Holiday next week

[littlemissbee]

Hi everyone,

I've seen a few travelling/holiday related threads here lately and just after some advice on how everyone copes.

We are going on holiday next week - only staying in the UK and heading to a Haven park but I'm still worried. The drive is about 2 hours and then there'll be all of the waiting around to check in. In situations like this my anxiety tends to flare up. I suspect that there will be lots of toilets on site but I'm more worried about when we go out of the resort to the local town/beach. Again, I'm sure there'll be toilets around but it's just the worry of not knowing the area and needing one quickly.

I have used immodium in the past but it doesn't always work and I also find that if it clogs me up for a few days I'll end up having a really bad day with pain/several BM's when it's left my system. That wouldn't be fun on holiday so I'm going to try not to use immodium unless I really have to.

Any other advice/experiences about coping when you're not at home? x

[Lisahelen]

As a practical suggestion, you could get town maps of where you are/want to go which will show toilets, you can get these from tourist info or even the holiday camp might have them. You could download same/similar from the net before you go as well to familiarise yourself. Take with you and keep in the car then put the relevant one for the day in your bag. I have done this in the past and it has made it easier to know where things are beforehand. I havent looked myself, but i suspect there is more than likely an app you can have on your phone which will locate them.

[runswithdogs]

Half a pill of Imodium will often stop me up but will avoid the terrible pains and bloating that I get with a full pill.

[harrietjay]

Hi! I had some similar worries a few weeks ago before my holiday. I suppose there's no way really to make sure the IBS doesn't affect your holiday, but I did make a few small measures that I believe helped. I also found that the holiday itself was really good for my symptoms (I think my symptoms are heavily related to stress, so getting away from work cleared them up a bit!).

First, I made sure I did a bit of 'research' before I went - like the idea from Lisahelen above, I looked up maps and familiarised myself with where there might be loos I could use. I also made sure we had a rough plan for driving, so that we wouldn't go too long without comfort stops - probably a sensible idea anyway when doing a lot of driving, but it's not something I've put a lot of effort into before!

Second, I made an 'emergency pack' that was just a small tupperware box that fit easily into my bag and went everywhere with me. It had some pills that I'd found helped me before (Immodium and Apercap peppermint oil), some teabags of mint and liquorice tea which I've found really helps me but isn't often available, baby wipes and spare knickers (prepared for the worst!).

Finally, I took a box of muesli with me, since I found that it was good for my breakfasts since I was reacting badly to some cereals. We were staying at a B&B for some of the time, so I had a quiet word with the lovely lady there to make sure she didn't think I was being rude, and had my own breakfasts.

I suppose some of these ideas will be specific to me, and specific to knowing what triggers or helps you, but the short version is that I found being prepared a huge help. It took a weight off my mind and helped me relax, which I think helps the symptoms for some people. Plus on the one occasion where I did need to dive into the emergency box, it meant that the impact and hassle of it was minimised and we still had a great holiday.

Sincerely hope you enjoy your holiday!!