How to Manage Ulcerative Colitis on Vacation

Natalie Kelley, 25, had only been in Oahu, Hawaii, for a few hours when she started feeling severely nauseated. The heat and humidity had triggered a flare, which threatened to derail her monthlong trip. Luckily, the Portland native knew how to handle it.

“What helped me was sticking to the shade, eating very simple foods, staying extremely hydrated, and ingesting ginger each day — whether it was ginger tea, ginger chews, or ginger pills,” she says.

Ideally, a flare won’t slow down your travel plans, which is where your doctor can help you “travel with as few restrictions as possible,” says Karen Chachu, MD, PhD, an assistant professor of medicine in gastroenterology, with a specialty in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), at Duke University School of Medicine in Raleigh, North Carolina. “The goal is to allow you to get back to your normal life and do all the things you want to do.” Here’s how to do just that.

1. Head Off Stress by Making a List

“Traveling can be stressful, so planning and trying to think a little bit about all of the things you’ll need can go a long way in alleviating that stress,” says Dr. Chachu. “If you travel frequently, keep a list on paper, your phone’s notepad, or on an app with everything you need or have to do to prep for a trip. We can’t plan for every single thing, but if you have the important things outlined, it can all work out seamlessly.”

2. Take Inventory of the Medications You’ll Need

Always keep your medications with you when you travel, and make sure you have refills if you need extras, says Chachu. In a pinch, your doctor can generally call in a prescription for tablet medications to a local pharmacy, but injectables can be harder to obtain.

“Those oftentimes come from a specialty pharmacy and can take days, if not weeks, to prepare and ship,” she says. Chachu suggests refilling your injectable at least several weeks before your trip. She also suggests keeping the injectable in its original packaging so that if you’re flying or traveling internationally, security personnel will be able to tell what it is.

Some medications require refrigeration, so you may need to pack them in a cooler or other storage container while you travel.

You may also want to consider packing other medications. “For patients who have had flare-ups while traveling in the past, I often recommend over-the-counter antidiarrheal medications,” says Chachu. “For the vast majority of people, it can really help settle things and allow you to enjoy activities, such as a hike or boating excursions, without issue.”

Taking a prescription that reduces urgency was crucial for Brenda Kosciuk, 39, of Scranton, Pennsylvania, as she navigated her vacation. “I only discovered my medication a few years ago, and it’s what made my solo trip to Mexico City possible,” she says. “It’s extremely effective.”

3. Take Some Time to Relax

“Before vacation, I greatly focus on stress reduction, as that is the biggest symptom trigger for my UC,” says Kelley. “What this looks like for me is taking supplements like CBD (cannabidiol), getting acupuncture a couple of times a week leading up to my trip, and spending extra time in meditation.”

4. Map Out Some Locations

Planning ahead means mapping out the location’s points of interest that are most important to you, as well as those nearby that are necessary for flare-up prevention and in case of a flare.

“Find out where the closest local hospital is to wherever you are traveling,” says Renee Welch, 36, of Toronto. “When I had a surgery and then later had to travel, my surgeon provided me with a local hospital in Texas, just in case I needed it. It was good to have that security.”

Kelley takes a similar approach with her food. “I like to research my destination to find where grocery stores and tummy-safe restaurants are,” she says. Likewise, mapping out nearby bathrooms at parks, on hikes, and other destinations is a great idea.

5. Eat and Drink With Caution

If you’re traveling to many places outside the United States, Chachu highly recommends drinking only bottled water and ice made from bottled water. “I even recommend using bottled water for brushing your teeth and washing fruits and vegetables,” she says. Tap water may trigger diarrhea, which can then trigger a major flare.

Also, prior to dining somewhere, inquire about how the food is prepped and cooked, as well as what menu options are available. “I find that most restaurants are very accommodating when it comes to food sensitivities and allergies,” says Chachu.

6. Ask if There Are Disability Services

Kosciuk recently took advantage of the DAS program while on vacation with her family at Disney World. “It allows people who have some sort of reason that they can’t stand in line for long periods of time to avoid standing in line,” she says. “I used it for one day of my Disney vacation after I ate something that disagreed with me. It allowed me to participate fully in my vacation with my children.”

7. Stick to a Routine

On vacation, Kelley structures her day the same way she structures every other day. “For me, this looks like continuing my morning routine and staying on a similar meal and medication schedule,” she says. “It helps my body feel a lot less stressed.”

Chachu recommends skipping new foods, too. “When we’re on vacation, we’re tempted to be a little less strict about what we’re eating and drinking,” she says. “But I usually suggest people be a tiny bit conservative about what they eat when traveling. If you’ve never had something before, it might be good to try a little bit rather than a whole big plateful of it, especially if it’s something really unusual.”

All in all, you don’t have to give up exciting travel or fun vacations just because you have UC. “Travel is a major experience. It’s absolutely possible to travel,” she says. “It just takes some planning.”