US 
Whether it’s somewhere local or a holiday abroad your stoma shouldn’t stop you.
Travelling can be stressful enough at times, particularly in airports. The 3am alarm, navigating the huge car park, quickly rearranging luggage when it’s slightly over the allowance, we have all experienced the fast-paced walk to the gate only to stand there for another hour!
Having a stoma has allowed me to travel to so many different places and I am so grateful for this but I have to admit I do find air travel the most stressful out of all the modes of transport.
I don’t mind going through security, a lot of the time I was only ever pulled up at random, however, since body scanners have been introduced, I have been pulled up every time. It’s not so bad now I am used to it, but it can be quite frustrating loosing time that I had originally planned to relax in. Although I always tell the staff that I have a stoma and I am happy for them to search me in public, I have always been taken to a private room. I have had quite mixed experiences from staff members, some have had family members with a stoma whereas one asked me if my stoma was on the wrong side!
I have always found airport facilities to be great, the few times I have had to change my bag either in the airport or on the plane I have never had any issues. I always take spare pants with me just in case and make sure my supplies are accessible.
My advice
I usually pack three to four times the amount of supplies I would use in the length of time I am away for, a week’s holiday I usually just take my whole order with me!
Organise special assistance – don’t be scared to ask for extra help, you deserve to have a stress-free holiday so any little helps. I did this and actually ended up on a private minibus to my plane instead of struggling to balance on the bendy buses. This also means you can cut the queues at the airport which is such a positive when your bag tends to fill quite quickly.
Most of my trips/holidays are quick weekends away so I usually only take hand luggage anyway but if you are planning to take a suitcase for the hold, I would always recommend taking your supplies, or at least half of them in your hand luggage just in case your hold luggage goes missing.
I often book trips at the last minute, so I tend to use budget airlines which of course means I don’t get much baggage allowance. Most Airlines offer an extra bag of hand luggage for medical supplies meaning you can take everything on board without losing space in your carry-on bag.
Leave extra time for security just in case you are pulled for a search, even if you get through quickly, it just means you get extra time to get a drink and watch the planes go by.
I always try to get on the plane last if possible so I can use the bathroom just before I get on, sometimes waiting to taxi can be a while and often the on flight toilets don’t open until the plane reaches cruising altitude. This alleviates my worries of my bag filling up too much before we are airborne.
Being sat in the middle seat gives me the most anxiety but unfortunately with budget airlines you usually must pay to pick a seat so sometimes I’m happy to just put up with it to save money. If I am on a longer flight in the hope of claiming an aisle seat that may be spare, I tend to tell the cabin crew that I have a stoma and may need to use the bathroom regularly.
Speak to the customer support staff prior to checking in for your flight, some airlines will allocate seats on the aisle and near the toilets without a fee and this also means your family can sit by you without having to pay any extra.
Keep well fueled and hydrated, I take most of my food with me for my journey in my hand luggage, so I don’t have to rely on airport food and I always take a reusable bottle with me to fill up at the water stations.
Now go and enjoy the duty free!