In the past, traveling with oxygen was always a hassle. Whether you’re traveling by car, boat, or plane, if you needed supplemental oxygen you had to take time to plan every little detail out. You needed to make sure you had enough tanks to last you the trip and on top of having the right amount of tanks, you also needed adequate space to store the tanks. On top of all of the planning that goes into traveling with oxygen tanks, you also had to account for the dangers of pressurized tanks. That’s only if you’re traveling by car. If you were planning to travel by boat or plane, you probably weren’t allowed. Now-a-days that all changed.

Portable oxygen has been revolutionized over the years. First came the tanks, and now there are portable oxygen concentrators. Portable oxygen concentrators are machines that are battery operated for mobility and they also run off of AC (wall charger) and DC (car charger) power supplies. These portable oxygen machines produce their own oxygen when turned on. Through a filtration process, they draw in outside air and pump out medical grade oxygen. Because of the technological advances from tanks to concentrators, traveling with oxygen is becoming less of a hassle and more freedoms are being given to oxygen patients.

Throughout the years, portable oxygen machines have made huge advances. There are units that do pulse flow only or there are units that have to ability to give patients continuous flow and pulse flow. With a wide range of capabilities, most patients will be able to find a concentrator that fits their needs. The best part is, these oxygen concentrators have been evaluated and approved by the FDA and the FAA. Because they are FAA approved, traveling by plane is possible for most patients. As long as they follow FAA guidelines and inform the airline they are flying with oxygen there will be no problems.