Travel Tips You Don’t Want To Miss
From cancelled flights to lost luggage; unfortunately, travel-related woes are the norm, creating massive headaches for tourists. Over 90% of our patients travel to Grand Cayman from around the world, to receive our Regenexx-C, culture-expanded mesenchymal stem cell therapy, so we thought it would be helpful to share a few travel tips.
The following tips are to help minimize your stress during travel and to help you avoid, or successfully navigate, potential issues that may impact your ability to have your scheduled stem cell treatment:
Make sure your travel documents are valid
Gone are the days when you could call your local passport office and get an emergency passport in just a couple of days. In-person appointments are scarce, if you’re able to get one at all, and may require you to travel across the country. If you need to renew, allow extra time to receive the passport back, to avoid having to rebook your trip.
Depending on the type of passport, and your country of residency, you may require a visa to visit Cayman. Visas can take up to two weeks to process and require a separate application, so be sure to check the requirements on Immmigration Cayman Islands’ website.
Give yourself extra time
Give yourself additional time between connections and avoid scheduling your arrival too close to your appointment. Since flight cancellations are pretty much the norm, rather than the exception right now, consider this an investment to reduce your stress level and enhance your well-being. Hey, you may get to enjoy an extra day in paradise before any of your appointments! This is particularly important for your re-injection cycle (part 2 of your treatment plan) because your stem cells have limited viability once they have been pulled out of stem cell storage. Unfortunately, we may not be able to save your cells if you’re unable to arrive for your scheduled appointment due to a cancelled flight.
Research your options
When you’re planning your trip, take some time to explore a backup option. This can be an alternate airline or route. This can help you navigate any unexpected delays/changes more easily.
Consider purchasing an international roaming plan for telephone and data
Most U.S. carriers offer destination-specific roaming rates or flat daily roaming rates based on utilization. This can make it easier to communicate with our team and for friends, family, and colleagues to reach you while you’re in Cayman, without incurring massive bills.
Consider travel insurance
Travel insurance can provide you with additional peace of mind, knowing that you can recoup additional expenses, should the unexpected occur.
Keep up to date with changing regulations
Our team will communicate any pressing updates from our local public health department and changes to Government regulations; however, you may also visit the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism website for travel-related updates.
Protect yourself
While many of the mitigation measures, such as pre-arrival testing, have now been rolled back, which makes it easier and less concerning to travel to international destinations, and most places are mask optional now, taking steps to protect yourself is still a good idea. If you’re sick or exhibiting flu-like symptoms, we may not be able to complete your appointments as scheduled. This is one of the reasons we do recommend you still use an N-95 mask, or similar, while travelling or are indoors in crowded places. We also suggest washing and/or sanitizing your hands regularly and wiping down seats/tray tables with a disinfectant wipe.
Our clinic staff wear masks when interacting with patients, for your safety and theirs, and we continue with enhanced cleaning and sanitizing efforts in our transportation vans and in the clinic.
Arrange wheelchair service or other expedited service options
Some post-procedure soreness is expected. If you’re returning home soon after your stem cell therapy – particularly if you had stem cell treatment on your spine, hips, knees, or ankle/foot, wheelchair service can help you avoid standing and waiting in long security lines and from making long walks from terminal to terminal to make connecting flights. Some airports also offer other services that can minimize your time in lines. This can save you time and make the trip more comfortable for you.
We hope you found these tips helpful. For additional information about travelling to the Cayman Islands, please visit Cayman Islands Official Tourism.
