In June, my fiance and I are going to Spain for a week. I'm super excited! And nervous! I've never traveled abroad before.
I want to pack as light as possible, of course. And I'm curious how I'm going to pull that off with all my diabetes supplies. I'm not sure how overboard I should go with backup supplies. First thoughts are:
Extra vial of insulin
Twice as many pump infusion sets as I would normally need in a week.
Lots of test strips
Back up meter
BATTERIES!
Glucose tabs / snacks
Some syringes in case my pump decides it hates me and breaks.
On the last note, should I bring some long acting insulin? Or is this being ridiculous?
I'm going to Spain and not the middle of the desert or anything. If something happened, I'm sure I could get insulin? Maybe Medtronic could still help if my pump broke? Or maybe all of that would be a huge pain.
I tend to over think things too much. I'm also paranoid about keeping supplies in both carry-on and checked-bag. BUT man, what I would do for Mary Poppin's bag for this trip...
There was an article in the most recent Diabetes Forecast about a contestant, Nat Strand, on “The Amazing Race”, and how she did it with diabetes. One of her biggest concerns was how to carry all of her diabetes equipment, along with other necessities, in just a backpack. Among some of the ideas: (1) split the equipment in her’s and her partner’s backpacks, in case one gets lost. (2) Remove the pump supplies from their containers and put them in Zipoc bags — those things take up a lot of space! (I’d take the test strip vials out of their boxes as well!). You may want to take a look.
I would be more concerned with sharps containers. Find out how to dispose of it, and if the place where you will be staying has appropriate disposal bins. With syringes, it’s easy to re-cap it and take it home, but with pump supplies, there really isn’t any sort of guard to cover a used needle if you need to transport it.
Oh, I forgot about the Amazing Race girl! Those are some great ideas. I’ll check out the article!
In regards to needles, my infusion sets (currently have both Quick Sets and Mio) close the needle up within themselves. Mios just close up the pod, and Quick Sets just click that blue plastic together…no exposed needles. So I’m not too concerned about that, I’ll just keep them with me til I get home.
I order a travel loaner pump through MM ,when I leave my country .I have always been advised to leave all meds in original box ( from our Pharmacy , with my name ) . I bring the letter from my Doc , stating , that I require insulin , pump supplies , other meds. No one at the borders/airports have ever questioned to see the letter. I use a Frio pack for my spare insulin .I carry all supplies I cannot do without within the next 72 hours in a carry-on , remainder of pump supplies in checked bag .I agree, the method is not usually considered " travelling light " .
But for me a bigger pain , if I need to start " shopping " in another country .
Enjoy the Spanish ambiance :)( sp? )
Thanks, nel! I didn’t know MM did loaner pumps for travel. I’ll think about looking into that. I forgot about a doctor’s note. Hopefully I’ll remember in a week or two when I have my appointment…heh. I like the 72-hour carry-on advice.
