How to Make Travel with Medical Conditions, Medications, and Medical Devices a Little Less Stressful: 12 Easy Tips
I think there are two travel truths: travel is amazing, and travel can be really stressful. When you add travel with medical conditions, medications, medical devices, and dietary requirements it can become all the more stressful. For years I avoided traveling with others because I didn’t want to burden others with the stress of travel with Diabetes and Celiac Disease. You can read more about that here. However, I realized that preparing for the unexpected is the best way to prevent added travel stress, and safely go about your adventure. I have put together 12 easy guidelines around medical conditions, medications, and medical devices to help you travel with less stress.
Make Travel with Medical Conditions and Medications Less Stressful with These 11 Planning Tips
- All pills and medications should be in something labeled with your prescription, bottle or box. It can be opened, but the original prescription label should be intact.
- Carry a letter from your prescribing provider with the description of your medical condition, medications, and/or medical supplies.
- Let the TSA or security officer if you have a bone growth stimulator, spinal stimulator, neurostimulator, port, feeding tube, insulin pump, ostomy or other medical device attached to your body. It will allow them to anticipate your needs during the screening process. TSA provides some easy guidelines on communicating with them here!
- Consider filling out the TSA Disability Notification Card. It allows you to hand the TSA or security officer something so you don’t have to announce to the entire security line what specific device or condition you have. I personally do not use this method, mostly because I am not organized or thoughtful enough. Link here!
- Always have a backup! N – 1 is a favorite rule of mine. If you have a medical device that you travel with (insulin pump, drug pump, inhaler, etc) then you should always have one extra while traveling). N being the number of devices you have minus one, you never want zero. You don’t need to have double the devices, you just need a back up plan. As a diabetic I have an insulin pump, I do not always travel with two pumps. But I do always travel with a backup form of insulin delivery (long and short acting insulin).
- Bring extra medication! When traveling domestic, within the United States for me, I usually bring a three to four days extra. The thought being that I use a pharmacy that I can refill almost anywhere in the US. When traveling outside the US or remote destinations I bring double. Again, the N-1 rule! Take it from someone who has traveled and lived abroad, it is not easy figuring out prescriptions abroad. BUT if you do need to refill medications abroad reach out to your local embassy. They have lists of medical providers and urgent cares that are traveler friendly. If you are in a pinch and state side, then you can always visit an urgent care or call your provider at home to send your prescription nearby.
- Check your medications! Some medications are not legal in other countries. It is important to cross check your medication list with your destination’s illegal medication list. You can find this on the US embassy website for you destination.
- Sometimes communication about our medications, allergies, or medical conditions can be difficult where we don’t speak the language. I highly recommend looking up *Disease/Allergy* multilingual information card. I pinky swear you will find plenty of helpful sources (online PDFs). Additionally, there are multiple companies that sell multilingual medical/allergy cards.
- Bring extra food. I never know what kind of food or snacks will be available. Will there be gluten free food? Will there be food in case my blood sugar drops? Will I have water to take with my pills? I highly recommend packing snacks and a water bottle for your trip. Two staples I always pack: peanut butter, and gluten free bread/crackers.
- When traveling with a medical condition I highly recommend wearing a medical alert bracelet of some kind. No, you don’t need to wear something flashy or obvious. Many people have more subtle charms for watches, etc.
- Keep your medications with you! I keep all my medications in my carry on, and a limited amount of back up in my checked luggage. Checked luggage is exposed to a wide temperature range, which can impact your medication stability. Additionally, you don’t want your medications lost if your checked luggage is lost!
- The most important aspect of travel with medical conditions is being comfortable. Do not be afraid to ask for what you need or want, just be ok if it isn’t available.
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These are great tips! I’m fortunate enough to not require packing medications when I travel, but I know just how stressful travel is without it! I can’t imagine how challenging it could be having to negotiate airport security, customs and foreign languages relating to medication and allergies. I hope these tips really help bring confidence to those who do require these considerations. You’ve explained it all so clearly and thoroughly and I hope that it means no one put off travelling due to a medical condition. Thanks for sharing these important tips!
I’m fortunate enough to not require medications but these tips are definitely useful ones. I know a few people who have to travel with medications and it can be so challenging, especially if you visit countries where there are language barriers etc. So thanks for sharing these and inspiring more people to travel.
Great tips! I’ve never checked to see if my medication was banned before, but I will in the future!
Great tips! Super helpful article 🙂
Great tips! I have asthma, and although it is very well controlled these days, I remember when it wasn’t and I would have to travel with a nebuliser. I ended up buying a small travel one, making travel much easier.
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