Travel Pharmacy Checklist

Travel Pharmacy Checklist - What to Bring?

The Basics of a Travel Pharmacy

• Personal medications: Be sure to pack enough of any medications you normally take, especially if you cannot obtain them over-the-counter in the country you'll be visiting. This includes items like your insulin, blood pressure medications, allergy medications, or birth control pills. Not all medications are available abroad in the same dosage, composition, and quality - bring the critical medications yourself just to be safe.
• Wound disinfectant and ointment: It's best to play it safe with open wounds. Infected wounds are no fun at all, especially while on vacation.
• Bandaging supplies: At least adhesive band-aids (bring waterproof band-aids for beach vacations, etc.), and ideally sterile gauze, elastic bandages, a splinter tweezers, and a triangular bandage to treat wounds adequately while on the go. You don't need a mountain of bandaging materials, but in emergencies, it's very helpful to be able to dress wounds quickly and keep dirt out.
• Blister band-aids: Whether on a city trip or a hiking vacation, blister band-aids are always useful because even the best shoe can't withstand a sock that slips down.
• Pain relievers: Headaches or backaches can hit you quickly while on vacation. Having some painkillers handy is a good idea. Additionally, ibuprofen, acetaminophen, and aspirin can also help reduce fever.
• Sunscreen: A good sunscreen is a must-have - yes, even for a ski trip in the mountains. Sunburns do not look good and can damage your skin, so lather it on! And if you do get sunburned, an after-sun lotion can help.
• Nasal drops or spray: If your nose is blocked, you won't be able to equalize pressure properly on a plane - an uncomfortable situation you can avoid by having nasal drops handy in your carry-on. If you forget them, contact the cabin crew in an emergency.
• Anti-nausea medication: If you know that you tend to get carsick, make sure to have some anti-nausea gum on hand - and keep it within easy reach.

Enhancing the Travel Pharmacy for Long-Distance Trips

• Insect repellent: To avoid being bitten or stung by insects in the first place, you should carry insect repellent with you. Some people swear by buying it in the destination country, but you should take care to do that quickly so that you're not completely without insect protection in a malaria or dengue fever area.
• Ointment for insect bites: To relieve itching after insect bites, you should carry an insect bite ointment. Trust us, you'll sleep better with it.
• Insect bite healer: This small, handy device relieves itching completely without medications or chemicals, just using heat - and it works in seconds.
• Thermometer: A small electronic thermometer (not a glass one, as those often break while traveling) fits in any travel pharmacy and is practical. If you do end up catching something, it's good to be able to track fever spikes.
• Anti-diarrhea medication: Traveler's diarrhea is fairly common, especially when your stomach and intestines have to acclimate to new foods. Also, the water at your vacation destination, used for cold drinks with ice cubes or to wash fruits and vegetables, could cause diarrhea. It's best to check in advance whether the water is safe to drink. If you do get diarrhea, make sure to drink plenty of (boiled) water to replenish fluids, but it's also a good idea to have your trusted anti-diarrhea medication handy.
• Bandaging materials: By the time you go on a long-distance trip, you should have more than just little adhesive strips. If you're in the middle of the jungle and injure yourself, you'll be grateful to have packed some gauze, etc.

Tips and Advice

• Proper storage: Pack your travel pharmacy neatly, preferably sterile, and store it at reasonable temperatures (do not leave it in your car in direct sunlight all day, extreme example). For medications that need to be refrigerated, there are special ice packs. However, to take these bags on a plane, you'll need a doctor's certificate stating that refrigeration is necessary.
• Important: Divide essentials between your luggage and carry-on: While it's annoying, luggage can get lost while traveling. Therefore, life-saving medications such as insulin should be split between checked luggage and carry-on.
• Liquids in carry-on: You should not put the 200-milliliter cough syrup bottle in your carry-on. You are only allowed to carry a maximum of one liter of liquids in containers with a maximum capacity of 100 milliliters.
• Pay attention to export and import regulations: If you are not staying in the U.S. for vacation, you should familiarize yourself with the regulations for your destination country and your individual medications ahead of time. After all, you don't want to find out at the airport in your vacation country that your important medication requires a doctor's certificate for importation. Since this can be a bit complicated and depends on the vacation country, it's best to check the customs website and talk to your treating physician.
• Travel pharmacy on family vacations: Caution, children generally need different dosages and sometimes different active ingredients. So remember to pack pain relievers, insect repellents, etc., in the correct dosage for your children.
• Tailor to activities: For a beach vacation, you should pack different items than for an active vacation. If you spend a lot of time in the water, ear drops that help remove water from the ears would be useful. In a hiking vacation, a sturdy bandage useful for stabilizing a sprained ankle while on the go would be helpful. Consider what might be useful for your program.
• Do not forget the package inserts: In case of doubt, you should be able to check how a medication should be taken, what interactions with other medications may occur, etc.
• Regularly taken medications: Pay attention to the time difference! The interval between doses should generally remain constant, not the time of day. Speak with your doctor about this.
• Consult your physician with uncertainties: It's best to discuss any concerns with your family doctor before traveling (especially for long-distance trips); they know your personal situation and can answer all your questions.
• Accessing physicians: It's good to have the number of your health insurance and your family doctor saved in case something significant happens. In the unlikely event that you need it, you don't want to be searching for it long after it happens.
• Travel health insurance: If something serious happens to you on vacation and you need treatment abroad, it can get very expensive very quickly. Then you will be glad to have a good travel health insurance. We have summarized everything you need to know about it in a separate article.
• Travel vaccinations: Inform yourself about recommended travel vaccinations, especially before a long-distance trip. Your family doctor is also the right contact for this. Importantly: You should start looking into this in advance because some vaccinations consist of multiple injections, which require a certain time interval between them.

Medical Cannabis - What to Consider

• Cannabis is still considered a narcotic in most countries. Patients are allowed to carry a quantity that is appropriate for the duration of their stay.
• Medical cannabis may only be transported for personal use - therefore, it should only be carried by the patient in their carry-on luggage.
• For patients in the Schengen Area: A certificate issued by the doctor as well as an official confirmation are necessary. Not all EU countries are members of the Schengen Agreement, but there are also some non-EU countries represented (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland).
• In all EU countries that are not part of the Schengen Area, cannabis patients need a certificate authenticated by their national health authority.
• For long-distance travelers: Be sure to inform yourself about national regulations, as there are no binding agreements outside the EU.

Downloadable Checklist PDF to Keep Track

More Useful Tips for Your Next Trip