Traveling with medication
Tips for a safer trip while traveling with medication
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Travelling with medication – baggage delays and other unexpected things
Travelers could be unknowingly risking their life by putting their medication in their checked luggage, with a rise in delayed luggage due to the return of international travel in 2022 catching out many of our Nomads.
- How to travel with medication
- Is that legal or illegal? Checks on your medication you should do before you go
- Local culture and attitudes to certain illnesses
World Nomads has seen a rise in travelers contacting our Emergency Services team for help when their checked bag with their life-saving critical medications doesn’t make it to their destination. And the situation has been compounded by COVID, with doctors reluctant or unable to visit travelers in their hotel room if they have COVID, making getting a new prescription very difficult.
How to travel with medication
- Pack it with you: You should always take your medication in your carry bag with you onto the plane. Do not check it underneath.
- Bring more than you need: There are so many things that can delay your return home, and put you at risk of running out of your medication if you’re not prepared. Maybe your flight was cancelled, or worse you or a traveling companion has COVID and you’re in isolation. because you’re plane didn’t make it, or you go into COVID quarantine for a week or more, you may need more medication than you’d anticipated. We recommend having at least an extra two weeks worth of any critical medication that is essential to your health.
- Plan ahead: It pays to plan ahead and prepare in case you run out of your medication while overseas. You should consider before you go:
- Travel insurance: Most travel insurance providers including World Nomads offer 24/7 Emergency Assistance. Depending on the urgency of the situation, these teams may be able to help you find local or telehealth facilities, or get medication prescribed and couriered to you.
- Your local doctor: If you don’t have travel insurance, speak to your doctor before you go about the options they may have to help you if its needed.
- Local medical facilities: You can also attend local medical facilities and see if they are able to help. If you have travel insurance, you may be able to claim back the costs of emergency medical treatment.
Is that legal or illegal? Checks on your medication you should do before you go
While your medication might be perfectly legal at home, the rules are different overseas and you don’t want to find yourself with fines to pay, confiscated medication, particularly if it’s critical to our health, or worse, arrested and jailed.
All this has happened to unwary travelers over the years, so it pays to check your medication’s legal status at the destination you’re travelling to. Some examples of medication that has caught travelers out has ranged from asthma medication, to medicinal marijuana, and contraception.
- Check your medication’s status: Start by contacting the consulate or embassy of the country/ies you are heading to or through for a list of what is or isn’t legal... even if you’re transiting you must comply with local laws and that means not carrying drugs through their country they consider illegal.
- Find an alternative: If you find your medication is illegal in the countries you’re traveling to, talk to your local doctor about alternatives they can prescribe.
Whatever you do – it is never a good idea to ‘run the gauntlet’ if you know your medication is considered illegal in the country you are heading to. If that is the case and you have no alternatives then you should seriously reconsider your need to travel there.
Traveller Tale
“One of our Nomads was travelling in Singapore and needed their medication to be topped up – they reached out to their doctor who properly prescribed it in their home country and couriered it to them. Unfortunately it was not legal in Singapore and our poor Nomad spent two days in jail before they were able to clear things up with the authorities, with our help.”
Local culture and attitudes to certain illnesses
While all cultures are different, some also hold different attitudes and beliefs around illness such as seizures, mental health episodes and reproductive health. It’s important to respect these beliefs but also plan for what that may mean for you.
You may not be able to get your medication prescribed or filled, and you may not be able to seek the medical help you need if your condition isn’t properly recognised. Make sure you plan ahead with adequate medication and a plan of how to get help if needed.
The policy isn’t designed to cover everything, so take the time to read the terms, conditions, limitations and exclusions in the Policy Wording for full details so that there are no surprises if you need to use it. If you’re not sure if something is covered, get in touch.
What Does my Travel Insurance Cover?
Traveller Tale
“One of our US Nomads had prescribed medication sent via post to Singapore. While it was perfectly legal in the US, what our Nomad didn’t know was that it was considered a banned drug in Singapore. Our World Nomad was imprisoned while they worked with World Nomads and the authorities to explain the situation. While they were released in the end, it’s not the holiday they were expecting.”Did you know travel insurance covers...
- Trip cancellation
- Emergency medical
- Evacuation and repatriation
- Lost or damaged gear
- Delayed baggage
- Death overseas
- Terrorism
- And more...
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