What To Pack in Your Travel Pharmacy?
When you’re planning a family trip, one of the most important details to attend to is your travel pharmacy. It’s essential to have the right medical supplies on hand in case of an emergency, especially if you’re going somewhere remote or off the beaten path. By carrying the right items in your very own travel pharmacy, you can potentially avoid feelings of panic and spending time trying to reach medical personel or finding a local pharmacy for a lot of non-serious situations.
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What to pack in your travel pharmacy?
If you are going to a well developed place like most big modern cities, you can go a little more easy on the details of the items to include as many items will be readily available. But if not, there are lots of relevant items to consider to include in your own travel pharmacy. However, it shouldn’t scare you off. If you either buy a pre-packed first aid kit in a small bag or build your own kit and pack it nicely, you can bring it on your travels again and again and just supply the few items that have been used on your latest adventure.
Here we’ll cover what items should be in your well-stocked travel pharmacy and our recommendations for things that can help you be prepared for (almost) anything.
Your first aid kit
A first aid kit is a must-have item when traveling. It’s one of the first things we pack whenever we are getting ready to leave the house for a new adventure. We even have a small first aid kit permanently in our car!
What to include in your first aid kit
- Lots of diffent sizes of bandages, elastic ones and waterproof ones
- Ibuprofen/acetaminophen
- Tylenol
- Probiotics and Imodium
- Antibiotic ointment, e.g. Neosporin
- Hydrocortisone cream
- Benadryl cream
- Anti-itch cream
- Calamine lotion
- Gauze elastic bandages
- Medical tape
- Face masks
- Alcohol/desinfectant wipes
- Iodine wipes
- Cotton tip applicators
- Scissors
- Tweezers
- Safety pins
- Tick remover
Prescriptions & Over-the-Counter Medications
Make sure you have enough of all prescription medications that your family needs filled before leaving on a trip (and do pack them in your carry-on if flying!).
Also consider bringing over-the-counter medications such as antacids for indigestion and diarrhea medication like Imodium A-D (Loperamide HCI).
If someone in your party suffers from allergies, make sure they have their allergy medication filled before leaving home and also pack some antihistamines just in case they need it while away from home. And antihistamines are a good idea to stock up on in any case before traveling as you never know if there is something someone will be allergic to at your destination.
Tablets for motion sickness are also good to bring if anyone in your family has a tendency of getting nausea during transport. Alternatively, you could consider bringing motion sickness bands to avoid the tablets – which is especially great for kids.
Miscellaneous Items
Thermometers are helpful if anyone becomes ill during the trip. Also include sunscreen and insect repellent; both are essential when venturing outdoors or visiting tropical locations where mosquitoes are prevalent. Throw in a couple of packages of rehydration salts as well – this can help with dehydration due to heat exhaustion or diarrhea/vomiting – which can happen while travelling abroad or even domestically due to food poisoning or altitude sickness!
A great item that we always pack in our travel pharmacy is a swiss army knife. There’s not a lot that beats the versatility of that one. It’s as good at cutting bandages into the perfect size as it is as a great lunch-making tool. Just remember to always pack it in your check in luggage when flying!
And lastly don’t forget any medical documents related to allergies or medical conditions that could arise during travel – especially if you travel by air or have to cross borders!
Final words
Assembling an effective travel pharmacy requires a bit of planning ahead of time so that you can be prepared in case of an emergency while away from home. Make sure that all prescriptions are filled before leaving home and have plenty of over-the-counter medicines on hand for minor ailments such as headaches, nausea, upset stomachs, etc., as well as miscellaneous items including thermometers and insect repellent/sunscreen products. Hopefully these tips will help ensure that your next family vacation is enjoyable and safe! What are your must-have items?
