Travel First Aid Essentials

by Jasmin Ford

​Travel can be a fun and exciting experience. Planning for travel on the other hand, can sometimes be a chore which can lead to travelers sometimes taking short cuts such as not packing a travel first aid kit. As I’ve mentioned previously on this blog, I’ve traveled quite a bit with my maternal unit a registered nurse and she never leaves the country without an extensive first aid kit packed in her carry-on. If I'm being completely honest a first aid kit has come in handy several times during our travels. For those of you that are #teamcarryon and want to know the necessary essentials read on to find out more.

1.Immodium/Antidiarrheal 
If you get travelers' diarrhea you may want to let it run it's course depending on how bad things get or what's on your itinerary. However, if your travel plans require that you stop things almost immediately then this is what you should take. I'm convinced my stomach is made of steel so this doesn't always make it into my kit. 

2.Pepto Bismol 
This product is a multi-tasking superstar which treats everything from heartburn, upset stomach, nausea and diarrhea and the travel sized tube takes up almost no space. 

3.DripDrop/Oral Rehydration Salts  
If you come down with travelers’ diarrhea, get food poisoning or overexerted yourself in high temperatures trying to visit the Acropolis (true story), you’ll want to have these portable, tasty, and medical grade hydration packets at your disposal. I discovered these last year as I was preparing for my trip to Zanzibar which was in the middle of a cholera outbreak.

4. Tylenol/ Pain Reliever & Fever Reducer  
Tylenol gets the job done, it's efficient at reducing fevers and relieving minor aches and pains.

5.Dramamine/ Anti-Motion Sickness  
If you're prone to motion sickness or even if you're not, you'll want this at the ready to ward off any surprises.

6.Cortisone-10/ Hydrocortisone cream  
Despite your most diligent efforts to prevent mosquito bites there’s always a rogue mosquito that attacks. You can use this cream to calm any itching and swelling/redness from mosquito bites or other critters.
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7. Sudafed/Decongestant 
If you start to feel a little stuffy during your trip you can take this to clear things up. Pro-tip, if you experience ear pain during flights take one of these before your flight and for 24 hours after and you should be in the clear.

8. Benadryl/Antihistamine  
These pills can be used to treat the symptoms of allergy, hay fever or the common cold. Pro-tip it’s great to pack this in your suitcase for your trip but make sure you transfer it to your EDC (every day carry) as you go about your sightseeing.

9.Medical Tape  
This stuff is very versatile and can be used in any number of ways.

10.Bandaids 
Cuts and scraps happen when traveling and it's usually the smallest scrapes that are the most annoying and cause the most pain. In a pinch these can also treat blisters if you find that your shoes really weren’t made for walking.

11. Neosporin 
Apply some of this ointment to any minor cut or scrape that get while traveling prior to covering any cut with a bandaid because gangrene really isn’t a good look.

12. Portable Pill Case
I love traveling with this compact pill case to keep everything organized. Even though it’s compact in size it has eight different compartments and the packaging is clear so you can see most of the contents with a quick glimpse.

13. First Aid Pouch 
I use this cute zipper pouch to store all of my first aid items. It's large enough to fit all of the items listed but won't take up too much space in your luggage.
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Depending on where I'm traveling to I also get a prescription for Cipro or a Z-Pack from my doctor to use just in case things get too bad. In addition to the items listed above be sure to pack any prescription medications that you take regularly in your carry-on luggage. To be on the safe side you should pack doses for a few extra days in case of flight delays, lost pills, etc. One final note, some prescription medications that are available in the US may be classified as unlicensed or controlled substances in other countries. Dubai in the UAE for example, has an extensive list of medications that are not allowed to be brought into the county. Be sure to check the status of any medication that you plan to bring with you prior to boarding the plane. 
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