Dosing Calculator

Online Prescription Assistance

NxRx®

Online Prescription and Ordering System

NxDocuments

Training and Resource Library

Nx2me® Clinician Portal

Flowsheets and Reporting

Find a Home Training Program Support Contact Us

For Healthcare Professionals

Home Hemodialysis Customer Support: 866-697-8243

Peritoneal Dialysis Customer Support: 800-323-5188

Talk to a Patient Consultant About Home Dialysis: 888-200-6456

Home Hemodialysis Customer Support: 866-697-8243

Peritoneal Dialysis Customer Support: 800-323-5188

Talk to a Patient Consultant About Home Dialysis: 888-200-6456

  • Home Hemodialysis
    • What You Need to Know About Kidney Disease
    • How Dialysis Frequency and Duration Impact Your Heart Health
    • Solo/Independent Home Dialysis
    • Nocturnal Home Dialysis
  • Peritoneal Dialysis
    • About Peritoneal Dialysis
  • Home Dialysis Systems
    • NxStage VersiHD with GuideMe Software
    • NxStage VersiHD
    • System One Portable Hemodialysis Machine
    • How Does System One Work?
    • Nx2me Connected Health
  • Travel and Lifestyle
    • Traveling with Home Hemodialysis
    • Traveling with Peritoneal Dialysis
    • Watch and Read Patient Stories
    • The Patient Journey
  • Home Dialysis Resources
    • The Benefits of More Frequent Home Dialysis
    • Talk to a Patient Consultant
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Visits with Vanessa Podcast
    • Webinars
    • Atlas: Stories & Resources for Living Well
    • Kidney Disease Resources and Links
    • Service and Support
    • Find A Center
  • Care Partner Support
    • Becoming a Care Partner for a Loved One on Hemodialysis
    • Support for Care Partners of Patients on Home Hemodialysis
    • Help for Family and Friends of Patients on Dialysis
    • Turn to Respite Care When You Need It
    • Valuable Support Networks
Find a Home Training Program Support Contact Us

For Healthcare Professionals

Home Hemodialysis Customer Support: 866-697-8243

Peritoneal Dialysis Customer Support: 800-323-5188

Talk to a Patient Consultant About Home Dialysis: 888-200-6456

Home Hemodialysis Customer Support: 866-697-8243

Peritoneal Dialysis Customer Support: 800-323-5188

Talk to a Patient Consultant About Home Dialysis: 888-200-6456

Traveling with Home Hemodialysis

Traveling with Home Hemodialysis

Traveling is one of the many possibilities you can explore when you choose home hemodialysis (HHD) with a NxStage® system, the only truly portable HHD cycler that can go where you go.

With proper planning, you may be able to travel for business or pleasure. All it takes is some extra effort to make sure you can continue dialysis treatments while you’re away.

Below are some suggested travel tips. Please refer to your care team for full details.

31,534

# of completed HHD travel prescriptions for US patients since 2010*

TRAVEL BY:

To be sure you start things off right and enjoy your trip to the fullest, we’ve put together some simple, step-by-step instructions for traveling with your NxStage home hemodialysis machine.

  1. Air

  2. Land

  3. Sea

  4. Camping

Travel by: Air

  • For trips shorter than one week, it is recommended that you bring your dialysate, saline, and supplies from home along with you.
  • For trips longer than a week, customer service can help arrange to ship dialysate and supplies to your destination upon receipt of a physician signed travel prescription.*
  • Book a direct flight whenever possible.
  • Be sure to pack your cycler in a hard case to protect the cycler from damage. Cycler hard cases should be rented from your clinic.
  • When booking, contact the airline, hotel/travel destination, or other vendors that you are traveling with life sustaining equipment and supplies, and have them note it in your reservation. If you are having supplies directly shipped to the hotel/travel destination (s), notify them when making your reservation.
  • If your equipment will be handled by any 3rd parties during your trip (e.g. train or bus staff), be sure to pack the cycler in a hard case or soft shell case to protect the cycler from damage.
  • If your cycler or supplies have been exposed to cold temperatures, allow them to reach room temperature before use.
  • Please research and keep a list of hospitals in case of an emergency on your travel.
  • Technical support is available 24/7 at 1-866-697-8243. See the international section below if you are traveling internationally.

