Tips for Travelling with Allergies, Sun Allergy & other Medical Conditions

Whether it’s travelling with severe allergies or other conditions you may have, here are a few of my tips on how to make sure you’re covered when in need of medical attention abroad (and not only).

We’re all busy and tend to overlook things when going on holiday or travelling, but please have a read through and you’ll see how a few easy steps will make life so much easier for you when abroad <3

Tips for Travelling with Allergies, Sun Allergy & other Medical Conditions

So get your pen and notepad out aaannnnnd here we go!
(ok before you freak out, I’m joking. This will be a very chilled out post)

SOS Talisman / Personalised Medical ID Jewellery (click)

If you are someone who suffers from severe allergies or any other medical conditions, this is seriously a must in my opinion.

Before you get put off by the word ‘jewellery’ in case you’re allergic to nickel etc – don’t worry as there are many different materials to choose from.

These jewellery pieces have your medical conditions either engraved on one side or if it’s a pendant for example – you’ll have a strip inside stating all your medical needs.

They will have ‘SOS’ or ‘Medical ID’ written on it too (or a medical symbol), which emergency staff will look out for in case of an emergency, before giving you any treatment.

I honestly think these are great, if you think about it.. in case of a serious emergency there is a chance of your wallet, bag or phone being lost or damaged. Whereas a bracelet or necklace is with you the whole time.

www.theidbandco.com

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Have a Picture of your medication

As you can see above, it’s just a really sh**ty picture that I took when receiving the injection for the first time. But it helped me big time during my travels.

Having a picture of the medicine where the ingredients are clearly visible makes it SO much easier than having to explain what you need. In a country where you might not necessarily speak the language.

In my case, the doctors recognised the name ‘Methylprednisolone’ straight away whether I was in Indonesia or South Korea (where I also needed it).

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Have a list of ALL of the medicine you use
(both brand and generic names)

Even if it’s just antihistamines.
And even if you have the pictures already.

Whether it’s in need of an emergency medical attention or just simply running out of the medicine, or… in case of losing it as often in my case – this will save you A LOT of confusion at the pharmacy or doctors in another country especially.

So for example as mentioned above, having ‘Methylprednisolone’ in the picture or if it’s antihistamines you take for example Zyrtec, have the name ‘Cetirizine’ written down as well.

In many cases for example Taiwan – Zyrtec wasn’t really recognised by the pharmacists but Cetrizine was instantly.

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List of the right hospitals

Before heading to your new destination, check out what medical help is around. This might not be so difficult if you’re visiting a huge city especially on the same continent, but let’s say you’re planning a trip to a little island where the number of doctors is very limited or .. there isn’t any at all.

Check the closest hospitals to where you’ll be staying, I would go even further than that and check whether they have your medicine too.

So if you remember my story when I was on the little island called Gili T, then Gili Air.. (click here) both of them had only little doctor surgeries which neither had the injection I needed. I then had to look for internet connection, in order to search for the closest western hospital. At that point, I was barely handling it.

So yeah, don’t be silly like I was and be prepared just in case!

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Pack extra

This one is quite an obvious point, but so easy to overlook whether you are travelling with severe allergies or not.

If you take medicine daily or often in general, pack extra. This isn’t only in case of running out, it’s in case of losing it, or somehow ruining it (that can happen, for real).

So if it’s something that you can pack extra of, for example tablets or creams.. try to do that if you can.

I also recommend dividing it a bit and placing in different locations, so for example – the main backpack, and the little one, sometimes I even put medicine in my wallet too.

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So here you go, hope you found these tips for travelling with severe allergies / medical conditions a little helpful at least! 🙂

And remember – don’t let allergies stop you from travelling ♡

What are your tips and tricks for having your medical needs under control?

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Here are other posts that you may find helpful:

Travel Essentials For Sensitive Skin

How to Travel with Prickly Heat & Sun Allergy / PMLE

What I Use For Skin Allergies and Eczema..

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