Yesterday I was packing my diabetes supplies for an upcoming international trip, and though it may be useful to share some insights about what I’m packing. This is my first big trip since I’m on the pump, and must admit that my first impression is that there us a lot more “stuff” I need to carry with me compared with my last trip on injections. My kit looks like this:
Here is the list of what I’m bringing with me:
- 2 boxes of Paradigm Quicksets (20 sets total)
- 2 boxes of Paradigm reservoirs (20 in total)
- 4 boxes of test strips for my Freestyle Lite(400 strips total)
- Spare Medtronic pump
- Portable sharps container
- 3 vials of NovoRapid/Novolog (10ml each)
- A few lancets
- 5 syringes (in case things o wrong)
- 3 AAA bateries + coin (for the pump)
- Spare Freestyle Lite
- Alcohol swabs
- Ketone strips
- Quickserter
- Frio bag (to keep the insulin
Overall, my diabetes supplies will take about half of the space on my carry-on, and believe me, I want this stuff with me at all times. The last thing I want is for my diabetes supplies to be lost in one of the many connections I need to take, so puting it in checked luggage is not going to be an option.
It’s probably also worth mentioning (you probably noticed in the list above) that I’m taking a second insulin pump with me. Medtronic has a program where you can get a spare pump when you are traveling. It’s probably not necesary if your destination is in a country where Medtronic has a significant presence. However if your trip includes more obscure places I highly recommend you consider borrowing a backup. My backup pump is Medtronic 515, a bit older than my current Medtronic 522, but considering is just a backup, it should be more than adequate. Kudos to Medtronic for puting this program in in place here in Australia.
Posted by Henry 
