Extra Mayo: Trip Planning

May 15

I’m going to document my next trip to Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN both here as well as instagram: evergreen_adventures_mt. I’ll provide a patient perspective of what to expect from a visit and highlight some of my favorite places to go around Rochester to escape the hospital setting.

Mayo Clinic provides an outstanding patient guide that I’d check out if you are visiting any of their locations. The Mayo patient portal, available on the web and smartphones is also an incredibly useful tool to manage appointments, view test results, and make payments.

My trips are usually scheduled for a week and I purchase flexible plane tickets in case I finish early or need to extend my trip for additional appointments or tests. Flights are usually cheaper into Minneapolis, and I don’t mind the 1.5 hour drive south to Rochester.

There are a number of hotels all within walking distance of the hospital but we’ve had great luck with short-term rental apartments and houses. The hotels are fine, however for me it does get overwhelming seeing other patients all day at the hospital, then again throughout the hotel.

A few additional tips if you’re planning a trip to Rochester:

Reserve rental cars ahead of time at the Minneapolis airport; if there is a major event in the area, rental cars can be in high-demand.
There are not a ton of options for food between Minneapolis suburbs and Rochester. We usually stock up just outside the city if we plan to get into Rochester late in the evening.
Make the most of the time; I consolidate appointments and tests to the week I’ll be in Rochester.
If I’m on a waitlist for a specific specialty, I’ll drop by each morning and late afternoon to see if there were cancelations or no-shows.