Travel tips for Italy

@tjmc We were in Italy in October, bottled spring water is readily available, so it was our choice for drinking. Distilled water is "iffy" depending on where you are, so perhaps you would want a LifeStraw to purify tap or spring water for the nasal rinse. Or you could do what I do when we travel - use Neil Med NasaMist Sterile Saline Wash in an aerosol can.
As for the nebulizer, we brought our Pari eFlow Rapid, but in the past took our DeVilBiss Traveler, very similar to the Pari Trek. Washed the power head components after every use in anti-bacterial Dawn and sterilized once a week when we had access to a saucepan and stovetop.

@sueinmn my daughter has been to Italy too and she just filled her water bottle at all of the fountains around, but I didn’t think that was probably safe for me without a life straw water bottle. I’m glad to hear bottled spring water is readily available, that may be the route I go instead.

The Neilmed NASA Mist Stetile saline wash sounds like a good option I didn’t know about. How do many uses can you get from one of the cans? How do you know how much to use? I did read that some distilled water was better than others but the cans sound like a good idea.

I will probably take my Pari Trek but it’s a little slower than my Pari pro neb max. I usually use Dawn to clean my equipment but haven’t tried the antibacterial Dawn, I’ll have to look for it.

Thanks for the info.

@tjmc I use the saline sporadically and a can lasts me 5-6 uses. Maybe try it a week before you go to see if it works for you and how much you need?

@sueinmn I also plan on wearing a mask in crowded areas. Did you wear a certain kind or just the normal kind you can get at a hospital?

@tjmc I wear 3M KN95 masks. This blocks the majority of particles if fitted well over nose and mouth. We discard after each flight. I buy them in quantity on Amazon.

PS The "expiration date" on masks means the elastic or rubber band is more likely to fail. The mask material itself is still fine. We just carry extras as the batch gets older.

I found a couple things helpful for traveling, though last trip was in Switzerland. I took a collapsible bowl and v small amt of dawn to wash. Most hotels had a hot pot I used for boiling. One did not and I used a slim thermos type bottle I’d happened to throw in to get boiling water from hotel restaurant and they were happy to refill it. I had trouble locating distilled there, but I was mostly in smallish mountain towns.

The N95 is the Gold Standard for masks, since they have the tightest fit. These are what the hospital issues their staff. I can tell you they aren't real comfortable. A KN95 is good and will filter some things out, and the blue and white, like the dental office are better than nothing. (Retired RN)

@pacathy what nebulizer did you travel with?

@texaseve Since 2020 my family has been wearing 3M KN95 masks. The 3M brand KN95 mask is made of the same filter materials as their N95 mask, have head straps (not ear loops like some cheaper brands) and have the same fitting nose piece. For my narrow face the fit is better than the N95. My daughters who are nurses use exactly the same onesn includingat work where blue paper masks are all that are issued outside of sterile or infectious settings.

@scoop On car trips, I take the Proneb max. On the trip to Switzerland, I took my Omron-light and small, but very slow. It’s just ok, but worked because doc said I can use albuterol inhaler while traveling rather than neb and because I have dry bronchiectasis. I use the hypertonic saline to prevent infections rather than to mobilize secretions. I’m planning Alaska trip and an international one this year. Have looked at your Pari travel one and will get before the international one, I think. Depend on the various tax hits. 😀