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Travel to Australia with Apap.
#1
Travel to Australia with Apap.
Hi

Decided to start a specific thread on travel to Australia.

I was wondering if anyone residing in Australia would recommend I bring along my humidifier when I make a trip to Busselton in Dec? I don't use my humidifier at the moment.

It's a one week trip and I'd rather not lug the extra stuff around in my luggage.

As its my first flight with the Apap tagging along, should I check it in or hand carry. Other than possible physical damage to the unit, are there security issues checking in the Apap in the luggage?

Do I need to bring any relevant documents along for customs in and out of Australia? Hope to hear views and personal preferences on this. Many thanks.
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#2
RE: Travel to Australia with Apap.
I'm not an Aussie... One of our Moderators is in Perth; and can better fill you in.

As I understand it, CPAP flys as carry on; and is excluded by most airlines from the carry on count.
You can buy or make a tag that says: Medical Equipment.
Also, a letter from a physician might come in handy.

Expect it to be inspected. You should respectfully request that they put on fresh gloves before touching it.

Oz is a 230, 50 Hz power country, check to see if your machine can be powered by that Voltage and Frequency.
The two big name machines can be. You'll need a Aussie plug adapter. Looks like a UK plug; but the blades are at an angle.

Aussie sockets -- note they have switches on their outlets.
[Image: Australian_dual_switched_power_point.jpg]
Admin Note:
JustMongo passed away in August 2017
Click HERE to read his Memorial Thread

~ Rest in Peace ~
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#3
RE: Travel to Australia with Apap.
I'm not much help with the flying aspect as I haven't flown with mine [yet].

But I do believe that the 'carry on, medical equipment' is correct.

If you want to actually use it on the plane then that can be done, but you need to check the specific airline rules on how you can do it.

The power points shown by justMongo are correct as well, 220-240v 50Hz

I think most CPAP power supplies run on 110v to 250v systems as long as you have the appropriate adapter to fit the socket, but check your machine specs to confirm the voltage range it accommodates.

As for the humidifier, check the average weather conditions for Busselton at the time you are coming here to see if it is in the same range you experience during a year in your home location, if you don't normally use the humidifier under similar conditions then don't bring it if you don't have to.

There is an Australian CPAP support group on Facebook, you may want to join the Page to get more specific advice on what you need to know.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/327734814097865/

I will be flying with mine in the future, so will be interested to see how you go.

My flight out will be day time [to the Philippines], but the return flight is an 8.5 hour overnight trip, though I think I would not bother to use it on the plane as I can skip using it for a night and still stay compliant for my driving licence conditions.. I just can't skip too many nights.

I hope you have a great time here in Oz.... once you have been here I'm sure you will want to come back again and again.
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#4
RE: Travel to Australia with Apap.
Busselton in December can be quite hot (35C and above). On occasion it gets very hot. It's a coastal location so can get humid, but not excessively so. It's certainly not tropical humid - I would suggest you bring the humidifier. I'd keep the machine with me as hand luggage, mainly so it doesn't get damaged or go astray. If you're travelling on a low cost carrier you might want to double-check their rules first - they are not necessarily the same as apply in the United States. I don't think you'd have any problems with customs clearance.

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#5
RE: Travel to Australia with Apap.
Busselton - the jetty trip is great.

I put my machine in my suitcase (hard shell) and haven't had a problem flying internally or overseas. This includes a return trip to NZ in December and neither Aussie or NZ security had any issues. I'm currently in Perth, forgot to tell QANTAS about the machine in my suitcase before the flight and didn't have a problem.

As DeepBreathing said, the temperature can get very hot here in this part of WA but you won't get the type of humidity that you would in the tropics so the humidifier is up to you. Even in summer on the Gold Coast I still use my humidifier and definitely need it in winter.
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#6
RE: Travel to Australia with Apap.
Thank you justMongo, Ockrocket & DeepBreathing for the informative advice.

I'll make a medical equipment tag to go along with the carry bag. My Apex works on both voltages and has the power pack built in, so only the interchangeable power cable sticks out from the unit. I can get the correct travel pins to fit as shown above.

May sound prehistoric but I haven't seen the light to have a Facebook account yet. Big Grin
So I'll just work with what's shared here!

Note the weather at Busselton. Will bring the humidifier along and keep everything close at hand!

Okay
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#7
RE: Travel to Australia with Apap.
Thanks holden4th for the tip on the Jetty! I'm dragging a hard shell case along too that's why I asked the earlier question. It might just be filled with local bottled liquids from Margaret River region though. Smile We shall see.
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#8
RE: Travel to Australia with Apap.
Personally I would not check my machine. I've been to Australia about 6 times and three of those times my luggage was delayed. Your chances of having a luggage issue largely depends on the number of layovers and how long those layovers are as well as how early yu get to the airport. If a bag has to be put somewhere awaiting an aircraft your chance of a delay increases.

I fly virtually every week and I only check a bag for overseas trips and my luck there, even with my priority status, is abysmal.
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#9
RE: Travel to Australia with Apap.
Thanks bill-e. Much as the carrier bag is quite big, I think I'll carry-on everything in it to play safe. Will keep the apap, masks and hose in separate ziploc bags in case they decide to take things out to inspect the bag - don't want stuff hanging out in the air. Just one more thing to watch out for and carry through customs. I'd probably have to buy distilled water to feed the humidifier since the tap water at Busselton is sourced from aquifers and while described to be soft to very soft, probably still has minerals in it.
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#10
RE: Travel to Australia with Apap.
(09-24-2016, 10:15 AM)Newbee2016 Wrote: Thanks bill-e. Much as the carrier bag is quite big, I think I'll carry-on everything in it to play safe. Will keep the apap, masks and hose in separate ziploc bags in case they decide to take things out to inspect the bag - don't want stuff hanging out in the air. Just one more thing to watch out for and carry through customs. I'd probably have to buy distilled water to feed the humidifier since the tap water at Busselton is sourced from aquifers and while described to be soft to very soft, probably still has minerals in it.
I would just use the tap water. Distilled water is recommended because it wont build up in the humidifier tank but that takes a long time. As long as you rinse the tank every day and only fill it at night you wont have any problems. I've been using a humidifier since 2006 and only use the water from my dug well which is right in the aquifer and never had a mineral buildup...even though it corrodes my copper pipes like crazy.

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