*Saline cannot be ordered through customer service.

BOOKING CONSIDERATIONS:
Before booking your accommodations, it’s important to reach out to travel vendors (e.g airlines, hotels, transportation companies, etc.) and ask questions to better understand their services.


For the departing/arrival airport, you may want to ask:

  • Are there skycaps or help with luggage handling?
  • Ask if there are luggage carts available to rent curbside?
     

For the hotel, you may want to ask:

  • Can supplies be delivered a few days before my arrival?
  • Is there a storage fee?
  • Besides my own name, whose contact information can I include on the shipping labels to ensure a safe delivery?
  • Are there elevators in the building?
  • Do you offer handicap-accessible rooms? (They generally offer more space, wider doors and support fixtures.)
  • Does your standard room offer an end table, desk, or counter?
  • If a handicap room is not available, do your standard rooms offer a sofa or recliner?


CONSULT WITH YOUR CLINIC:

  • Consult your clinic with your travel plans to ensure that your nurse understands your intention to travel and can submit your travel request on your behalf.
  • Clinics can help determine travel eligibility with where you can travel as well as the necessary considerations that you may need to know before booking your trip.
  • Inquire about nearby clinics or emergency center near your destination just in case.
  • Ask your clinic nurse if there is a hard travel case available to borrow, and reserve it.

  • For trips shorter than one week, we encourage you to bring your own supplies.
  • For trips one week or more, we recommend ordering cartridges, pre-mixed dialysate bags, warmer lines, and waste lines to your destination. Contact your clinic to place a travel order.
  • Before ordering, please check the minimum required lead time for your destination. You can check the list here.
  • When ordering, it’s suggested that supplies arrive 2 days before your own arrival to ensure everything gets to your destination. However, you may want to consider daily vendor storage costs with making this decision.
  • If your supplies are being delivered to a hotel/resort, ensure that supplies are labelled according to the recommendations provided by the vendor.
  • Following the travel request, customer service will reach out to confirm order details.
  • Please keep in mind that additional documentation may be required and requested when placing a travel order to comply with state and international regulations.

A. PACK SUPPLIES:

  • A recommended packing list for home hemodialysis travel can be found here.
  • However, your packing list will depend on your prescription, destination(s), and trip itinerary. Be sure to review the list with your care team prior to your trip!
  • We recommend placing an air tag in your cycler case to ensure you always know where your cycler is while in transit.
     

B. PRINT THE FOLLOWING DOCUMENTATION TO HAVE ON HAND:

  • Copy of your travel prescription from your clinic.
  • List of your medical related travel contents.
  • Copy of “GUIDANCE ON THE TRANSPORT OF PORTABLE DIALYSIS MACHINES BY TRAVEL WITH DISABILITIES”.
  • A signed letter from your doctor stating that you are traveling with life sustaining equipment.
  • A list of emergency centers.
     

C. CHECK IN WITH YOUR VENDORS (48 hours prior to arrival):

  • Call the airline to confirm that your reservation notes that you are traveling with life-sustaining medical supplies.
  • Call your hotel/travel destination to confirm that they’ve received your supplies.
  • We recommend asking them to take a photo of the supplies and have them emailed/texted for visual confirmation.
     

International Travel

  • For international travel, follow the steps that are listed above.
  • Consider electrical requirements in your destination country.
  • When traveling outside of the USA, customer service will let you know if we can support delivery and provide a cost quote upon request.
  • There may be additional paperwork/documents that are required for the country where you are traveling.
  • If you are ordering cartridges, pre-mixed dialysate bags, warmer disposables, and waste lines, please order your supplies at least 90 days in advance of your arrival date.

