In the UK, around 30 per cent of the population has a long-term health condition that is controlled with medication. These can range from asthma to epilepsy and include everything from two pills a day to multiple daily injections to diet control. Traveling under these conditions can be difficult, but that shouldn’t stop you. I have Type 1 Diabetes, which requires frequent insulin administration, managing my food intake, and checking and responding to my blood sugar levels. Despite this, I managed to spend six months traveling in Australia, New Zealand and Southeast Asia.
Throughout the journey, I learned a lot about how to manage my condition away from the safety net of home. However, I made some mistakes along the way. Early on in my journey I left a vital piece of my medical equipment (my Personal Diabetes Manager device) behind for a day until I realized it. (Luckily I was able to retrace my steps.)
Experiencing this has taught me to be more aware of where my medications are kept and to double-check everything before packing up and leaving a place. Losing your medication is a big risk when traveling with a health problem; so it’s worth investing in weather tags or similar to keep track of where your important supplies are at all times.
Anyone with any health problems should be able to travel for longer periods of time, not just for a short trip, unless recommended by your doctor. Just follow these simple steps.
Know how much medicine you are taking
Of course, you will know how much your daily medicine consumption is. From here, calculate how much you’ll need for the duration of your trip and double that.
Specialist diabetes nurse Mindy Levitt advises people to “take at least two to three times more medication than you think you need.” This applies to all conditions, not just diabetes. Be sure to request your medication in advance, allowing time for your doctor’s approval, your medication supplier, dispensing, and pharmacy.
Plan how you will carry or collect your medications
Once you’ve visualized how much medication you’ll be bringing with you, you can arrange another bag for your trip if necessary, or schedule it to be delivered to your destination, as some companies deliver internationally (more on couriers below). I also took an additional bag with me as cabin luggage, which I always carry with me. Although it was a light burden to carry on his back for six months, this burden decreased as time went by. If I were to travel this long again, I would use a courier.
Although DPD UK does not ship medicines, DHL Express and UPS can assist in transporting medical supplies; However, destination countries may have different laws, special rules and fees that must be met. DHL Express says: “The medicine must include a prescription and be accompanied by an invoice showing what each medicine is, how much it is and how you used it. This invoice can be downloaded as a template online or via the DHL Express website or at selected stores served by DHL Express.” Their vans are not temperature controlled, so if some medication like my insulin needs to be kept cool you must take it with you, while those that are not temperature controlled can be couriered for you.
Brian Duggan, pharmacist and managing director of Polar Speed (a UPS company that forms part of its healthcare business), says: “The patient needs to obtain the appropriate country-specific medicine import permit and provide UPS with the relevant documentation.” To arrange this, you must contact the embassy of the destination country for specific information on the transportation of medicines for personal use. The patient can designate an authorized recipient to collect his/her medication from the pharmacy on his/her behalf. UPS may act as the designated authorized consignee. “After the medicine is received by UPS on behalf of the patient, it can be sent to the desired country in temperature-controlled packaging.”
Before you travel, Brenda Walcott, clinical consultant at Diabetes UK, recommends “finding out where you can get insulin in case of an emergency” before you travel. Contact your insulin manufacturer before traveling to find out if your insulin is provided in the country you are traveling to. Ultimately, She adds, “In certain countries, owning your own supplies is the safest approach.” This applies not only to insulin but also to other drugs. As a UK citizen traveling to another country, Walcott recommends you check the health information of the country you are visiting by following the links on the Government’s online Foreign Travel Advice page.
Check with your airline to make sure you can bring your medications on board. I like to know where my medication is and my insulin needs to be kept cold, which I can only guarantee if I have it with me in the cabin. The temperature in the warehouse is often very cold and this can damage the medicine.
Some airlines require medications to be in their original labeled packaging so that they can be clearly identified. If this is the case and you need to reduce space, you can cut the labels and store them in a separate folder, so you can also provide packaging if desired.
Get the doctor’s letters in advance
Enigma Healthcare’s clinical director, Dr. “It is very important to bring clear documentation of your medical problems and prescription medications and keep them with you in the cabin when flying to avoid getting lost,” says Anthony Patiniott. These may need to be shown at airport security and will come in handy if you need medical attention or need to change any medications. More importantly, she recommends “include your allergies and emergency contact information for you in case you cannot be contacted.”
Walcott also said that if you have medical devices, “Print a Medical Device Awareness Card from the Civil Aviation Authority website along with your letter. This lays out browsing recommendations for you [the passenger] and the security guard who performs the checks.”
If you need to carry a needle like me, you must indicate this at the screening point. You should also consider how you will dispose of them after use. In my experience, you can stop by the pharmacy or doctor’s office almost anywhere and they will safely dispose of them for you. Otherwise, you may need to keep them with you at home to dispose of in the sharps bin.
If you’re planning to do skydiving, scuba diving, or something similar, you’ll probably need a confirmation letter from your doctor showing that you’re eligible to participate. If you cannot present this to the company running the activity, they may not allow you to participate. Take photos of these letters as backup.
Anticipate environmental changes
Levitt points out that “changes in temperature, time zone, and routine can affect your energy levels.” If you become tired and dehydrated in a hot country, you are more likely to encounter problems with your health. Frio packs (cooling bags designed to keep temperature-sensitive medications at safe temperatures between 18-26°C for at least 45 hours) are very useful if your medications need to stay cool and you are going somewhere hot without adequate air conditioning or air conditioning. warranty refrigerators – they only need water to activate.
Plan for the worst and expect to get sick
If you prepare for the worst, you can handle the worst. Dr Patiniott recommends researching your travel goals to stay informed about availability, access to healthcare in case of emergency and access to pharmacies if necessary. He also says that if you’re in a foreign country, it’s wise to learn the wording about your condition and medications to help communicate your needs.
You must accept that it may be more difficult for your body to cope with illnesses as effectively as other people without the conditions. It’s important to let people know, especially if you have a health condition such as diabetes; Because if you slur your words or have trouble walking, people may assume you’re drunk and may not realize you need help.
Get protection for pre-existing conditions
My insurance covered the hospital stay and the medications I needed. I only had to pay an excess of £70: a small charge compared to the total bill. I had a few more appointments while I was away and all my requests were approved when I returned home. I used Travel Insurance 4 Medical. You do not need to consult a travel health insurance specialist, but you should make sure that your policy also covers health insurance.
Book a package holiday
This may not always be possible, but if you can, it means that the provider is obliged to ensure that you get help if you have a medical problem during your trip, and you will always have a useful point of contact.
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