A family necessity when travelling aboard it a well equipped first aid kit. This requires a little bit of thought and planning. A lot will depend on where your travelling with who and for what duration.
Consider the following details.
1. Number and age profile of those on the journey trip.
2. Where are you going? What activities are involved.? What is the level of risk. ? What type of pharmacy or medical facilities are available.?
To start with organising a solid container
The most important thing is that it’s made of hard plastic, not a cloth bag. You need something durable that can be jammed into your backpack or luggage without fear of breakage. However, rather than going on a mission to find the perfect plastic container, I find it much easier to buy a premade travel first aid kit and then customize it. Last time, I bought the Medique 40061 First Aid Kit from Amazon.com and it has held up very well.
Stock up on the essentials.
Now that you’ve got a worthy container, it’s time to fill this thing with some serious medical goodies:
Standard Strip Bandages – These are pretty obvious and straightforward. The most common injuries you are likely to get are small cuts, so you really must have strip bandages with you. Having bandages of various sizes is always useful.
Antiseptic Wipes – Antiseptic wipes serve as an extra sterilization and cleaning method for you to apply to your cut just before covering with a bandage.
Antibiotic Ointment – Most of the time if you properly wash, sterilize, and dress a wound, antibiotic ointment is not necessary. However, it is wise to use a dab on larger wounds as an extra precaution against infection.
Gauze Pads – These act as bandages for very large wounds. Have a few large pads in your travel first aid kit, such as size 4in by 4in (10.2cm by 10.2cm). For medium-size wounds, you can always cut these large gauze pads down to size.
Medical Adhesive Tape – Adhesive tape is used to secure gauze pads to your wound. You can also use the tape to keep a standard bandage in place, as the humid weather of some countries can cause bandages to come off.
Tweezers – These are useful for removing splinters from your skin or for taking out foreign debris while you are cleaning a new wound.
Scissors – A small pair of medical scissors, such as iris scissors, are useful for cutting medical tape, trimming down gauze pads, or removing dead skin from a wound.
Painkillers – Chances are that at some point during your trip, you’re going to deal with pain. Having a tiny travel size bottle of your favourite painkillers is always a good idea.
Stock up on some awesome extras.
Now that you have the essentials, you can add a few more items depending on your own personal needs. Here are a few other extra items that I find handy:
Oral Rehydration Salts – When you travel in developing countries, you have a high likelihood of catching a stomach bug. If you experience bouts of diarrhoea or vomiting, your body will lose key electrolytes and you will feel horrendous. To feel better (and to prevent a potentially deadly situation of dehydration), it is essential that you drink an oral rehydration solution. I use Drip Drop hydration powder, but any brand will do splendidly.
Anti-Diarrhea Tablets – The most famous kind is Imodium. Normally, when you have diarrhoea you should not take this medication. These tablets actually prevent your body from cleaning itself of microbes in your stomach, meaning that your episode of stomach illness will actually be prolonged. However, sometimes you need to stop diarrhoea for a few hours while taking a train, bus, or plane. So it is worthwhile having a few of these pills handy.
Water Purification Tablets – Normally while travelling abroad, it is best to avoid drinking the local water – not because the water is dirty, but because it may contain foreign microbes that your immune system is not used to. So, if you want to play it perfectly safe, you should drink only bottled water or boiled water. If you plan on doing some serious trekking or otherwise going well off the beaten trail, you will not have the option to drink bottled water. In this case, it is wise to bring along some water purification tablets. I use Katadyn MicroPur Purification Tablets because they kill a resilient microbe called cryptosporidium.
Spare Syringes – If you need to make an unexpected trip to the hospital, it is worthwhile having spare syringes in your travel first aid kit. This is because the cleanliness of hospital syringes from poor countries is often questionable.
Cold Relief Capsules – Due to exposure to foreign microbes, there is a good chance that you will get a cold at some point during your travels. Having a few cold relief capsules handy is always a good idea. If the capsules also induce drowsiness (think Nyquil), then the pills can also be used to aid sleep.
Motion Sickness Medicine – If you have a history of motion sickness, you should really carry some motion sickness medicine such as Dramamine. This is especially true if you plan on travelling in countries with poor road systems or horribly crowded buses.
Anti-itch Cream – When you’re travelling, there are many new things that may cause your skin to itch, bug bites being especially common. An anti-itch cream like hydrocortisone will help to relieve you in this department.
QuickClot – If you receive a deep cut that bleeds profusely and is difficult to stop, applying a QuickClot sponge can stop the bleeding very quickly and can serve as a great temporary fix until you can receive proper medical assistance.
Moleskin – If plan on doing some serious trekking or are otherwise prone to foot blisters, this is a great preventative measure. Whenever you feel a hotspot on your feet, you can put on a moleskin and this will stop friction and pressure from transferring to your skin.
Butterfly Closures – When you receive a small but deep cut, there is a risk that the wound will continually re-open. Applying a butterfly closure to the cut can help keep your skin tightly held together.
