Once you’ve arranged your mode of transport and accommodation at your chosen destination, it’s time to start thinking about which essentials to pack. Unfortunately, one of the most commonly forgotten items among travelers is eyewear. Alongside prescription medication, many often overlook their pair of eyeglasses, sunglasses, or contact lenses amidst the chaos of packing.
However, these are necessities for sun safety, eye protection, and overall health and safety wherever you go. Beyond simply checking them off your packing list, we’ve compiled useful tips when traveling with eyewear to ensure a smooth, stress-free trip.
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1. Put eyewear in a proper case
It’s easy to forget to pack your choice of eyewear if they’re not safely stored in a case. So, whether you’re among the 70.6% of Americans who are glasses wearers, the 5.7% who use contact lenses, or the 23.6% who alternate between the two, make sure you have the proper container where they won’t fall out or get easily scratched.
For shades and specs, avoid soft cases made of fabric and instead opt for materials like acrylic, leather, and hard glass to ensure durability. Meanwhile, the most common storage case materials for contacts are plastic and silicone. It’s also advisable to have your eyewear case in your carry-on to keep it with you at all times, instead of stashing it in your check-in luggage where it can get lost or damaged.
2. Consider prescription sunglasses
Whether you’re spending a snowy holiday in the Alps or exploring a tropical island, you must protect your eyes from the sun’s glare and harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays. However, some glasses wearers forego wearing sunglasses due to the inconvenience of packing an additional pair and switching between them.
Fortunately, you can opt for prescription sunglasses that combine vision correction and UV protection into one once you add a sunglass tint to any frame. Besides hosting a high-quality selection of tints, lens options, and frame styles, online eyewear retailer Glasses Direct also caters to different budgets by offering a wide range of brands, from affordable in-house labels to designer names like Gucci.
3. Bring a backup pair
It’s difficult to avoid unwanted circumstances like delayed baggage or minor accidents on outdoor adventures like backpacking and sightseeing, which can otherwise misplace or damage your eyewear. If you only bring one pair of contact lenses or glasses, this means spending the rest of your trip without adequate eye protection.
Thus, stashing an extra pair of eyewear is recommended regardless of when and where you go on a trip. If you’re worried about the cost, retailers like Warby Parker typically offer special discounts, such as 15% off when you buy two or more pairs of prescription eyeglasses or sunglasses.
4. Keep a copy of your updated prescription
If it’s not possible to pack a backup pair due to money issues or preferences for packing light, the least you can do is keep a copy of your updated prescription. This way, you can easily get your glasses or contacts replaced in case they get damaged during your trip.
If it has been a while since you last updated your prescription, you can conveniently take an online vision test from Visibly, the first FDA-approved digital testing platform in the US. This at-home vision acuity test only takes about six minutes to complete, which beats spending time and money to take an in-person test at the optician’s office ahead of your trip.
By keeping these tips in mind, you’re now prepared to go on your next trip without compromising your vision needs. Check out the rest of the posts here at Vagabondish for more practical travel tips and guides.