10 Things to Pack in Your Travel Medicine Kit
Some good advice from our Captain’s travel blog, Suitcase Confidential:
If you adventure hard enough, you’re going to want (and need) at least a small medical kit with you. I personally measure the awesomeness of a trip by how many bruises I get (and how f*ed up my mani/pedi is at the end). Bonus points for breaking skin.
Even if you don’t intend to adventure that hard, packing a basic medical kit is always a good idea.
Yes, I got banged up trying to learn kiteboarding (RIP elbow and knee), but the first time I drew blood (on that trip) was simply stepping on a conch shell on the shore. Accidents can happen anytime, which is why it’s good to be prepared.
Before my first solo adventure, my pharmacist father sent me a list of items to have in a proper travel medicine kit, which I share with you below. Items I’ve tapped into the most are starred.
DISCLAIMER: I’m not a medical professional, so you should ALWAYS consult your doctor for the right medications for you. This list is based on experience and advice from my pharmacist father.
10 Things to Pack in Your Travel Medicine Kit: 
- Hydrocortisone Cream*
- Triple Antibiotic Ointment*
- Benadryl
- Mosquito Repellent containing Max Strength DEET*
- Advil (or your OTC pain reliever of choice)*
- Antibiotic (if recommended by doctor for your destination)
- Anti-diarrheal
- Pedialyte (for electrolyte replacement in case of diarrhea)
- Liquid bandaid*
- Regular bandaids
For the ladies, I’ll also add a recommendation of a yeast infection cure like Monistat. You don’t want to be stuck in an unfamiliar place (particularly international) without a handy treatment if you’re unfortunate enough to develop one while on vacay.
Most things you should need are easily attainable—though if you’re traveling internationally, you should always visit a doctor to discuss vaccinations and any prescriptions (for antibiotics, etc.) that you may need for your destination. And pro tip: do that well enough in advance so vaccinations have time to take hold.
And for three final tips on traveling with meds:
- ALWAYS keep your prescription meds in their original bottles, complete with labels. Get a letter from your doctor detailing the prescription and dosage.
- NEVER put your medications in checked luggage. The temperatures in the cargo area can affect the efficacy of your medicine.
- ALWAYS check to see if your prescription medications might be banned in other countries. What may be easily prescribed in the U.S. may land you in hot water in some countries.
In good health and adventures,
-the nauti captain