Traveling with Bronchiectasis/NTM

Wow! In all these years somehow I missed this useful document.

For me, cleaning/sterilizing becomes one of the most challenging parts of traveling. The article states: "The appropriate means for cleaning and sterilising medical equipment (e.g. nebulisers and mucus-clearance devices) should be available when travelling", but it does not go into specifics. How did you deal with this aspect?

For domestic travel longer than a few days I pack a BBS along with a ramen pot for boiling water, dawn dish soap and a small silicone container. I'll pick up distilled water, which is easy to find in the US. In, Europe+ I understand finding distilled water is almost non-existent. The eFlow cleaning instructions specifically call for distilled water. What was your experience?

I read the article but it never mentions how to clean equipment when traveling! That is important to me as I’ll be in Portugal at a resort and need some recommendations for cleaning. I’m thinking ask for an electric kettle that I can boil water and then pour over Aerobika and neb cup? Any suggestions?

@wandafanda I took a collapsible silicone bowl from Amazon and used hot pot when I had kettle in room. Leaving the lid open lets the water bowl longer and a small brush can help break up biofilm. We were in different spots and I didn't have a kettle in one place, but had a small insulated stainless thermos I'd thrown in and the kitchen was happy to give me boiling water in it. I'd get one bottle full to wash/soak and then one to rinse. Vinegar might be an option depending on your location.
Have a wonderful time! It's high on my bucket list and I'm hoping you'll tell us how it worked out for you.

@pacathy would 70% rubbing alcohol be an option if you’re somewhere you can buy it. The Aerobika can be cleaned / sterilized in it.

@pacathy After the 70% rubbing alcohol sterilization I would rinse in water from my LifeStraw bottle. The LifeStraw Go Series bottles are lightweight and as others have said, some of the best. Unfortunately a bit expensive.

You can try it before you go to see if it rinses well. It should work. I tried it once with my spacer and it was hard to get the smell out, but the aerobika is harder plastic and probably easier.
Keep in mind that Falkenham said nebulizers and Aerobikas don't easily grow MAC. I take comfort in that and figure if I clean it thoroughly (best I can) and store it covered in clean space to dry, odds are in my favor that it will be ok for a week or two.

Thanks for all the recommendations for travel. I’ll let you know how it goes. I’ll bring my collapsible silicone bowl and hope I can get an electric kettle in the room. I know when I went to England I could not get rubbing alcohol so will try vinegar. Not going to stress over it and will do the best I can with cleaning!

@wandafanda Just remember not to dilute the vinegar! The tests showed that NTM were killed by 5% vinegar used full strength, after soaking for 30 minutes. (Use distilled white vinegar, not "salad vinegar" which is often diluted or has added ingredients.)

@scoop curious. Is there a mini BBS that will hold an Aerobica and a couple of nebulizer cups but with a smaller footprint than the larger ones? Thanks!

@johnwpatrick For travel I use a Grownsy without the large middle tank. Less $ on Amazon.
https://grownsy.com/products/baby-bottle-sterilizer-and-dryer