It’s a good idea to have a small travel first aid kit packed with you whenever you travel, especially with kids!
Lincoln has had a cold and an ear infection all week, so my usually happy little guy has been crying and wanting to be held non-stop. I was getting sick of Paw Patrol and Daniel Tiger but with antibiotics he’s feeling better now. Whew!
However, it made me grateful that this didn’t happen during our planned trip to London next month.
So, what would I do if I had a sick baby (or sick anyone) when traveling? Unfortunately, this has happened to us a few times but you can help prevent it, make it better or get the help you need by preparing a kit ahead of time.
I am a very light packer and usually only ever pack a carry-on (read more about why you should only use a carry-on while traveling) but I always make room for a few travel first aid items. Here’s the most important first aid stuff you should always pack when traveling.
This post about travel first aid kits contains affiliate links. This means that I receive a small commission off of purchases made by following these links. It is NEVER any extra cost to you but helps me be able to keep creating great content for you! I only ever promote items that I personally use and love.
Read my entire disclaimer here.
Quicklist
- motion sickness pills
- tylenol
- (kid’s travel sized tylenol)
- sudafed
- benadryl
- (kid’s liquid benadryl, I can’t ever find less than 4 oz so I put in another container for carryon)
- activated charcoal pills
- tums
- band-aids
- insurance card info
- Here’s a great little bag to keep it all together for easy access!
Motion sickness pills
If you are someone (like me) who gets sick on an airplane or boat this is necessary! If not, it’s a small thing that easy to pack for just in case.
Traveling can include a lot of unexpectedly tight moving spaces like buses and subways that can cause nausea. You will be grateful to have it if you need it.
If you usually don’t get motion sickness, it’s a good idea to at least bring a few in a small labeled ziplock just in case.
Tylenol
Tylenol (acetaminophen) helps with fevers and pain, which makes it a great med to have on hand for many applications. Have a headache from staying up too long traveling to your destination? Your legs sore from walking much farther than you expected? Starting to feel sick and fevery? Tylenol will help with all of that and make you feel more comfortable.
When you traveling with kids make sure to also bring kids liquid Tylenol and its measuring syringe/cup. It helps you give them a more accurate dose for their age and weight, which is safer for them. Kids in general are also better at taking liquid medicine than pills. Link LOVES the bubblegum flavor of his Tylenol and usually wants more “juice”! Look for small, 3 oz or less, bottles to pack for flying. I keep this in my diaper bag for flights for easy access.
Heads up! Although Tylenol seems like a great and safe help-all, it can be dangerous if you take too much. Always be sure to following the dosages on the label and use the right measuring tool and appropriate dose when giving it to kids.
Sudafed
Quick story: I found a great deal to Disney World last year and so my parents, brother, Link and I decided to go for a long weekend. A few days before, I got a cold that turned into a sinus headache but decided to still go anyways. (Hello! It’s Disney World!) In case you ever wondered…head congestion and flying, roller coasters, and loud music don’t go so great together. Although I had a good time, I was very uncomfortable. But I would have been MISERABLE if I didn’t have Sudafed with me.
Sudafed is a combination of meds that helps with congestion in your nose, head and lungs, suppresses coughs, and relieves pain. Unless I’m already feeling stuffed up when leaving for my trip, I don’t pack an entire box of this. Instead, I just bring half a blister-pack sheet of it for just-in-case scenarios. If I use it all up, I can find more where ever I am at.
Watch out when you are taking Sudafed and Tylenol at the same time. Sudafed already has a little Tylenol in it, so make sure to add up all the Tylenol you’re taking so you don’t take too much.
Benadryl
Ahhh Benedryl. This is another great multipurpose friend to have when traveling. It helps you sleep on airplanes to prevent jetlag or in noisy hotel rooms. But it also helps with hives, itching, allergic reactions and allergies. Awesome huh?
This is another med that I bring some pills for me and a kid’s liquid one for Link. This helps me feel more comfortable when Link is trying new foods in case he has a reaction. It also can be a lifesaver to help babies sleep on long-haul flights. Be sure to ask your pediatrician but it is one of the things you should keep in your diaper bag for flights. Just make sure it’s 3 oz or less (I have never found it small enough, so I put it in another small container for carry-on) and you bring the measuring syringe with you.
