There has been a flurry of newspaper articles at the moment talking about how hospital parking costs add to stress. A survey by consumer watchdog Which? found that high charges, overcrowding and confusing payment systems are all blamed by the public in England.

Many hospitals justify the charges by saying they need the income, but apparently some hospitals make profits of £1m a year from their car parks. A Department of Health spokeswoman said the government had launched a consultation into the issue.

This is obviously a particular problem for people with cancer, and MacMillan nurses have launched a campaign to solve this problem. MacMillan believe cancer patients should not have to pay to park while receiving their treatment at hospital.

I must agree  – hospital car parking charges are ridiculous  – and must be much worse when people are making repeated trips to hospital for cancer treatment. But this got me thinking about more generally – driving around and finding places to park – with specific medical conditions. This problem becomes even bigger when you are on holiday because you will be unfamiliar with the location.

When you are travelling with cancer, you will need to make some essential special arrangements, and that includes driving and parking in a foreign country. You may want to hire a car when you are away to allow you to explore those more unusual or out of the way locations, but you may have specific needs. Planning will help things go smoothly so that you can relax and enjoy exploring the country you are visiting. Here are some suggestions:

When travelling with cancer there are some things to think about..

Talk to a Medical Professional: The most important thing is to talk to your medical professionals – they may be able to suggest what is realistic for you in terms of driving.

Destination Decisions: For example, if you tire easily and can’t walk long distances, check that car park you need is close to the  tourist destination you are visiting.  Planning can greatly reduce the possibility of turning up and finding somewhere that is inaccessible to you.

Hire a specialist car: Depending on your condition, you might need to hire a specialist car. You should check what local specialists can provide.

Parking: If you have a blue disabled badge, don’t forget it! It lets you benefit from parking concessions across the 27 members of the EU (including Europe’s most congested cities), but it is also recognised further afield – specifically in Australia, Canada, Japan, Korea, New Zealand and the US. For more info look on the AA website

We really hope this blog can help in organising your driving on holiday, to help you benefit from a relaxing, well planned break. If anyone has any other useful hints or tips that they could give us to add to this blog post, we would be really grateful.

 For more general information on travelling with cancer, check out this blog post or look at the AllClear4you cancer page.