Let’s Talk Diabetes – Traveling

Planned or spontaneous, road trips for a person living with diabetes requires a little extra planning. “Okay, how long will we be gone? What will we be doing? Will we be walking a lot or active? Will there be a refrigerator for my insulin?” If you have Type 1 diabetes these might be questions you’ve asked before a long trip or vacation (or if not, you should be!).

The worst is when your friends plan a spontaneous trip and it takes them ten minutes to throw some clothes in a bag while it takes you twice the time because you have to make sure you have enough snacks, insulin, snacks, glucagon, test strips, pump supplies…and did I mention snacks? “Sorry guys! I’m almost ready!” Oh and then you have twice the amount of luggage because of all the extras you have to pack just in case (hey, you never know).

Here are a few tips to help ease some of the stress that arises when traveling with diabetes:

Plan as much as you can. While you never know when you’ll have another random trip, you can still make yourself a little more prepared. Have a container always packed and ready that has enough supplies (pump supplies, needles, test strips, snacks, etc.) to at least get you through a weekend. (Pictured below is my travel pack.)

Don’t forget your insulin! If you have a cold-pack carrier for your insulin you might consider setting it on top of your supplies container. Nothing is worse than having to cut a trip short because you forgot your insulin.

Make sure the people you’re traveling with know you have diabetes. Not only is it important they know you have diabetes but it’s also important they have a general idea of how to take care of you if there was an emergency. Ensuring this can help put you at ease throughout the trip.

Remember: Diabetes doesn’t control us, we control our diabetes! Happy travels! -SY