Activated charcoal pills
This might be a med for your travel first aid kit that you might not be familiar with, but it is something that is so great for travel!
You can find it in the supplement aisle of the grocery store or online here. It really is just little capsules of charcoal!
Activated charcoal binds to and absorbs toxins and poisons in your body. This helps limit how much your body is absorbing. As a nurse, I have seen these given in the ER to patients that come in for poisoning.
For traveling, activated charcoal is great because it helps you fight food poisoning when eating in unfamiliar places! If I ever feel like I ate something “off” or am starting with a stomach bug, I start taking these so it doesn’t ruin my trip.
Read more about its uses here.
Tums
Similar to the activated charcoal, Tums are great for helping settle your tummy when it starts feeling upset.
Not only are you eating new and different things when you travel, but you are also eating more. A LOT more if you’re like me. And richer food. Who ever wanted low-fat gelato when their traveling?? Extra cheese? Of course!
But all that eating out and eating rich starts to get to you after a while. This is the point in my trip where I start looking for salads and take few Tums. Indigestion and heartburn get to take a backseat while I back off on the crazy eating for a little bit.
Band-Aids
When I’m traveling with just adults on a non-adventurey trip, I only bring one or two band-aids. But when I’m traveling with little ones, I bring a whole handful!
Kids fall and get scraped up a lot. Lincoln is a crazy busy kid and will climb up and jump off anything he can. The kid always has a bruise or a scrape somewhere and so band-aids are a must. As a bonus kids LOVE band-aids, the more colorful the better!
Insurance cards info
If you do end up needing medical care away from home, make sure you have your insurance info ready. Bring photocopies or save pictures on your phone of the front and back of your card. I also love a free app called Trip-It. One of the many great features of it is that you can securely save document info and access it with a fingerprint or password. That way, no one looking at your phone can look at your sensitive info but it’s always there if you need it.
Things to know before you go:
Know your insurance out-of-network policy
Getting medical help out of your normal network can be very expensive and you might not have insurance cover anything at all! Getting familiar with out-of-network policies help you know the cheapest way to get help and not get stuck with a huge bill.
You should be able to access the policy online or you can call your insurance help line to get info from a representative. You might even have more coverage away from home than you think, just make sure to check!
But what if you’re waaay out of network? Like in another country.
Still call to see what your coverage looks like but also know that countries with socialized medicine places can actually be cheaper than expected!
You might still have some help from your insurance. For example, mine pays for a medical plane to pick up my family members under my coverage and take them to an in-network hospital if we are more than 200 miles away from one. Call and check what your insurance offers.
Know your travel insurance resources
There are other ways you can get help if you get into a medical issue or even an emergency while traveling.
One of my favorite ways is taking advantage of the perks of your travel credit card you already have! Many travel credit cards offer assistance and some sort of coverage for medical issues while traveling. You can even get money back from nonrefundable reservations and activities you missed due to sickness. A good travel credit card will save you lots of money and provides excellent perks that make it an AWESOME thing to have when traveling. Read more about how to choose the best travel credit card for you.
You can also buy extra travel insurance that will help cover the cost of medical expenses as well as lots of other travel expense issues. More info here.
Getting meds in other countries
Growing up, we were that family where all the kids got strep at least once a year. Up until we got our tonsils out, we were so familiar with strep that we knew when it was coming and the pediatrician would call in an antibiotic order for us over the phone.
One Christmas when traveling in Mexico, my brother started having an itchy throat and my mom new he had strep throat again. Outside of the US many countries don’t need a doctor’s prescription for antibiotics so we just walked to the nearest pharmacy and bought the same penicillin he would use at home.
In Spain this last year, my sister-in-law came down with a cold. She used up all the Sudafed I had brought but we were able to go to the nearest pharmacy and get more. The pharmacist was extremely helpful in helping find what we needed and get her the right meds.
Side note: In Europe, the green cross outside of a store doesn’t mean “special” pharmacy like it does here in Denver!! It’s just a normal pharmacy!
Keeping a small travel first aid kit will help you be prepared for any day-to-day medical mishaps when traveling. And a little knowledge about how to get help if something big happens will help you feel a lot less stressed if it does happen.
Anything else you like to bring? Has your mini travel kit ever helped you out?
