Traveling thoughts

Hi all! I am taking a trip in a few months from Columbus OH to St Kitts, and then from St Kitts to Ft Worth to visit some friends. There is a layover in Miami on the way to St Kitts and on the way to Ft Worth - anyone have any tips on Miami airport regarding security w/ diabetes supplies?


I am newly diagnosed (Sept 2014), and I have yet to travel by plane with T1. I am looking for any suggestions about flying with diabetes, dealing with security and customs, etc. I am planning on packing all of my supplies in my carryon (pens, needles, test strips, meter, and Dexcom once it arrives -can't wait), in case my luggage gets lost/delayed, etc. It is very overwhelming thinking about everything extra that I have to take with me - I am used to packing light and not worrying about security, etc when traveling so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!! This is also my first time traveling internationally since I was a kid, and that is just another added stressor.

I used to carry a doctor's letter and no one ever wanted to see it. But in theory, this is a good idea.

I carry a second ziplock bag with my fluid meds, in addition to my toiletry one, and no one ever bats an eye. And no one's ever been interested in my supplies, either.

I've carried large volumes of insulin, too, when I was moving. I told them, they ran them through the x-ray, but they were unconcerned about those, too.

I recently started wearing an insulin pump that is not certified to go through x-rays, including the body scanner. It's fine to request a patdown and hand inspection of my backup pump, but it is a bit of a hassle. But the airport folks are used to it, too.

Bottom line: this should be surprisingly unstressful.

I have traveled several times between the US and the Caribbean. Just keep your supplies with you as you have described, and you will be fine. I also carry a letter from my doctor that says I am a Type 1 diabetic, and the supplies I carry with me are necessary for me to successfully treat my condition. I have never had to show the letter.

Having your supplies with you is no different than wearing clothes, shoes, belt, etc. No one would question your need for them and they shouldn't question your need for diabetic supplies.

I fly multiple times every month. Don't worry about it, there truly is nothing to it. Put your supplies in your carry on or purse and put it right through the x-ray don't even mention them. They see this all the time and don't even care.

Same comments as everyone else - keep all supplies in carry on and you will almost certainly have no issues going through security. Just FYI - I have traveled to St. Kitts every year since 2008 and the airport there has finally become more 1st-world, so you won't have any issues with them either. Early on I had some arguments w/ their security about my pump and CGM supplies, but they seem to know what everything is now.

And the Miami TSA folks know what all the diabetes supplies are and shouldn't hassle you.

I always show my meter when I fly and airport security is always polite and aware. I don't know if a Dexcom can go through the new body scanners. If it can't you should show it to the agent and ask to be wanded.

Remember to pack back-ups of everything. If a pen breaks or gets lost you don't want to spend your vacation trying to get a replacement.

First of all, pack EVERYTHING in your carry on! Nothing would stink more than losing your luggage and having all of your diabetes supplies in it.

Second, pack more supplies than you will ever need. In my opinion, it is better to over pack supplies than to not have enough. Another thing you may not think of packing is extra batteries for your meter. That is something I myself know I always almost forget. Another good thing to bring is a spare meter. Just in case something happens to your first meter or it malfunctions or something it is always great to have a spare with you. Another thing you might not even think of is make sure you have something to keep your insulin cool.

As for going through security itself, whenever I do this I just keep all of my supplies in my bag itself and put it through the machine. They never once have said anything about my supplies in my bag.

As for the dexcom, the transmitter is fine to go through the machines but the receiver cannot. Talk to the person before any of the machines and plain out tell them that you have a medical device called a continuous glucose monitor that cannot go through the machine but, you yourself can go through and were wondering if they could do a separate inspection of it as if it does go through the machine it could break it.

I hope I could help.

Thanks for all your tips guys! You have all been really helpful. Realistically I know it’s not that big of a deal, people do it all the time, but diabetes adds another layer to everything and I just wanted to make sure I have all my bases covered. Thanks!!! :slight_smile:

I finally created an Excel spreadsheet listing every medical item I might need. I think it's up to 30 items by now. When I pack my meds I open the file and check things off as I pack them. This makes traveling a lot less stressful for me.