Traveling Overseas Overweight

sweetmelissa222

I am booking a month long trip to Europe for November and I am significantly overweight. I have to admit that I am kind of terrified. Any other MFP's from the US that have traveled abroad have any support or advice to offer?

bananapancakebella

Have an awesome time!!

I don't see why or how your weight will affect your trip. Sounds super fun!!

oohmercyme

What is it you are concerned about specifically?

Still_Fluffy

If your trip is not until November why not use that fear to motivate you to drop some weight before than. Cut back the calories and put more time in at the gym. I HATED flying before I lost weight, now it somewhat enjoyable.

nas061

What is it you are concerned about specifically?

^ this

tyresank

As someone who has been as high at 360 and now is 183, I can say that travel can be challenging depending upon your size, there is no doubt. Seats are small in coach so if you are overweight enough long travel is difficult. But it never stopped me as it was part of my job and thus I had to figure out how to deal with all of the issues. You have time, I would try to use that as motivation to begin to eat a bit better and move more and likely you can drop some weight before your trip, even 20lbs will help the whole seat issue!!

Have a nice trip.

ncahill77

Unless you are traveling to Asia it's no big deal, Asia is only rough if you forget some kind of clothing that you need, like a swimsuit, a double xl over there is more like a large here.

AlsDonkBoxSquat

What is it you are concerned about specifically?

This. Are you concerned about the plane, the accomodations, or what. I will say that when I was at my heaviest I wore compression stockings when I flew and it made a world of difference (at least the properly fitting ones did). My legs always swell and get painful when I fly (at any size) and the compression stockings helped with this enormously.

Punkin7411

Don't be afraid! You've lost 30 lbs so keep it up. It was actually a photo at the airport when leaving for a missions trip to Nicaragua August 2012 that prompted me to say, "enough is enough!" Someone took a group photo at the airport the day we left and then of course there were a few photos that captured me while on the trip. Who is that whale, I thought? And they put these photos on Facebook!!! I wasn't so large that I didn't fit in the plane seat and I kept up with everyone in the hot, humid weather just because I had been going to the gym for a few years, but I hadn't gotten serious about weight loss. You've got a long time until November so steady as she goes and you'll be ready!!

alaskalu

I have been to Europe. Start hitting the gym if you can. Walk everyday as much as you can.
When I was there the first time I was really heavy and had not been walking at all. Everything is up hill. All the castles are high up and usually there is only one way up. Walking.
I hope I don't come across as harsh. I just know that I have been in the same situation. I hope things work out and you have a blast!

trinityrecgirl

Please don't worry and have a good time. In 2011 before I lost 70+ pounds I went to Europe on vacation, and did not have any trouble. The only thing that was sad, was that in Spain, Italy, and France there were some really cute clothes that I would love to have been able to purchase, but could not fit into them. I had such a good time on my trip. Since you are on MFP, I assume you are wanting a lifestyle change. Follow through with your commitment, and you should see weight come off, and you may not even have an issue about not being able to find "souvenir" clothes to fit in. I look forward to the next trip to Europe that I go on. (Not scheduled, but dreamed about)

Martucha123

If your trip is not until November why not use that fear to motivate you to drop some weight before than. Cut back the calories and put more time in at the gym. I HATED flying before I lost weight, now it somewhat enjoyable.

this
you can lose quite a lot until November
I assume you are 300-350 lbs (given you want to lose 180)
it is unusual to see people that big here, although unfortunately there is more and more of them...
I would make sure if you are over 300 lbs to contact hotel before, ask for extra large bed,
if you will travel by bus around Europe make sure to buy two seats in the bus, ect.

If you don't ask before your arrival you might find out that hotel/restaurant/bus company is not able to cater to your needs... (also depends on country, you should have no problem in England or North countries, as people are bigger there, but Spain/Italy is a different story)

sapf

Lose as much weight as you can beforehand. Transatlantic flights have even less space in coach than domestic flights. If you can afford it book two seats or business class to be honest.

pawoodhull

I weighed 380 or so when I flew to Germany and when I flew from Michigan to Alaska. My advise is if you are traveling with someone, sit with them so you can put the arm rest up between you and ask for a seat belt extender when you board the plane. Wear some kind of footweat that will expand as your legs and feet swell. Most people of all different weights have the swelling issue, but when you are heavy to begin with, I've found it's worse. I love my classic, 2 band Birkenstock sandals for this. I just wear a heavy sock for warmth when flying during cold months.

Other than that, I agree with everyone else here in that yo've already lost some and have until November to lose somemore. By November, this may all be a moot point! Have a wonderful trip and don't let your weight keep you from enjoying every part of it.

sweetmelissa222

Thanks for all the comments guys. I honestly can’t even say what it is I am concerned about. I know that Americans tend to be a bit bigger than Europeans, so I guess I’m just a little nervous that I’ll be like a bull in a china shop everywhere I go. Flying isn’t an issue for me at all, I’ve never had to like buy an extra seat or anything like that.

Hohner74, I am definitely using the fear as a motivator. It’s been a big part of why I have gotten back on the wagon and why I’ve started running again.

I probably will get compression stockings, they come highly recommended for the type of trip that I am doing because a lot of the travel between countries is done by bus which means a lot of time sitting.

I can’t thank you all enough, you’ve all helped give me a little perspective and I definitely feel a bit less anxious now.

