GoRoundTheWorld.com - RTW Travel - Packing

Packing for Health and Wellness

The objective here is to be prepared for (a) ongoing medical needs, (b) life’s minor mishaps, and (c) settings which require some degree of additional protection.

Aspirin, Cold and Flu Medications, and Other Over-The-Counter Substances. Take along a few remedies for colds, flues, or occasional allergies. These can be part of a small first-aid kit (see below). These types of medications are readily available worldwide, so should you need any beyond the minimal amount you take with you, you can always buy them on the go.

Remedies for Cuts, Burns, and Light Infections. Pack one small antibiotic cream and one cream for minor burns, cuts, and scars. If you need to replenish these, you should be able to in most places and at minimal cost.

Small First-Aid Kit. A small first-aid kit, like those sold in most camping stores, should suffice. You should have a variety of bandages, scissors, gauze padding with tape, and a small container that can hold a tooth if you should happen to be in an accident.

Water purification pills. You generally should not need anything like this because bottled water is readily available and inexpensive everywhere. One exception is if you plan to travel extensively in outback or high-risk settings - see below.

Mosquito (or “mozzie”) nets. Purchase a mosquito net that may be hung from above and will provide ample material for reaching the corners of a full-size bed. In some locations you will need to sleep under your net to avoid bites. Please note that many (if not most) guesthouses will provide netting when needed. However, you cannot be sure, so it is advisable to bring one along just in case.

Prescription Medicines. If you are carrying a medicine that requires a doctor’s prescription in the country you are about to visit, you are expected to have a copy of the prescription with you. This applies whether you need a prescription in your home country or not. Some countries will require a prescription for a given drug, whereas other countries won’t. Other drugs may be banned in a given country, even though they may be legal where you are from. In such cases, it may be illegal to bring such drugs into the countries concerned, regardless of whether you have a doctor’s prescription from your home country. If you must take prescription drugs with you, be sure to check the regulations of the countries on your itinerary to be sure they are approved. If so, find out whether they require a formal prescription. If you are bringing Malaria pills along, be sure to have a copy of your prescription packed somewhere in your bag.

Travel to Outback and High-Risk Areas

If you plan to travel mostly outside urban areas, in places such as deserts, canyons, forests, and the like, you should consider bringing a more comprehensive first aid kit as well as water purification tablets. As you research the areas to which you plan on traveling, keep a list of any special items you may need and try to purchase them before your initial departure.

Pills Around The World

Many medications have different brand names in different territories. For example, Ambien, a sleeping aid sold in the United States and Canada, is called StillNoct in Ireland and the U.K. A doctor where you are located should be able to consult a directory which will allow them to determine the local brand name for a medication you need and have a prescription for back home.