Travel by: Land

  • For trips shorter than one week, it is recommended that you bring your dialysate, saline, and supplies from home along with you.
  • For trips longer than a week, customer service can help arrange to ship dialysate and supplies to your destination upon receipt of a physician signed travel prescription.*
  • If traveling by train or bus, be sure to alert the travel company so they can provide assistance with loading and unloading your cycler.
  • If your cycler will be handled by any 3rd parties during your trip (e.g. train or bus staff), be sure to pack the cycler in a hard case or soft shell case to protect the cycler from damage. Cases should be rented from your clinic.
  • If traveling by train or bus, be sure to alert the travel company so they can provide assistance with loading and unloading your cycler.
  • When booking, contact the hotel/travel destination or other vendors that you are traveling with life sustaining equipment and supplies, and have them note it in your reservation. If you are having supplies directly shipped to the hotel/travel destination (s), notify them when making your reservation.
  • Please research and keep a list of hospitals in case of an emergency on your travel.
  • Technical support is available 24/7 at 1-866-697-8243.

*Saline cannot be ordered through customer service.

BOOKING CONSIDERATIONS:

Before booking your accommodations, it’s important to reach out to travel vendors (e.g hotels, transportation companies, etc.) and ask questions to better understand their services.

For the hotel, you may want to ask:

  • Can supplies be delivered a few days before my arrival? Is there a storage fee?
  • Besides my own name, whose contact information can I include on the shipping labels to ensure a safe delivery?
  • Are there elevators in the building?
  • Do you offer handicap-accessible rooms? (They generally offer more space, wider doors and support fixtures.)
  • Does your standard room offer an end table, desk, or counter?
  • If a handicap room is not available, do your standard rooms offer a sofa or recliner?

CONSULT WITH YOUR CLINIC:

  • Consult your clinic with your travel plans to ensure that your nurse understands your intention to travel and can submit your travel request on your behalf.
  • Clinics can help determine travel eligibility with where you can travel as well as the necessary considerations that you may need to know before booking your trip.
  • Inquire about nearby clinics or emergency center near your destination just in case.
  • Ask your clinic nurse if there is a hard travel case available to borrow, and reserve it.

  • For trips shorter than one week, we encourage you to bring your own supplies.
  • For trips one week or more, we recommend ordering cartridges, pre-mixed dialysate bags, warmer lines, and waste lines to your destination. Contact your clinic to place a travel order.
  • Before ordering, please check the minimum required lead time for your destination. You can check the list here.
  • When ordering, it’s suggested that supplies arrive 2 days before your own arrival to ensure everything gets to your destination. However, you may want to consider daily vendor storage costs with making this decision.
  • If your supplies are being delivered to a hotel/resort, ensure that supplies are labelled according to the recommendations provided by the vendor.
  • Following the travel request, customer service will reach out to confirm order details.
  • Please keep in mind that additional documentation may be required and requested when placing a travel order to comply with state and international regulations.

A. PACK SUPPLIES:

  • A recommended packing list for home hemodialysis travel can be found here.
  • However, your packing list will depend on your prescription, destination(s), and trip itinerary. Be sure to review the list with your care team prior to your trip!


B. PRINT THE FOLLOWING DOCUMENTATION TO HAVE ON HAND:

  • Copy of your travel prescription from your clinic.
  • List of your medical related travel contents.
  • Copy of “GUIDANCE ON THE TRANSPORT OF PORTABLE DIALYSIS MACHINES BY TRAVEL WITH DISABILITIES” if you are traveling with a third-party vendor.
  • A signed letter from your doctor stating that you are traveling with life sustaining equipment.
  • A list of emergency centers.
     

C. CHECK IN WITH YOUR VENDORS (48 hours prior to arrival):

  • Call your hotel/travel destination to confirm that they’ve received your supplies.
  • We recommend asking them to take a photo of the supplies and have them emailed/texted for visual confirmation.

Travel by: Sea

  • For trips shorter than one week, it is recommended that you bring your dialysate, saline, and supplies from home along with you.
  • For trips longer than a week, customer service can help arrange to ship dialysate and supplies to your destination upon receipt of a physician signed travel prescription.*
  • Be sure to pack the cycler in a hard case to protect the cycler from damage. Cycler hard cases should be rented from your clinic. Be sure to pack the cycler in a hard case to protect the cycler from damage. Cycler hard cases should be rented from your clinic.
  • When booking, contact the cruise line or hotel (prior to embarkation) that you are traveling with life sustaining equipment and supplies, and have them note it in your reservation. If you are having supplies directly shipped to the cruise line or hotel/travel destination(s), notify them when making your reservation.
  • Technical support is available 24/7 at 1-866-697-8243.
  • Equipment swaps and supply deliveries are not possible at sea and at most ports of call. Please make sure you and your care team have a back-up plan just in case.