Bufite

There are plenty of larger people in Europe, trust me! No one will bat an eyelid - enjoy!

AverageUkDude

Where in Europe? Europe is an entire continent, pretty damn big place. Sure you will have a blast, even better if you've managed to knock off some extra pounds.

sweetmelissa222

Graham, I'm going to England, Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, France, and Germany.

cuterbee

Oh, you're going to love it! Where are you going?

My best advice to you is start walking NOW. Walk a lot, and do some stair climbing. The more you can do before you go, the more you'll be able to see (and some places, like Venice, are just not accessible unless you can walk a lot).

Other advice:

If it's not an English-speaking country, get a pocket dictionary or an electronic translator. If you plan to rent a car, plan to either get one with GPS or take a GPS (with European maps) with you. And keep in mind that gas is VERY expensive there. Even a quart of oil cost me $25 last year in Germany.

If you haven't already booked your accommodations, you might consider couchsurfing part of the time if you're at all adventurous. Nothing quite like staying with someone who lives there (you can even just use the option to meet up for coffee; people are delighted to show you their city). Sometimes hostels or bed and breakfast places are cheaper than hotels.

If you're not taking a tour and doing this on your own, plan out in advance what you want to see and do. Better to overfill your days and miss something than to not be prepared and see little because you're trying to plan it out in your hotel room the night before.

Message me if you want, I've been quite a few places. Wish I were going, too! (My next planned trip is Santorini in 2014).

fIashforward

I can't really speak for the rest of Europe but the likes Ireland and the UK are certainly used to bigger people.
I believe the UK has the highest obesity rate in the EU with Scotland being the third "fattest" nation worldwide.

Don't worry, and to be honest no one will really care what you look like, as ling as you don't go around shouting and wear a "fanny pack" like most Americans - maybe that's a bit stereotypical though

bloomlately

Ah, sounds just like the trip I took a few months ago (minus England and Italy). You will not look terribly out of place in many countries, especially England and Germany.

I second the advice to start walking and include hills in some of those walks. I ate what I liked, had so many sweets, and drank a good sized beer or wine (definitely try sturm in Austria) every night. And I still dropped five pounds from all the walking I did. I went with my sister, who was probably 25 pounds lighter than me, and she struggled far more than I did because I exercised regularly beforehand and she did not.

Austria was fantastic and rife with old world charm. I highly recommend visiting Schonnbrunn Palace. And Switzerland is gorrrrrrgeous.

Since you are going to so many places, I would guess you are doing the backpacking, hosteler style trip? If so, I recommend picking your accommodations very carefully. Many hostels use bunk beds and squeeze them in very small rooms. Also, many have loads of steep stairs and no elevator...so definitely make sure to start taking the stairs now in lieu of elevators whenever you can. I stayed in one with an especially slow elevator and found it faster to climb 5 flights of stairs.

amann1976

it felt great to hop on a flight ask for the belt extension and then realize i didnt need it anymore... I wanted to dance up and down the aisle screaming victory!!!

LondonCalling2

Hi, Melissa

I can completely understand you feeling concerned. I've always used vacations as a motivator (but am now determined to just get healthy and stop the see-sawing - that's my own story/problem, though!)

My husband and I travel overseas for pleasure at least a couple of times/year - and from my experience I don't think you'll have any real problems. You may actually feel more uncomfortable in some of the buses than on the flight (as some of the buses are quite tight in the aisles and seats). Also, on the Tube or the Metro there's plenty of times when it's very crowded and you might feel self-conscious - but I've felt the same here in NYC on the subway.

The hardest thing for me has always been going somewhere like Paris or Italy and not being able to enjoy bringing home an item of beautiful clothing as a souvenir. Even when I was quite a bit thinner than I am now, there were still issues with some of the items I really liked (although I do have a beautiful jacket from our honeymoon trip to Paris 11 years ago that I am determined to fit in again).

I would absolutely recommend, as others already have, that you have good comfortable shoes (and I never wear tennies/trainers in Europe - they definitely don't blend in) and have spent enough time walking that doing 5 or 10 miles of footwork per day doesn't leave you too tired to enjoy an evening out.

Sounds like a great trip. I'm sure you'll have a fantastic time.

oohmercyme

Graham, I'm going to England, Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, France, and Germany.

I'm Canadian but live in England and have been to all those countries aside from Switzerland when I weighed over 250. There are plenty of fat folk here. The only real issue is the transatlantic flight (or the extender is SO embarassing and it's uncomfortable to have your butt squeezed into a too small seat for 12 hours!).

Like the other said- plenty of time to get fit- cuz you will be doing a TON of walking in Europe.

And enjoy!

Martucha123

Graham, I'm going to England, Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, France, and Germany.

I'm Canadian but live in England and have been to all those countries aside from Switzerland when I weighed over 250. There are plenty of fat folk here. The only real issue is the transatlantic flight (or the extender is SO embarassing and it's uncomfortable to have your butt squeezed into a too small seat for 12 hours!).

Like the other said- plenty of time to get fit- cuz you will be doing a TON of walking in Europe.

And enjoy!

all the countries you mentioned (accept Italy) are used to bigger people. In Italy if you are traveling on the budget and staying in cheap motels, I would mail them and ask if they have beds strong enough to accommodate you
other then that, no worries