Time to Travel! Well, everyone in the world loves to travel and build lifelong memories. The first priority for people with Diabetes, although, is to make sure that health is on track during the time of travel. You have to plan a lot of things, and Health Tips are part of the big list. Some of the most important travel tips for diabetics are the following:
- Meet your doctor and get your checked before planning.
- Carry a Medical Bracelet
- Carry an adequate quantity of medicines
- Prepare your meal and carry that
- Carry preprepared meals to satiate your hunger
- Get your travel insurance done
- Carry your TSA notification card
- Carry your medicines in a pouch
- Set the alarm for your medications
- Always keep extra food and water
- If Pregnant then check with your doctor before planning the trip
To make sure you have no hurdles on a trip, we have created this extensive travel Guide of all the tips you would require while travelling. Many things must be taken care of, and in this post, you will find all of them. Reading all the travel Guide points will make sure that you have a smooth trip while your health is on track!
What traveling does to a Diabetic?
Travelling is fun, but it brings along many changes in the form of delayed meals, a lot of physical activity, changed meals and schedules, and a lot more. Your body will get to witness a complete change from the regular schedule of work, which directly affects your health conditions.
Without taking due care of all the necessary steps and tips, you can potentially face a lot of problems, including a sudden spike or drop in blood sugar, which can ruin your trip. Believe me, you don’t want to face a doctor while travelling, and following the travel guide will make sure that you don’t have to!
[Also Read 21 Travel Tips for Diabetics]
Concerns of a diabetic while traveling
There are numerous concerns for people with Diabetes for their travel plans. I am going to list out some of the major ones so that you can have an idea –
- Getting short of medicines and then not getting them in the city you are traveling
- Sudden spike or fall in blood sugar levels
- Sudden changes in Blood Sugar affecting and making other problems in the body
- Getting questioned about your medication from foreign authorities
- Feeling extreme hunger
- Paying hugely for medical bills in another city or country in case the situation arises
Top Travel Tips for Diabetics
We will be dividing the travel tips into sections for your convenience. You can follow the pattern according to your travel schedule and be equipped with all the Necessary Tools. Although, there are some essential travel tips that you must take care of-
- Keeping abundant stock of your medicines
- Getting travel insurance done for your trip
- Maintaining a healthy stock of food for emergencies
- Getting a Doctor’s note
- Regularly getting your Blood Sugar levels checked
Bonus Video: Watch This Video To Know Top 10 Travel Tips for Diabetics
Now, going into the details, we have divided the tips into three sections namely –
- Before Traveling
- During Traveling
- After reaching your destination
Let’s understand the travel tips for each of the stages in detail.
Things to do before starting your journey
1. The first thing to do before your trip is to meet your Doctor and get tested properly.
You have to make sure that you are fit for travel. Along with that, make sure to –
- Get a note from the Doctor about your prescriptions
- Ask about the change of medication schedules according to the new time zones
- Ask about all the precautions and instructions regarding the country you are traveling
[Also Read At What Blood Sugar Level Should One Start Medication?]
2. Medical Bracelet
Get a medical bracelet and write down about all your medical problems and other important details, including blood group, family contact, etc.
3. Adequate Quantity of Medicines
Make sure to buy an adequate quantity of medicines for your trip. Make sure to keep extra stock in case you lose some or any other reason.
[Also Read What is the Best Ayurvedic Medicine for diabetes?]
4. Diabetic Meal
Give instructions to your flight company about your diabetic meal.
[Also Read Diabetes Diet: Make Your Healthy Food Choices and Eating Plan]
5. Travel Insurance
Buy travel insurance covering all major health emergencies.
6. Ready to eat meals
Make sure to buy ready to Eat Meals and Other Eatables you can eat if you do not find food nearby for a few hours. It is common for you to spend some time without any food while travelling and having some ready to eat will save your blood sugar from dropping.
[Also Read 7 Low Glycemic foods for the DIABETIC!]
7. TSA notification card
Get an optional TSA notification card, which will smoothen your clearance at the airport.
8. Pack your medicines properly
Make sure to pack your medicines properly and also keep extra medication in your smaller bag that you will carry along so that you have spare medicine in case your luggage is lost.
[Also Read Ayurveda , Supplements, Herbs to control Blood Sugar]
Things to do while travelling
Follow all these tips for enjoying a smooth journey –
- The first thing to do is set alarms for medicines/insulin according to your destination’s time zone.
2. Pack your medicines/insulin properly in a separate bag.
If you are carrying insulin, make sure that it is not exposed to direct heat at any time and is in a cold environment.
3. Make sure to take regular breaks in your journey. If you are travelling by car, make sure to stop in a while and take a walk.
If you are travelling by plane, you can take a walk every two hours for your body to prevent blood clots.
[Also Read 13 Simple Steps to Overcome Gestational Diabetes]
4. If you are travelling with pregnancy, make sure to take advice and precautions as stated by the Doctor and also keep an extra stock of medicines.
5. Various health gadgets and health apps will help you maintain track of everything, so make sure to download some of the useful Diabetes and travel management apps.
Things to do after reaching your destination
Every reader reading this will have different plans and duration of stay. For your convenience, we have generalized tips for everyone.
- The biggest thing to fight is the urge to eat a lot of food as you will get a lot of options on your trip. To remain healthy, make sure to eat regular meals of healthy food and avoid eating buffets and all other options that you get.
- It is imperative to keep checking your blood sugar levels regularly. You will get to see some fundamental changes in the first few days, normalizing with time. But keep practising the things that your Doctor has instructed in case of sudden spikes or falls.
- Make sure to limit your physical activity, especially in the sun.
Conclusion
We would like to conclude by saying that following all the steps listed above are essential to have a smooth trip and make memories along the way. Taking care of just a few of the factors will help you keep your health in check and also prevent any medical emergencies.
