Checklist “How to properly pack for a diabetic vacation”

Nowadays, people with diabetes can safely travel, go on vacation or on business trips, whether in their own country or in any other. Even to another continent – you can! The more carefully you prepare for the trip, the more pleasant and with less stress everything will pass. Follow this checklist so you don’t forget anything and anticipate as many risky situations as possible in advance!

Getting ready for the trip!

1. Find out as many dia -important details as possible about the country and city where you are going: does your type of insulin be sold there, are there test strips and pen needles you need, catheters and reservoirs for the pump, batteries for the glucometer , etc. , prices for all this and conditions of purchase (with or without a prescription, etc. ). It is also important to understand whether there is an opportunity to buy the food you need at the right time and in general everything that is important to you in the city where you live.

2. Get a certificate from your doctor that you have diabetes , that you need insulin (their types and doses), that you always need a sweet drink with you, etc. This will help to avoid issues at the airport. It can also be useful when contacting a doctor or pharmacy staff in another city.

3. When purchasing insurance, check with your agent to see if your package covers diabetes care . Better take one that covers. Specify the addresses and telephone numbers to which you should contact if you need medical assistance.

collect the dia -bag!

1. Insulin or hypoglycemic drugs. Take twice as much as you usually need for the same number of days, both long and short. If you are on a pump, take twice as much of the short one you need and be sure to have a few long handles for safety (trust me, it’s easier to bring these three handles back than to be left without it in an unforeseen situation).

2. Glucometer , test strips, sensors. It is better to take two glucometers and a sufficient (or better with a margin) number of test strips for each of them. Don’t forget batteries – they can be hard to find in an unfamiliar place! Needles for the piercing pen – with a margin. If you use continuous monitoring, take a few sensors in reserve + a glucometer with enough strips in any case. Do not forget to put tapes or special glue to fix the sensor on the skin.

3. Serter , catheters, reservoirs, pump batteries – if you are on a pump. Here the same rule – only twice as much. As experience shows, if this is not done, you will definitely need additional expenses at the most inopportune moment for finding it in a foreign city.

4. Other medicines. Those that you take regularly, take with a small margin. Also take a couple of plates of medicine: for fever, for headaches, for indigestion and for intoxication of the body in case of poisoning.

5. Bracelets, pendants and / or cards in your purse, informing, if necessary, others that you have diabetes.

6. Sweet for relief of hypoglycemia in different forms with a good margin . These can be: glucose tablets, sugar sticks, dextrose, honey sticks, special gels, sugary drinks, juice with sugar, etc. It makes sense to put it in different bags, backpacks and pockets – so that there is always something to stop the hypa at hand. If possible, get glucagon.

7. Insurance documents and a certificate of your diagnosis , which we talked about above – do not forget to put them in your bag!

These 7 points are a mandatory minimum. Most likely, not all of this list you use during your trip. But if some of it is needed, but it will not be, then the plans can be ruined. So in this matter it is better to overdo it. Traveling with diabetes can be just as fun and active as it is without it.

If you have your own life hacks for travelers with dia , be sure to tell us about them in the comments – it’s a sin not to share such knowledge)