Hearing protection for travelers: tips for air, bus, and trains
Discover essential hearing protection tips for commuters and travelers by air, bus, and train to safeguard your hearing on every journey.
By Liesbeth Keuninckx
Protecting your hearing while traveling is crucial, especially on noisy modes of transportation like planes, buses, and trains. Traveling can be loud, from the sound of the train or plane itself to the noise caused by other passengers – and that can lead to hearing damage or discomfort.
If you want to protect your ears and take the edge off loud noises, using hearing protection can help. By safeguarding your ears, you’ll reduce the risk of hearing damage – while enhancing your travel experience with a more restful journey. So if you’re ready to find out everything you need to know about protecting your hearing health while on the go, we’ve gathered together all the traveling tips you need, right here in one place.
The importance of hearing protection across transportation modes
Traveling can be lots of fun – but it can also be seriously loud. Airplane cabin noise often exceeds safe levels, potentially leading to temporary or permanent hearing loss. Buses and trains also generate constant engine and ambient noise, which can contribute to hearing damage over time.
Research has found that traffic noise of 70 decibels can contribute to hearing loss – so if you’re traveling during rush hour, you could be at risk of damaging your ears. And airplanes are noisy, too. During take off and landing, the noise can reach 105 decibels. And when cruising, noise levels in the cabin sit at around 85 decibels – meaning that you’re at risk of potential hearing damage on long flights.
General hearing protection advice for travelers
Here are some travel safety tips for protecting your ears, whatever your mode of transport:
- Use earplugs to reduce exposure to loud noises during travel, and to take the edge off overwhelming sounds
- Plan travel during off-peak hours to minimize exposure to noisy environments
- Opt for seats away from engines or other sources of loud noise on airplanes, buses, or trains to minimize direct exposure
- Take breaks during long journeys where possible to give your ears a rest from continuous noise exposure.
14M+ happy customers
Featured collection
Loop Quiet™ 2
Loop Dream™
Loop Engage™ 2
Loop Switch™ 2
Featured article
How to protect your ears when flying
Planes are loud. They’re also thousands of feet in the sky, which has the potential to cause your ears a whole host of issues. So it’s important to understand how to look after them.