Travel Pharmacy: The Essentials For The Journey

Being someone who travels the world despite a chronic disease, I've got a fairly good idea of what are the absolute essentials for a travel pharmacy. 

Given that I have been doing this for quite some time, I learned to differentiate the absolute essential things to pack from the ones you could easily leave at home.

For example, I used to think that I needed to pack around three boxes of general painkillers (paracetamol) because they are just good for everything: headaches, fever, period cramps, etc.

But the truth is, I haven't travelled to any destination yet where that kind of medication was impossible to find. As long as you get to civilised parts at some point during your journey, you will be able to buy that stuff when really needed. 

Because of my various health issues, I can honestly say that I have accumulated enough experience to provide a little guide for you guys.

So here are my recommendations for essentials to pack in your travel pharmacy - with a handy checklist to download at the end!

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General advice

Packing a travel pharmacy implies that you already know what destinations you are going to visit. Even if you don't have a fixed plan yet, you should have a general idea if you are heading towards moist wetlands with lots of (Malaria-infested) mosquitoes, areas where the Zika is predominant or, countries where a vaccination to prevent typhoid fever is absolutely crucial.

Consulting a travel medicine specialist and getting all the vaccination shots and meds you need for each destination is a must. They know what they're doing, they will probably also know a bit about your health history and they are the only source you should use for that kind of travel preparation.

What I put together here, are just general guidelines, mostly prescription-free medication you might even find in every corner of the world. 

When listig medication below, I will alway give some major brand name but also the active component. When looking for a specific medication, at least you can ask for the ingredient to be sure to get approximately the same thing.

Travel pharmacy essentials: the 'musts' for the most frequent issues

Diarrhoea & food related issues

This is probably the most common problem travellers face during their journeys. And it's totally normal. You most certainly will visit places (sometimes out of your comfort zone) serving food your body just isn't used to.

Now, some people are more sensitive than others. But even the hard-stomached ones (like Sebi) WILL experience travellers diarrhoea at least once at some point in their lives. 

Of course, for me personnally, this is of a whole other level. My relationship with food can't be compared to that of a person with a well-functioning bowel. 

Still, there are some things that we all have in common: new food = adjustment = it goes well or it doesn't.

Here's what you will want to pack if you plan on travelling with all your senses:

Imodium (active component: loperamide)

This is one of the most used drugs during travels and it decreases the frequency of the bowel movement, which can be very important especially in the case of food poisoning. Diarrhoea on itself isn't dangerous if it happens from time to time but it can be if you don't manage to stop it at some point.

In case that happens: find yourself a doctor. 

Oral rehydration salts (O.R.S.)

These have been our life-saviour quite a few times already.

You can find them with all kinds of names but it usually states 'O.R.S.' on the packaging. These are basically a mix of electrolytes, i.e. sugars and salts, destined to be taken with lots of fluids in order to restore your electrolyte metabolism.

When you experience diarrhoea or frequent vomiting, the first thing you loose are fluids. To prevent dehydration and all kinds of symptoms related to that, drinking one of these solutions helps to accelerate this process of re-equilibration.

But these O.R.S. solutions have a 'side-effect' that's quite handy when you are hiking in very hot and moist conditions like we had in Costa Rica in October: we kept forgetting to drink enough while hiking. But we always carry one little bottle with the O.R.S. solution already in it and it actually gives you a kind of energy-boost while preventing dehydration.

Motilium (active component: domperidone)

This medication for reducing nausea and vomiting used to be prescription-free in almost all European countries for decades. But then, there had been a few cases of heart-failure related to the main component domperidone and it got restricted.

In other parts of the world, it is still available over-the-counter.

It should be used with moderation - as with all medication - but, just like with the Imodium for diarrhoea, it can help to prevent dehydration caused by vomiting, for example in the case of a minor food poisoning.

Again: if you experience a proper food poisoning that lasts longer than a day, consult a professional!

Gaviscon, Alka-Seltzer, Eno and other anti-acids

Having a few tablets of one anti-acid is always useful as a heartburn or upset stomach can occur at any time, anywhere. They are available over-the-counter all over the world so you might not need to pack them beforehand.

But because stomach issues are so unpredictable, it is the kind of thing you want to have ready to hand, especially when you are just in the middle of a canoe-trip in the deep jungle of the National Park Tortuguero for example.

Not a medication but a potential 'life-saviour' as well: toilet paper 

I know, it's not a typical travel pharmacy essential but it is essential nonetheless. Yes, toilet paper is available anywhere in the world (except maybe in some more rustic places such as one of the Wadi Rum desert camps and Muslim countries in general where the cleaning is done with water, not paper).

