Packing a First Aid Kit for Long Term Travel

One of the biggest things that Dave and I always struggle with is over packing our first aid kit. You just never know what you are going to need, but at the same time, we hate carrying too much stuff.

A lot of travelers including ourselves tend to go a little overboard when it comes to carrying medication. In the past, we have carried a small pharmacy and it has driven me insane. At the same time, we really do need to be prepared for any situation. So how does one find balance?

Prescription medication

Malaria – Malarone – Luckily, we are pretty well set when it comes to our prescription medication. We have a tonne of Malarone left over from Africa for Malaria. We haven’t overly worried about Malaria in the past, but when traveling Africa, it is not something to play with. And since we have a lot left over, we are set. In the past we have used doxicycline or

Altitude – Apo-Acetazolamide – We like to climb things and we always take altitude medication with us. We have some of that left over as well from Africa so we can check that off of the list.

Diarreah – We are out of ciprofloxacin. Unfortunately we seem to get bad cases of diarrhea, so we seem to go through this quickly.  I don’t think that we will be making a trip to the travel clinic for that alone, so hopefully my doctor will prescribe this when I go in for my yearly physical.

Cold Sores/Fever Blisters – For anyone that has problems with fever blisters or Cold Sores acting up in extreme heat, we have found an amazing pill that fixes all of that. Our doctor prescribed Dave with 20o of these guys and he will never have a painful blister popping up on his lips again.

Travel Specific

You don’t need a doctor to prescribe any of these items for your travels, but I think that they are essential items in your first aid kit when traveling the world.

Our own syringe and suture kit – We have never had to use this, but I think that it is a good idea if you are going to remote places to make sure that you have sterile supplies.

Rehydration Salts – We needed this in the Sudan and until I became seriously dehydrated, I never knew that this was such an important piece of the first aid kit. But once again, since I have needed it in the past and I am going to be pushing myself trekking and traveling in adventurous ways…it is coming with me.

Water Purification Tablets – A must if you are planning on trekking and going off the beaten path.  We used them climbing Mount Kinabalu and Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro and up to the pinnacles in Borneo.  We make sure to buy the tablets that do not contain iodine.  All through Africa, our water was purified with this method.  If you are going to be in cities with access to bottled water all of the time, it is not needed. But Dave and I will need it as we will be in remote places.

Antiseptic – After getting a serious knee infection that turned into a full blown case of cellulitus in Africa, I will always have Iodine or dettol or some other kind of disinfectant to clean out a wound.  In the tropics small cuts can become infected quickly and it is important to clean them as soon as they happen.

Topical Ointment like Polysporin – We use Fucidin Cream.  The Doctor in Africa used it on my infected leg daily, so if it is good enough for Cellulitus, it is good enough for a minor wound.

Anti-nauseant – Gravol – is always a good addition to a travel first aid kit. Nausea creeps up on you when you are traveling the world and having a medication to ease the symptoms

Insect Repellent – This is a must Many diseases are like Malaria and Dengue Fever are transmitted through mosquitoes. It is important to protect yourself as much as possible from mosquito bites.

The Staples

Ibuprofen, decongestants and antihistamines. Of course we will need the usual pain and cold relief.   We make sure to keep a small supply of these in our first aid kit.  We don’t go for the large bulky items, but we carry just enough to get us through a few days of not feeling well.  We can always restock as we go.

Immodium has been a life saver for us in the past.  If you are stuck traveling on a bus for hours on end and whatever you ate the night before isn’t agreeing with you, this can be the only thing that will make you get through the day.

Miscellaneous items

Gold Bond - We always swear by this one it relieves heat rashes, prickly heat

Band Aids – We don’t go crazy and carry a ton of band aids, but we have a few just in case.

Gauze and Tape – I think that this is more important than band aids. Gauze and tape will take care of a cut of almost any size.

Lip Balm – A must in my books. Soothes sunburned lips and when trekking or climbing it soothes chapped and wind burned lips.

Sunscreen – Gotta protect our skin, especially at the beginning of the trip.  After we finally develop a tan, we don’t need it as much, but the nose and ears seem to keep on burning.

Tums – Indigestion and heartburn can occur a lot, Tums or Pepto Bismol can be a welcome relief

Oragard-B – Stress and different foods can cause mouth ulcers. OraguardB numbs the gums while they are healing.

Up For Debate

• Instant Ice Pack – Do we really need this? If we sprain an ankle or twist a wrist, instant Ice will help to ease swelling and pain. But it is big and bulky. We will probably pass.
• Surgical Gloves – I never would have thought of this in the past, but Dave was attacked by a swarm of fire ants in Honduras once. Whenever I tried to brush them off, they would swarm my hands. It was impossible to get them off. But then, another traveler whipped out his surgical gloves and brushed them off quickly and efficiently. Have carried them ever since.
• Aloe Vera – Helps to relieve sunburn. But maybe we should just try not to get burnt.
• Eye Drops – we can really buy these anywhere. But I do suffer from Allergies and it is packaged in a small bottle, so it will probably come along.
• Tiger Balm – It is just my savior. Relieves sore muscles and headaches and even when my nose is stuffy, a little placed on the bridge will help to open them up.