*Saline cannot be ordered through customer service.

BOOKING CONSIDERATIONS:

Before booking the cruise, it’s important to reach out to the cruise line and ask questions to better understand their services and offerings. Most cruise lines require notification of special medical needs at the time of booking.

For the cruise line, you may want to ask:

  • Is there a contact person or liaison that helps coordinate getting dialysis supplies on the ship and to the room?
  • Can supplies be delivered a few days before my arrival? Is there a storage fee?
  • Besides my own name, whose contact information can I include on the shipping labels to ensure a safe delivery?
  • Is there a fee to have my supplies delivered to my cabin?
  • Am I able to priority board the ship?
  • Are there elevators on the ship?
  • Do you offer handicap-accessible cabins? (They generally offer more space, wider doors and support fixtures.)
  • Does your standard cabin offer an end table, desk, or counter?
  • Do your standard rooms offer a sofa or recliner?


CONSULT WITH YOUR CLINIC:

  • Consult your clinic with your travel plans to ensure that your nurse understands your intention to travel and can submit your travel request on your behalf.
  • Clinics can help determine travel eligibility with where you can travel as well as the necessary considerations that you may need to know before booking your trip.
  • Inquire about nearby clinics or emergency center near your destination just in case.
  • Ask your clinic nurse if there is a hard travel case available to borrow, and reserve it.

  • For trips shorter than one week, we encourage you to bring your own supplies.
  • For trips one week or more, we recommend ordering cartridges, pre-mixed dialysate bags, warmer lines, and waste lines to your destination. Contact your clinic to place a travel order.
  • Before ordering, please check the minimum required lead time for your destination. You can check the list here.
  • When ordering, it’s suggested that supplies arrive 2 days before your own arrival to ensure everything gets to your destination. However, you may want to consider daily vendor storage costs with making this decision.
  • Indicate the cruise line, cabin number, reservation information, specific personnel for receipt, and other important details indicated by the cruise line when placing your order to ensure an easier delivery process.
  • If your supplies are being delivered to a hotel/resort, ensure that supplies are labelled according to the recommendations provided by the vendor.
  • Following the travel request, customer service will reach out to confirm order details.
  • Please keep in mind that additional documentation may be required and requested when placing a travel order to comply with state and international regulations.

A. PACK SUPPLIES:

  • A recommended packing list for home hemodialysis travel can be found here.
  • However, your packing list will depend on your prescription, destination(s), and trip itinerary. Be sure to review the list with your care team prior to your trip!
  • We recommend placing an air tag in your cycler case to ensure you always know where your cycler is while in transit.


B. PRINT THE FOLLOWING DOCUMENTATION TO HAVE ON HAND:

  • Copy of your travel prescription from your clinic.
  • List of your medical related travel contents.
  • Copy of “GUIDANCE ON THE TRANSPORT OF PORTABLE DIALYSIS MACHINES BY TRAVEL WITH DISABILITIES” if you are traveling with a third-party vendor.
  • A signed letter from your doctor stating that you are traveling with life sustaining equipment.
  • A list of emergency centers at ports of call.


C. CHECK IN WITH YOUR VENDORS (48 hours prior to arrival):

  • Call your hotel/travel destination to confirm that they’ve received your supplies.
  • We recommend asking them to take a photo of the supplies and have them emailed/texted for visual confirmation.


D. BOARDING (Sail Departure Date):

  • We recommend arriving at the cruise ship towards the start of boarding to ensure that your supplies have been delivered to the appropriate room or location.

