Imagine this: you’re off to the airport for your next adventure and as you packed your bags you start contemplating the latest safety regulations. Are you allowed on the airplane with contact lens solution? Is your bottle small enough? To play it safe, you choose to stash your contacts in your luggage but you take your eyeglasses with you because you know they’re safe to bring on board. Then a question pops in your head: what is the best way to take care of your eyeglasses while you’re traveling? This question leads to more questions about traveling with glasses but fear not, here are some handy tips for traveling well with your eyeglasses frames.
In truth, there’s little to worry about when traveling with eyeglasses. It’s fairly simple and glasses require very little care but there are steps to take to keep them from scratching or breaking during travel.
First and foremost, make sure you have a hard, clam-shell case with you. Your eyeglasses case will come in handy so make sure you always have them in your bag. Keeping them on hand will help when you decide you no longer want to wear them. You can just pop them into the case, put them in your bag, and you can rest easy knowing that your glasses are protected from damage.
If you’re tempted to put your glasses on your head or slide them through a button hole in your shirt – resist temptation. Putting your frames on your head will result in stretching them out. You’ll wind up with frames that once fit and now slide off your face. Additionally, wearing them on your shirt is just an accident waiting to happen because the glasses can easily slide out, fall, and break.
When you’re on a train or a bus, slide your glasses into their case – don’t fall asleep with them on. If your head starts to tip while you’re asleep, your glasses may very well slide off your face and into the seat ahead of you. This makes them an easy target for someone’s foot – especially if they don’t know your glasses are there! Take it from personal experience!
Are your lenses dirty? Don’t rub the dirt off with your shirt, tie, blazer, wash cloth, napkin, or paper towel unless you want them to get scratched. Instead, make sure you have the cleaning cloth that should have come with your frames during purchase. Wash your lenses off with tepid water – never hot – and wipe them dry with the cloth.
If travel is in your future and you’re about to buy new glasses, you may want to consider adding protective coatings to your lenses. Have an anti-scratch coating put on your lenses – they’ll act as a buffer and keep away most minor scuffs. Another great coating is an anti-glare coating that will deter glare and help you see well. The last coating is probably the most important coating if you’re going to be outdoors and exposed to ultraviolet light. That’s right! You need a UV protective coating to help keep harmful UV rays away from your eyes.
So, what do you really need for traveling with eye glasses? As previously stated, it’s simple: eyeglass lens coatings; a hard clam-shell case; and a cleaning cloth are really all you need. To be on the safe side, bring a copy of your eyeglasses prescription with you – just in case something happens. You can always buy a replacement pair online and have them sent to your hotel if need be.