How to pack better: Medicine bag
Plan and pack your medicine bag the right way!
Packing medication for travel? Some things to think about: Should you bring copies of prescriptions with you? What to do if you need medication while travelling? Read on, and get packing with our top tips.
No one wants to get sick while on a trip, but not being prepared to deal with illness only makes matters worse. The last thing anyone wants is to be searching out pharmacies or medical clinics while away from home.
Being prepared, planning what to pack, and bringing the right medication is important, and it starts with making choices about what is necessary, and what isn’t. If you’re travelling with children, planning accordingly is doubly important.
Prescription vs. Non-prescription Medication
Make a list of medications that you plan to take and identify which drugs require a prescription and which do not. It is best to keep important medication with you in your carry-on bag, stored in its original packaging. For any uncommon drugs, carry the prescription with you, ensuring that the trade name and the generic name (if applicable) appear on the prescription. Prescription drugs are exempt from liquid restrictions, but must be presented for inspection.
For over-the-counter drugs, we are personally not as rigid. We typically pack our entire medicine bag in our stowed luggage, keeping a small amount of motion-sickness and pain medicine in our carry-on for emergencies.
For some medicines, like anti-histamines, antiseptic creams, or decongestants, we take a photo of the dosage details on the outside of the box and note the shape/colour of the pills. We only bring enough pills for the trip and save valuable space.
Things To Consider
- if you have a complicated medical history speak to your doctor before travelling
- consider whether you are near a major city, or at an isolated location/resort as this will impact what you should bring
- if you are at a resort, find out if there a medical clinic on the property
- find out if you need any travel vaccines for your intended destination. Book an appointment with a travel clinic
- take a photo of any important prescriptions and email them to yourself
What's in our Medicine Bag?
After ensuring that you have organized and packed your important prescription medications, go through our checklist and see what’s relevant to you.
- motion-sickness medication
- antacids (Tums/Pepto-Bismol etc)
- antihistamines (topical and oral)
- Cough drops, cough suppressant (Halls, Ricola)
- Decongestant
- Pain and fever medicine (acetaminophen, aspirin, or ibuprofen)
- 1% hydrocortisone cream
- digital thermometer
- sunscreen and after-burn care creams (aloe vera)
- nasal decongestant spray
- eye drops
- a variety of bandages and gauze
Non-medical considerations
We pack the following in with our medicines
- earplugs
- tweezers
- cotton swabs
- nail clippers
- antiseptic wipes and hand-sanitizer
- hard candy (for ear pressure on flights)
Consult your doctor before travelling.
We recommend that you read the applicable guidelines set out by your government’s health organization. Canada | USA |
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