Travel Health Kits

Regardless of their destination, international travelers should assemble and carry a travel health kit. Travelers should tailor the contents to their specific needs, the type and length of travel, and their destination(s). Kits can be assembled at home or purchased at a local store, pharmacy, or online. Travel health kits can help to ensure travelers have supplies they need to
  • Manage preexisting medical conditions and treat any exacerbations of these conditions.
  • Prevent illness and injury related to traveling.
  • Take care of minor health problems as they occur.
By bringing medications from home, travelers can avoid having to purchase them at their destination. See Perspectives: Avoiding Poorly Regulated Medicines and Medical Products during Travel in this chapter for information about the risks associated with purchasing medications abroad. Even when the quality is reliable, the medications people are accustomed to taking at home may be sold under different names or with different ingredients and dosage units in other countries, presenting additional challenges.

There's more to see -- the rest of this topic is available only to subscribers.