allow ones that need a mains supply. Check with your airline about carrying and using your equipment on the plane. 
   

When travelling with a lung condition, you should be prepared for emergencies, like a flare-up or asthma attack. Make sure you:

• always carry your reliever inhaler with you if you use one
• take a list of emergency numbers you might need
• have details of your emergency contact with you and keep them somewhere accessible
• take extra medicine with you in separate bags in case any luggage gets lost
• have your self-management plan or asthma action plan and make sure it lists details of the treatments you need in an emergency. It’s helpful to give this to the people you’re travelling with and healthcare professionals if necessary.

You can find more information and advice about staying healthy when travelling abroad on the NHS Fitfortravel website. The Department of Health Travel Health Pro website has travel health advice for places around the world.

You can read about the travel experiences of other people with lung conditions on our Health Unlocked forum.

Use our helpful checklist to make sure you’re fully prepared for your trip.