Travel tips from a Pharmacist
If you have been following me on instagram you know that I have just returned from Hawaii with my family.
This is my 6th trip there and 5th time with children! I have done this trip VERY pregnant, with a 10 month old, Very pregnant and with an 18 month old, this time round my children are 3 and 5 years old! Each time I have picked up new tips along the way and I thought it might be useful to share them with you all!
Now these tips are of course around the health and pharmacy side of travelling!
I am a very organised person and when it comes to health and wellbeing whilst traveling I try to think ahead of all the possible scenarios that I might be put in that do not need hospital but also need pharmacy type products quickly.
When I travel, especially with children I do not want to be running around trying to find things such as elastoplasts or electrolytes that I can easy travel with! Trust me, being organised when your children are sick or distressed takes one thing of your plate in this situation!
Step 1:
Write a list of all the possible things that could happen whilst you are away that will not require medical attention per say.
So as I said I try and run through all the most common things that “could” happen when we are away!
Here are some general ones to get you started;
Falls, cuts, grazes
Virus/fever/coughs/runny noses
Vomiting
Rashes
Diarrhoea
*Now this is where you need to include in your list your children’s and your own medical conditions, for example asthma plan or diabetes plan etc.
Step 2:
What will you need to manage the above scenarios?
Falls, cuts and grazes:
Our wound kit is perfect for this!
Viruses, fevers and coughs:
Paracetamol or ibuprofen for fevers
Tissues, saline nasal spray - for running noses
Depending on your child an antihistamine may be appropriate to pack also! Make sure you chat to your pharmacist or GP
Vomiting:
Electrolytes powder (easier to travel with either effervescent tablets or sachets)
Rashes:
Mild steroid cream - if child is over 2.
If your baby or child has eczema we recommend speaking to your doctor before traveling to get a management and prevention plan in place! You do not want to be at the beach and your baby or child's skin gets so bad the salt water stings it!
HOT destination we recommend taking a prickly heat or nappy rash powder with you to treat heat rash!
COLD destination we recommend a good moisturiser as the cold windy weather can dry the skin out!
Diarrhoea:
I only add this to my list if I was traveling to a country where the water isn’t safe and is known to cause diarrhoea such as Bali.
For adults it would be apporiate to pack an antidiarrhoeal medication
Children on the other hand, fluid replacement and electrolytes are the treatment recommendations.
If this is you, speak with your GP as it maybe appropriate to take a back up script of antibiotics as potential treatment.
Step 3:
Speak with your pharmacist and GP! Once you have the above list and have thought about all of your potential concerns it is a really good idea to chat to both your GP and pharmacist so that you have a clear understanding on how you will manage each scenario!
TIP 1: Do not take medicines or electrolytes if possible that your children haven’t tried before!
TIP 2: Now that we have covered all your bases for the entire trip, you repeat steps 1 and 2 for the plane trip! Especially for long hall flights you need to have your pharmacy bag in your carry on!
If you want to chat to us about your own travel needs please feel free to send us an email or contact us via social media!
This check list has been created by our team to help you start planning your traveling pharmacy kit! The more you have thought about before you travel the less likely you will be, to get into a fluster whilst away trying to find the right things at supermarkets and pharmacies for you families!
We recommend going through the list and crossing out anything that isn't relevant for your trip!
And listing all your children and family medical conditions. Then next to the items left that are not crossed out write what you would use to treat/manage the item on the list whilst you are away.
For example: Running nose: Tissues, saline nasal spray
Once you have done this, there may be some unknown areas for you to discuss with us or your pharmacist and or you GP!!!
