About 60 percent of Americans take at least one vacation every year.

Some people fly down to Florida in the middle of the winter to escape the cold. Others set sail for a tropical island during the summertime to soak up as much sun as they can.

Regardless of where you go, you’ll have the opportunity to see some amazing sights along the way—provided, of course, you don’t forget your contact lenses and everything that goes along with them at home.

Knowing how to travel with contact lenses is very important if you’re one of the 45 million people who currently wear them. Your vacation is going to be a gigantic bust if you don’t take your contacts into account prior to your trip.

Here is a handy guide on how to travel the world with contact lenses.

Obtain the Proper Prescription for Contacts

When is the last time you took a trip to your eye doctor to have your eyes examined?

Most experts recommend that contact lens wearers visit their eye doctor at least once every year or so to have their eyes checked out. During your annual checkup, your eye doctor can let you know if you need a stronger contact lens prescription.

Your current contact lenses might not be cutting it as far as improving your eyesight is concerned. If that’s the case, you can enhance your upcoming vacation by getting your hands on a new prescription.

Use your trip as the perfect excuse to book an eye doctor appointment. It’ll make you more excited about going to the eye doctor than you would be otherwise.

Stock Up on Contacts for Your Trip

Some people make the mistake of bringing just a single pair of contact lenses along with them when they travel. They think that, as long as they take good care of their contacts, one pair will be more than enough.

Don’t make this mistake!

Right before your trip, you should stock up on contacts by purchasing a fresh box of them. You should then put at least a few pairs of contacts into your travel bag and bring them along with you.

You never know when you’re going to forget your contacts behind in a hotel room or accidentally drop a contact lens into the toilet when you’re taking it out. It’ll help to have a few spare pairs ready to go if something happens to your initial pair of contacts.

Think About Using Daily Disposable Contacts

Different contact lenses are designed to last for different lengths of time. There are some that will only last for a day and others that will last for upwards of a month.

If you don’t wear them already, you should consider taking daily disposable contacts with you when you travel. This will prevent you from having to worry about caring for your contacts day in and day out.

If you do decide to go this route, just make sure you bring enough daily disposables to last for your entire trip. Pack a few extra pairs of contacts as well in case you run through your daily lenses quicker than expected.

Pack Everything You’ll Need to Care for Contacts

Daily disposable contact lenses are ideal for those who are traveling. You won’t have to stress yourself out when you’re thinking about how to travel with contacts when you decide to go with daily disposables.

Daily disposables aren’t for everyone, though. Some people prefer using contacts that last for longer than a day.

If you fall into this category, that’s fine. But you will need to pack everything that you’ll need to care for your contacts throughout the duration of your trip.

Some of the things that will need to find their way into your suitcase include:

• At least one travel-size bottle of contact lens solution
• Several smaller bottles of contact lens rewetting drops
• One or maybe even two contact lens cases

Generally speaking, you want to try not to overpack when you’re putting together a bag for vacation. Far too often, people take more clothing and accessories than they need on a trip.

But it’s better to be safe than sorry when it comes to packing contact lenses and the supplies you need to take care of them. Always pack a little more than you need since it might be tough to find contact lenses and contact lens supplies when you’re on vacation, depending on where you’re going.

Don’t Cut Corners When Caring for Contacts on Vacation

There are a bunch of scientific reasons why it’s a good idea for people to go on vacation on a regular basis. One of the top reasons is that vacation helps people to reduce and, in some cases, even eliminate stress.

In recent years, Americans have turned into some of the most stressed out people in the entire world. About 55 percent of people report feeling very stressed these days.

You should make an effort to use regular vacations as a way to battle back against stress. But you shouldn’t allow yourself to get so relaxed on vacation that you forget to care for your contacts.

Unless you’re going to be wearing daily disposable contacts all vacation long, you’ll need to clean your contacts before and after putting them into your eyes and keep them in your contact lens case when you’re not using them. You’ll also need to make sure you’re replacing your contacts as necessary during your trip.

You’re going to feel your stress levels rise if you forgo caring for your contacts and end up with an eye infection. You’re also not going to be able to enjoy the sights on your vacation if your contacts aren’t in tip-top condition.

Bring a Pair of Glasses Along

As long as you bring enough contact lenses on your trip and take good care of them, you shouldn’t ever have to think about putting glasses on. But it never hurts to bring your glasses on vacation, just in case.

There is a chance that your suitcase could end up getting lost as you travel from one place to the next. There is also a chance that you could forget a toiletries bag filled with your contact lenses and contact lens supplies at a hotel.

If either of these things were to happen, you would be in big trouble. But you would be able to dodge a disaster by relying on your glasses for the rest of your trip. They would allow you to continue to see the sights on vacation despite the loss of your contact lenses.

Some people also like having the ability to throw their glasses on when they make a late-night run down to the front desk at their hotel rather than putting their contacts back in. It’s never a bad idea to have glasses handy even if you don’t wear them very often.

Bring Your Contact Lens Prescription, Too

Are you taking an extended vacation that’s going to last for several weeks or even several months?

If so, you should definitely pack your contact lens prescription for your trip. There’s at least a decent chance that you may need to arrange to buy new contacts when you’re on vacation, and you won’t be able to do it without a contact lens prescription.

You should also keep your eye doctor’s name and number in your phone so that you can call on their office for assistance if you need help with a prescription. They can advise you if you run into any issues with your glasses or contacts while you’re traveling.

Consider Removing Contacts Before Flights

If you’re going to be traveling by car or by boat during your next vacation, you don’t have to worry too much about this tip. But if you’re going to be flying when you’re on vacation, it’s important to keep it in mind.

The air inside of the average airplane is very dry. The dry air can cause your contacts to dry up on you and become uncomfortable, especially if you’re taking a long flight.

Try to take your contacts out before long flights and wear glasses instead. Or if you don’t want to do that, keep rewetting drops for your contacts close by at all times. This will help you avoid having to wear dry contacts that will make your eyes hurt. 

Learn How to Travel the World With Contact Lenses

Those people who have worn contact lenses for years now probably know how to travel with them. If you’re a new contact lens wearer, you might not think to do some of the things listed here.

It’s important for you to make the proper preparations for your trip so that you have enough contact lenses and the right supplies to care for them. It’ll help you to enjoy your trip more as you take in all the incredible sights that you see during it.

Would you like to find out more tips for making your next vacation a success? Read our blog to get some advice from the travel pros.