But this is especially valuable for road trips as, here again, urgencies can occur at any moment, anywhere. Having a roll of toilet paper is essential. Period.

Read also | Road trip in Slovenia: a 5-day itinerary

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Read also | Road trip in Croatia: driving down the coast

General good-for-everything-essentials

Paracetamol

This is a drug that is sold over-the-counter all over the world but comes in so many different brands and names. In Belgium/Luxembourg for example, the most sold one would be Dafalgan.

Paracetamol is our go-to painkiller. It's also fever-reducing that makes it's perfect for colds or a minor flu that you might catch. We also use it for simple headaches because it works a lot better and faster than aspirin.

Buscopan (active component: hyoscine butylbromide)

For non-diarrhoea related abdominal cramps (like period-cramps and such), this is my go-to. It's also sold over-the-counter and so far, I have never experiences any kind of side-effects.

Again, I'm not a doctor. But almost every doctor I met told me to keep off the most sold drug for treating period-cramps: ibuprofen. It destroys your gastric mucosa and is the reason I have to travel with pantoprazole, a strong anti-acid on prescription you don't need to carry if it's not specifically recommended by your doctor.

So yeah, I will always have Buscopan with me instead.

Disinfectant & antiseptic

You never know when you might have to sterilise a wound. Happens all the time. I use it at least once on every longer trip because I'm super clumsy and I tend to hurt myself like it happened while snorkelling in French Polynesia, when a sudden current pushed me against the corals. I had a nasty wound on my wrist. Or before that during the Tiger Fern Hike in Belize where I cut my ankle on a rock or when I fell down after visiting the Crystal Cave, also Belize.

In Belgium, we swear on what is called 'Iso-betadine' (active component: povidone-iodine), a dark red liquid that also comes as a gel or even powder. We always carry a little bottle in our travel pharmacy. 

Take one or two sterile compresses as well to apply when there's an emergency and you can't get to a doctor or hospital right away. Getting the wound clean before anything is the most crucial thing to prevent inflammation.

Adhesive plasters (or band-aid)

The same as with the compresses, always have one or two at hand in case you cut yourself and don't want to get blood all over the place.

In my case, cuts usually happen on my fingers so I always carry plasters specifically made for those. They come with a longer end that you can roll all around the finger.

Elastic therapeutic tape

This is something people normally don't think of. But pulling a muscle happens so fast, you won't be prepared. These tapes are just incredibly useful when you're in the middle of a strenuous hike and your ankle or your lower back suddenly decides to give up.

While the scientific evidence that it really has a beneficial effect on the pain isn't proven, I find that they do help to support the muscle in order to be able to, for example, finish the hike without Sebi having to carry me to our accommodation. 

You can find these tapes (we have the ones called 'KT tape') in pre-cut editions so you can pack a little roll or only a few pieces that hardly take up any space in your luggage.

Warming ointment or diclofenac

Of course, the tapes are just a way to get back to your accommodation. If you really pulled a muscle, you'll have to treat said muscle. The best way is to always have some sort of warming ointment with camphor or arnica.  

For even more effect, you could have one containing diclofenac, an anti-inflammatory drug, mostly sold under the name of Voltaren. But because this is more than just plants, in some countries it's only on prescription (like in Luxembourg for example).

Burn ointment

Very useful, be it for treating sunburns, insect bites or even general burns. While we were staying in Cusco waiting for the Covid19-situation to better, we cooked a lot ourselves to save money. Clumsy fellow as I am, it happened that I burned my finger or hand on the hot plate. Can't tell you how glad I was we had burn ointment with us. Even though Peru wasn't the destination for sunburns in general.

A general antibiotic

I can't stretch this enough: always consult your general practitioner before any trip. 

But I always have one general antibiotic in my travel pharmacy. In my case, it's because if I happen to have a sudden flare-up from the Ulcerative Colitis, this will calm my guts down until I can get proper care.

In general though, every 'travel doctor' will probably prescribe you one to take with you because that's the thing that can potentially save your freakin' life if you catch some heavy disease somewhere in the middle of the African bush.

You won't probably use it (touching wood) but it's better to have it and not needing it than the other way round, right?

A little fever thermometer

Not absolutely essential but also handy when on longer trips. In case you are feeling unwell but are not sure if you need to seek a hospital or doctor, it's always good to check if you have fever or not. Cause if you do, you will most likely have to get some other kind of care.

Travel pharmacy essentials: the 'maybes' - depending on your chosen destination

Diamox (active component: acetazolamide) for altitude sickness

When travelling to destinations confronting you to altitudes higher than 2500-3000 m above sea-level, your body will do funny things to adjust to that lack of oxygen.

