Travel and Perimenopause:

Hints and tips for travelling beyond menopause.

I thought it was about time I addressed this topic. There is plenty of advice on travelling with periods, but far less discussion around travelling during perimenopause. Perhaps by this stage we’re simply expected to have it all figured out?

Perimenopause manifests itself differently for every woman who experiences it and that’s the rub, symptoms can be come and go, periods can get erratic and there is no ‘same’ experience for any two women. I am NOT a doctor, but according to the NHS website you may experience any one or more of the following:

• hot flushes, when you have sudden feelings of hot or cold in your face, neck and chest which can make you dizzy
• difficulty sleeping, which may be a result of night sweats and make you feel tired and irritable during the day
• palpitations, when your heartbeats suddenly become more noticeable
• headaches and migraines that are worse than usual
• muscle aches and joint pains
• changed body shape and weight gain
• skin changes including dry and itchy skin
• reduced sex drive
• vaginal dryness and pain, itching or discomfort during sex
• recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs)
• sensitive teeth, painful gums or other mouth problems

My own experience of perimenopause has been long and, at times, frustrating. Looking back, I suspect I’ve been navigating it for the past four or five years. Symptoms have come and gone in waves, but things began to improve significantly once I found the right HRT treatment.

So, let’s start with medication. I’ve never been questioned at an airport about carrying my HRT, but some countries are stricter than others, so I always travel with a copy of my prescription. On long-haul flights, I decant only the amount of gel I’ll need into a small travel jar in my cabin bag, while the rest stays in checked luggage alongside my progesterone tablets. It’s simple, practical and has never caused an issue.

Night sweats can also make travel more challenging, particularly in hot or humid destinations. One thing I never travel without now is my silk sleeping bag liner. It’s lightweight, breathable and, perhaps most importantly, creates a slight barrier between me and my husband’s radiating body heat. Fans can help, although I find they can leave me dehydrated overnight, and open windows are always a gamble depending on the local insect population.

Keeping cool during the day makes a huge difference too. I dress as lightly as possible and always carry either a small battery-operated fan or a paper fan in my hand luggage if I’m heading somewhere warm. It sounds old-fashioned, but a paper fan has rescued me more than once.

My skincare and make-up routine has become much lighter over the years too. After my mum sadly had skin cancer on her face last year, I became far more diligent about SPF. Now I always pack a lightweight moisturiser with at least SPF 30. Tropic’s Great Barrier suncream is a favourite because it doesn’t sting my eyes and is reef safe, while Garnier’s BB cream is a good option if you prefer a little coverage.

The biggest shift, though, has probably been in how I travel. I no longer try to cram every possible activity into a trip. On long-haul holidays especially, I’ll happily make Day 1 a recovery day to rest, rehydrate and adjust to the time zone. If I need an afternoon break out of the heat, I take one without guilt. It’s your holiday — you don’t have to travel at anyone else’s pace.

The same applies to active trips. If I’m on a walking holiday, I’m far more realistic about my limits these days. I’d rather extend a route or add a rest day than push myself into exhaustion trying to cover half-marathon distances every day. I also carry small walking poles now that I can fit into a backpack or suitcase that goes in the hold. I don’t always use them, but especially when I was awaiting my two arthroscopies and did Hadrian’s Wall and the High Tatras in Slovakia, they were non-negotiable. Now the knees are recovered, some days I want to use the poles (or rather have to), some days I fly up hillier sections!

Hydration has also become non-negotiable. Perimenopause can leave skin and energy levels feeling depleted, and travelling only amplifies that. Drinking plenty of water, eating well and packing a few simple self-care items makes a noticeable difference. I now travel with hydrogel face and eye masks containing collagen — they’re individually wrapped, which isn’t ideal environmentally, but they save lugging around heavy skincare products.

And then, of course, there’s the unpredictability ofbreakthrough bleeding, which always seems to arrive at the least convenient moment. I’ve learned to keep a few thin pant-liners and spare underwear in my bag, just in case.

I also want to add one very neglected point and that is the brain fog. The forgetfulness of perimenopause can actually feel quite frightening as you begin to worry about whether you are actually losing your mind. We all laugh about walking into a room and then having to walk out, only to return when you have remembered why you went in in the first place, but it happens to so many perimenopausal women. In this instance I always have a note book or have printed off the things I need to remember. I have even been known to travel with a photocopied page or two of my diary where I may have written in the itinerary. I travel with a bumbag these days instead of a handbag, so I know where my passport and wallet are and I don’t take it off even for the toilet, this way, I won’t forget where I ‘left it’!

Finally, don’t neglect your travel first aid kit. Perimenopause can affect digestion and sleep as much as anything else, and trying to explain “something likeGaviscon” in a foreign pharmacy isn’t always straightforward. I now travel with the basics I know work for me, (and always with an antihistamine because the itchy skin part drives me insane) along with strong probiotics before and during trips, because my previously iron-clad digestive system is, sadly, not quite what it once was.

Perimenopause may change the way we travel, but it certainly doesn’t mean we stop travelling well. There is a big increase of women travelling in their fifties and beyond and so it should be! If anything, it’s taught me to travel more comfortably, more thoughtfully and with a little more kindness towards myself.