Travel by: Camping

  • For trips shorter than one week, it is recommended that you bring your dialysate, saline, and supplies from home along with you.
  • For trips longer than a week, customer service can help arrange to ship dialysate and supplies to your destination upon receipt of a physician signed travel prescription.*
  • Be sure to pack the cycler in a case to protect the cycler from damage. If your cycler will be handled by a 3rd party, you should reserve a hard case. Otherwise, you should rent a soft case. Cases should be rented from your clinic.
  • When booking, contact the travel destination vendor(s) that you are traveling with life sustaining equipment and supplies, and have them note it in your reservation. If you are having supplies directly shipped to the hotel/travel destination(s), notify them when making your reservation.
  • Please research and keep a list of hospitals in case of an emergency on your travel.
  • Technical support is available 24/7 at 1-866-697-8243.

*Saline cannot be ordered through customer service.

BOOKING CONSIDERATIONS:

Before booking your accommodations, it’s important to reach out to the campsite and ask questions to better understand their services and offerings.

For the campsite, you may want to ask:

  • Can supplies be delivered a few days before my arrival? Is there a storage fee?
  • Besides my own name, whose contact information can I include on the shipping labels to ensure a safe delivery?


You should also consider:

  • Electrical sources for your cycler.
  • Temperature conditions during treatment.
  • Waste Disposal

 

CONSULT WITH YOUR CLINIC:

  • Consult your clinic with your travel plans to ensure that your nurse understands your intention to travel and can submit your travel request on your behalf.
  • Clinics can help determine travel eligibility with where you can travel as well as the necessary considerations that you may need to know before booking your trip.
  • Inquire about nearby clinics or emergency center near your destination just in case.
  • Ask your clinic nurse if there is a travel case available to borrow, and reserve it. If your cycler will be handled by a 3rd party, you should reserve a hard case. Otherwise, you should rent a soft case.

  • For trips shorter than one week, we encourage you to bring your own supplies.
  • For trips one week or more, we recommend ordering cartridges, pre-mixed dialysate bags, warmer lines, and waste lines to your destination. Contact your clinic to place a travel order.
  • Before ordering, please check the minimum required lead time for your destination. You can check the list here.
  • When ordering, it’s suggested that supplies arrive 2 days before your own arrival to ensure everything gets to your destination. However, you may want to consider daily vendor storage costs with making this decision.
  • If your supplies are being delivered to a hotel/resort, ensure that supplies are labelled according to the recommendations provided by the vendor.
  • Following the travel request, customer service will reach out to confirm order details.
  • Please keep in mind that additional documentation may be required and requested when placing a travel order to comply with regulations.

A. PACK SUPPLIES:

  • A recommended packing list for NxStage systems can be found here.
  • However, your packing list will depend on your prescription, destination(s), and trip itinerary. Be sure to review the list with your care team prior to your trip!


B. PRINT THE FOLLOWING DOCUMENTATION TO HAVE ON HAND:

  • Copy of your travel prescription from your clinic.
  • List of your medical related travel contents.
  • Copy of “GUIDANCE ON THE TRANSPORT OF PORTABLE DIALYSIS MACHINES BY TRAVEL WITH DISABILITIES” if you are traveling with a third-party vendor.
  • A signed letter from your doctor stating that you are traveling with life sustaining equipment.
  • A list of emergency centers.
     

C. CHECK IN WITH YOUR VENDORS (48 hours prior to arrival):

  • Call your campsite to confirm that they’ve received your supplies.
  • We recommend asking them to take a photo of the supplies and have them emailed/texted for visual confirmation.

Important Documents

These documents may be helpful to you while you are making your travel plans.

Department of Transportation guidance for traveling with a portable dialysis machine

Download PDF

Sample Doctor letter for traveling with a portable dialysis machine

Download PDF

Nxpeditions Home Hemodialysis Travel Guide

A detailed booklet to assist with traveling with NxStage home hemodialysis systems.

Download PDF
Dave
quote-icon

Traveling while doing HHD means freedom, control, and independence. We can get out of the house and go places without having to coordinate in-center visits at the destination. HHD has enabled us to be spontaneous and complete treatments on my schedule.

Dave

Current HHD patient

Dave
quote-icon

I have been using NxStage for 8 years. My husband, Bernie, and I love to travel! We go camping often, we’ve visited 13 states in our RV trailer over the past 7 years, and we spend 2-3 months in sunny Florida during the winter months.

