Some of us get that feeling of being scared when a journey comes around, maybe also a shade of excitement but also a lot of doubts and planning.
To live with diabetes and havig a travel ahead is a truly headache sometimes, no matter how many times we have traveled all around of our own country or over the globe, the to do list msometimes can be overwelming.
First of all, we have to be mentally prepared to sort all kind of cahos senarios and also identify if we are going into a business trip or vacation, if we are traveling alone or with a group, also it is very important to share at least with one person about our condition if an emergencu happens.
Here are some tips and tricks to make your trip more easy:
1. Make ALWAYS a To Do list: this will help you to stay focused when packing and get only the neccesary. There are many apps that can help you with this.
2. Choose a good set of suitcases, backpacks and waist bag: Sometimes people mock about how big our suitcases can be, don’t feel ashame of that, is better to have that feeling of saftiness and have extra double of everything (sensors, insulins, pens, vials, alcohol swipes, batteries, glucose like candies or tablets, etc…). Try to carry a back pack with your medical ID, phones, laptop, tablet, camera, lunch and in the waist bag we recomend to carry on insulin, glucometer and candies, also is a safe place for passport and tickets.
3. Get a Medical Barecelt: today is really easy to get a smart ID with a QR code with all your medical information, also this could be a great accesory for you on a daily basis.
4. Always get a reusable bottle for water: When we travel we tend to get dehidarted and this could mess up with glucose levels, also it coulb be really expensive to be buying bottle of waters, you have to be careful at airports because you are not going to be able to pass liquids trough the gates.
5. Get yourself some snacks: cookies, fruit, cereal bars are the best because they are easy to ingest, and the content of carbs is more precise.
6. Get a special transparent bag for medical stuff: This must be always with you as carry on luggage, you don’t want to be apart of stripes, batteries, insulin pump supplies, or extra needles and insulin, this last one should always be with you because temperatures can vary on the luggage places on plains, trains and buses.
7. Charge the battery of your devices: Bubble and some glucometers must be fully charged a night before of your trip.
8. If something happens, don’t stress: This is one of the most difficult ones because delays and unplanning things will happen no matter why, so try to keep calm and look for an easy and comfortable solution and try not to skip any meal.
9. Call your doctor before the trip: Sometimes our sugar levels can go crazy when we travel to places that have extreme weather, different at the one we are used to, sometimes you will need to increase your basal or make the election to swich from pump to pod, or to pens, is up to you as always your sugar levels are conrtroled.
10: Enjoy: Don’t forget to enjoy every part of the trip, every journey will teach something new about your diabetes and no matter what you will be fine. It is very helpful to have a community to reach in case your medical team is not available.
Leave a Reply