One of the main symptoms that really suck is headaches. These are sometimes too heavy for simple painkillers to cope with because their origin is different. 

We had tablets called 'Diamox' prescribed by my doctors at the hospital because we knew we were going to stay in Cusco at 3400 m above sea level for a while but we ultimately didn't need them. There are plenty of other things you can do to prevent symptoms and accelerate acclimatisation that don't require drugs (see link below). But in case these don't work, this will certainly do.

Read also | Beating altitude sickness in Cusco: the best tips

Some kind of Malaria prophylaxis

You probably already thought so but this is obviously something to think about when considering a trip to Malaria endemic regions.

We brought some when we went to Namibia as Malaria is present in the North of the country. And we also carried the tablets during our world trip because we actually didn't know for sure what parts of the world we were going to explore. We were prepared for any eventualities.

Consult with your tropical doctor to know which one suits you best.

Mosquito repellant with Deet

Yes, constantly spraying deet (diethyltoluamide) on your skin can cause irritation. You should always remember to wash it off once you're indoors and don't need it anymore.

But the truth is, insect repellants containing deet are still the only really effective ones. If you are in Mexico's jungle or somewhere on French Polynesian beaches, the 'natural repellants' with citrus-aromas and stuff aren't likely going to prevent you being pricked all over your body.

And even with deet, that still can happen. In Polynesia, they swear on tamanu-oil against insects such as mosquitoes or sandflies but only because it makes the skin so oily, they will get stuck on it before they are able to sting or bite.

Anyhow, having mosquito repellent is still the best way to prevent any mosquito-borne disease. That, and wearing long sleeves and pants when you are somewhere with that risk. 

Water purification tablets 

Let's be honest: in Europe, we are SO spoiled with our tap-water in general. In both our home-regions, the Belgian countryside and the Austrian mountains, tap water is even tastier than bottled water.

But that's not the case in the rest of the world. In fact, a lot of countries warn you against even using tap water for brushing your teeth or washing vegetables.

Water purification tablets come in handy if you just can't get to bottled water but absolutely need to drink or even just wash some fruit.

You could also do it the Indonesian way and boil the water on an open fire. That has the same effect only it will taste of smoke and charcoal. Which, after a while, I get sick of.

Travel pharmacy essentials: the 'depending on your personal health'

Of course, we are all individual. So our body structure, our strength, our health issues (be they minor or bigger) are all different.

Here are a few things that I personally need as a person with a sensitive stomach and a chronic disease.

Tablets and glasses to prevent motion sickness

There are lots of prescription and over-the-counter antihistaminic drugs out there that are said to prevent motion sickness and nausea. 

I've tried Dramamine and Meclizine and it does help, true. But it also always comes with a nasty drowsiness and headaches.

Still good to take some if you are prone to motion sickness because there is nothing worse than getting onto a boat to bring you to the most insane snorkel or diving spots and not enjoying it because you are constantly turning away to throw up... been there, done that.

Another item I always carry now after having tried and tested it extensively during this world trip are my Boarding Ring glasses. They look weird. They aren't very aesthetic. But they work as long as the movements aren't too heavy.

Read also | How to avoid getting seasick: the solution?

A pluggable and battery-powered mini-fridge

Again, not necessarily an essential in your travel pharmacy unless, like me, you are travelling with medication that has to be kept cool at all times, in the form of injections. I know there are a lot of people suffering from diabetes not wanting to travel for longer periods of time because they don't know how to carry syringes.

Well, my Ulcerative Colitis treatment, a drug called Stelara, comes in syringes too and should be kept at a temperature between 2°C and 8°C at the maximum. So I bought this mini-fridge that you can either plug into a socket or in the car and it even has a battery that (when fully charged) lasts for 8 hours.

You can read all about my experience with that thing below. I can just honestly say: it was the best buy ever because without it, I wouldn't have been able to be on the road for several months at once, switching countries every other week.

Read also | How to keep medication cool when travelling

Your travel pharmacy checklist

I just love checklists. For everything. There is something so satisfying about putting that little check-mark on a box.

And because I love this so much, because it helps to stay organised and to not forget essential things, I put together a handy checklist for the essentials I listed in this post. No e-mail-sharing involved, you can just directly download the pdf below.

Although it would obviously be awesome if you'd consider signing up for our Newsletter at the bottom of this post 🙂

But that's entirely up to you!

I hope you found this guide useful and it makes your travel preparation a little easier. If you have any questions or tips about things I might have forgotten, don't hesitate to comment below or send us a message through the contact form.

Feel free to pin and share this post at anytime!

As ever

xx

Cyn

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