One of the most stressful part of being diagnosed with diabetes later in life (or in general) is feeling like your sense of freedom is being taken away from you. Long gone are the days of just being able to eat or drink whatever you want whenever you want. Well let me tell you when I was first diagnosed with diabetes my first thought was how am I going to travel the world and stay in the most remote places without access to a hospital or doctor. Here I am in the most remote tree house in Bali without electricity or a fridge, and no Dexcom (yet). With the nearest hospital being at least an hour away,

Let me tell you this diabetes should not and does not change what you do but rather just how you do it. Like many of you my first flight and first journey away from my home in Los Angeles was a trip filled with anxiety and stress. Will my blood sugar drop too low? What if I forgot some of my supplies? Will my travel companion get annoyed that I have to stop and check my blood sugar all the time or stop for extra snack breaks. The thought of traveling was daunting and no longer exciting for someone who lives for travel. But I wasn’t going to let diabetes get in the way of letting me see the world. It just takes a little bit more planning and a little less last minute packing.

Here are my travel tips for traveling with diabetes.

1. Alert your diabetes team you are leaving the country

2. Always take 3-4x the supplies you need.

3. Find a way to keep your supplies cool such as : the Frio pouch and Dison cooling system. Linked below!

4. Have a dedicated pouch for your carry-on of all your supplies

   • Check out the cute and trendy bags from Myabetic the first company to bring fashion to diabetes! Image below! They have a wide variety of handbags, backpacks, belt bags and pouches. Perfect for staying organized

5. Split your supplies among your bags and your partners bag-it would be bad news bears if one of your bags was stolen and all your supplies were in that one bag!

6. Have a doctor’s note that explains your condition and treatment plan. This is extremely helpful when going through security or customs and you have to explain all of the needles and syringes you are carrying. Also helpful when you need to get supplies or if something happens where you end up in the hospital.

7. ALWAYS carry snacks or glucose tablets no matter what, in every single bag.

8. Take extra precautions not to get sick. Take Emergen-c, stick to bottled water, and try your best to get enough sleep.

9. Consider wearing a medical ID bracelet and tell the group you are with about your diabetes and what to do if you become incoherent. They have cute ones on Etsy that just look like jewelry!

10. Don’t forget that altitude can affect glucose meters as they need oxygen to be accurate. It may be worth taking a spare and bare in mind that for every 1000 feet you ascend, your blood glucose monitor may underestimate your sugar level by 1-2 %

11. Make a list of near by doctors and hospitals for ease of mind. This goes without saying, you want to make sure you know where to go in case of an emergency, Also make sure to research how to get your medication in said country.

COVID Recommendations from the ADA

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds

• Use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol

• Avoid touching high-touch surfaces like door knobs, elevator buttons, handshaking etc

• Avoid touching your face, nose and eyes

• Disinfect your house regularly especially high-touch surfaces like tables, light switches, desks, toilets & cell phones

• Avoid crowded, especially in poorly ventilated spaces. Risk of exposure to COVID-19 may increase in crowded, closed-in settings with little air circulation.

• Avoid all non-essential travel such as plane travel and avoid embarking on cruise ships.

Be prepared

• Phone numbers of your doctors and healthcare team, your pharmacy and your insurance provider

• List of medications and doses (including vitamins and supplements)

• Eat simple carbs like regular soda, honey, jam, Jell-O, hard candies or popsicles to help keep your blood sugar up if you are at risk for lows and too ill to eat

• If a state of emergency is declared, get extra refills on your prescriptions so you do not have to leave the house

  • If you can’t get to the pharmacy, find out about having your medications delivered

• Always have enough insulin for the week ahead, in case you get sick or cannot refill

• Extra supplies like rubbing alcohol and soap to wash your hands

• Glucagon and ketone strips, in case of lows and highs

• Have enough household items and groceries on hand so that you will be prepared to stay at home for a period of time

  • **Pro Tip- Get your groceries delivered through Instacart - use my link for a discount!

Products for travel!