Brenda

Current HHD patient

Pedro
quote-icon

With HHD, you can get your lifestyle back,” Pedro explains. “I’m able to get up, plan my day, and do what I want, then come home and do my treatment that evening. Or I can get up early and do a treatment, then hit the street.”

Pedro

Current HHD patient

  1. Carousel Item 1
  2. Carousel Item 1
  3. Carousel Item 1

Travel Cases

When you’re ready for your trip, you can plan to pack your machine in one of the following travel cases!

Hard Travel Case for Home Hemodialysis Machine

Ideal for extended travel, by airplane or other circumstances where cycler is handled by others.

SIZE:
23”W x 20”H x 19.5”D
(58.4cm x 50.8cm x 49.5cm)

WEIGHT:
Empty: Approx. 25 pounds (11 kg)
With Cycler: Approx. 99 pounds (45 kg)

Soft Travel Case for Home Hemodialysis Machine

Ideal for local travel, by car, RV or bus.

SIZE:
20”W x 20”H x16”D
(50.8cm x 50.8cm x 40.6cm)

WEIGHT:
Empty: Approx. 5 lbs (2 kg)
With Cycler: Approx. 80 lbs (36 kg)

NxStage Home Hemodialysis Systems Can Go Where You Go

YouTube Video Thumbnail
YouTube Video Thumbnail

Want to travel?

Call 1-866-NXSTAGE (697-8243) or fill out the form to talk to an expert.

*NxStage data on file, July 2024.

Risks and Responsibilities

Patients should review the following information carefully and discuss it with their doctors to decide whether home hemodialysis with NxStage systems is right for them.


Users should weigh the risks and benefits of performing home hemodialysis with NxStage systems.

  • Medical staff will not be present to respond to health emergencies that might happen during home treatments, including, among other things, dizziness, nausea, low blood pressure, and fluid or blood leaks.
  • Users may not experience the reported benefits of home, more frequent, or nocturnal hemodialysis with the NxStage systems.
  • The NxStage systems require a prescription for use.

 

 
Users will be responsible for all aspects of their hemodialysis treatment from start to finish.
 
  • Medical staff will not be present to perform home treatments. Users will be responsible for, among other things, equipment setup, needle insertions, responding to and resolving system alarms, system tear-down after treatment, monitoring blood pressure, ensuring proper aseptic technique is followed, and following all the training material and instructions that nurses provide.

 

Users will need additional resources to perform home hemodialysis.

  • Users will need a trained care partner to be present during your treatment at home (unless their doctor prescribes “solo/independent” home hemodialysis, described below).
  • Users must have a clean and safe environment for their home treatments.
  • Users will need space in their home for boxes of supplies necessary to perform home hemodialysis with NxStage systems.

 

Certain forms of home hemodialysis have additional risks.

  • If a doctor prescribes home hemodialysis more than 3 times a week, vascular access is exposed to more frequent use which may lead to access related complications, including infection of the site. Doctors should evaluate the medical necessity of more frequent treatments and discuss the risks and benefits of more frequent therapy with users.

APM2096 Rev. H

Quick links

Careers

Risk and Responsibilities 

CA Supply Chain Act and UK Modern Slavery Act

Do Not Sell My Personal Information

Limit the Use of my Sensitive Personal Information

Consumer Health Data Privacy Statement 

Opt-Out of Sale

Opt-Out of Targeted Advertising

Opt-Out of Profiling

Our Offices

350 Merrimack Street
Lawrence, MA 01843
United States 

350 Merrimack Street
Lawrence, MA 01843
United States 

920 Winter Street
Waltham, MA 02451
United States

920 Winter Street
Waltham, MA 02451
United States

1-866-NxStage (697-8243)

1-866-NxStage (697-8243)

Contact

All Contact Information

All Contact Information

Social Media

Social Media

Facebook

X

Youtube

LinkedIn

© 2025 Fresenius Medical Care. All Rights Reserved.

© 2025 Fresenius Medical Care. All Rights Reserved.

Privacy Statement

Terms of Use

Cookie Settings