What to Pack in Your Travel Medicine Kit

It’s an inevitable fact: at some point while traveling, you’re going to find yourself hurt in some way. Be prepared before disaster hits by packing a travel medicine kit! you can fill with supplies from the Canadian Pharmacy.

It doesn’t matter if I’m going on a one-day road trip or heading out for months at a time, I always have my travel medicine kit packed and ready to go for whatever ailments I may experience.

What should your travel medicine kit include? A little bit of everything. Here’s what your pack should include.

Pain Relievers

• Ibuprofen, aspirin, and acetaminophen: Whichever you prefer or whichever works best for you, it’s likely you’re going to need these at some point during your trip. Headaches know no boundaries, and you’re likely to experience some muscle or joint soreness with cramped traveling quarters or an active itinerary. I usually carry all three – technically they have different uses – but it’s probably a matter of personal preference.

Allergy pills

• Benadryl or other allergy meds: Because you never know when you’re going to discover a new allergy. For me, I’m literally allergic to the natural world, so I’ve always got three different kinds of allergy meds on me (I wish I were kidding about this).
  But Benadryl will typically help you combat a food or seasonal/environmental allergy if needed. Added bonus: most people experience a bit of drowsiness when taking Benadryl, so on those restless nights, you could pop one of those. Or choose to take non-drowsy pills.
  
• Epipen: This is for those with extreme allergy problems, but if you have a prescribed Epi-pen, be sure to pack it! You don’t want to be caught in a bad situation without that baby – it’s the definition of a “life saver.”

For stomach issues

• Pepto, Tums or Imodium: We don’t like talking about these things, but they happen. If food poisoning hits, you want to be prepared. Chewable Tums or Pepto Bismol tablets are essential in your medicine kit. They’re easily carried, fast-acting and will make you a lot more comfortable. Imodium anti-diarrheal tablets are also always in my travel kit. I also always take some sort of antacid with me.

Eye Drops

• Eye drops: Re-circulated air in airplanes, trains and buses can really take a toll on your eyes. Pack a travel-sized bottle of eye drops to refresh your dry, red, itchy eyes and help give you a bit of a wakeup call as well.
  
• Extra contacts and solution: For contact lens wearers like me, you should always carry an extra pair (or two) or 1-day toric lenses in your travel kit. You never know when you’re going to be separated from your luggage, and if a lens rips or gets lost, you need backups. On a daily basis, I carry at least one pair of lenses with me. I’ve been caught without one too many times to risk it again.

For the restless & anxious travelers

• Tylenol PM: Sometimes, all you want is a little bit of sleep at what your body considers an inconvenient time. If you’re trying to prep for a time change that goes against your body’s natural biorhythm, Tylenol PM might be your best friend on a flight or train ride that might otherwise inhibit any restful sleep.
  
• Anti-anxiety pills: There is no shame in being an anxious traveler. When I was preparing to go to Australia for five months, my nerves were shot for many reasons. Not knowing how I would survive the 24 hours of flying, I asked my physician for a very low-dose prescription for Valium. I used it once on the way there to get some rest when my body didn’t quite want to sleep yet, and once on the way back home to help me a bit with the departure blues and get some sleep.

Motion Sickness Pills

Always bring something with you for motion sickness. You’re bound to come up against it at some point, whether on long road trips or on boats or overnight ferries.

How do I pack all this?

Cramming all these items into one small medicine kit may seem daunting, but it can be done. You can find travel-sized portions of these meds at most drug stores or discount stores, or individually wrapped single doses of them.

You could also just pull from your supply at home and create your own by getting one of those pillboxes people use to separate out their pills for the days of the week and putting a different medicine in each of those. (Be sure to label them so you don’t take the wrong thing!)

Don’t forget to check the regulations on medicines that can be brought into your destination country before packing. You don’t want to cause a scene at customs because of some over-the-counter drugs.

One last thing: I have no medical background, nor proof of effectiveness of any of these methods beyond my own experience. These methods have worked for me while traveling, but you may need to seek out alternative solutions depending on how your body reacts!

What are your travel medicine must-haves? Any horror stories of when you weren’t prepared?