How to Manage Diabetes While Traveling? Tips For Monitoring

“To Travel is to live” as said by Hans Anderson. Traveling is an important part of our life. Be it work related or a holiday - traveling is fun and it lets us explore new places, surroundings, meet new people, discover different kind of food and culture.

But for diabetics a crucial question while traveling is how to manage their diabetes and enjoy the travel without any hassle.

Hang on! A little bit of homework, planning, scheduling and packing properly can help you manage your Diabetes hassle-free.

Here are some tips that can help you before and during your travel –

Before you travel:

• For longer travels that involve more than 3 or 4 days, meet your doctor and get a basic health assessment done.
• Get the basics sorted. If on Insulin, get the dosages adjusted and carry your medical supplies likewise.
• You also need a letter from the Physician and an ID card mentioning about Diabetes and so you need to carry certain medicines and equipment (like Glucometer/Insulin pens/pump)
• You should have a travel insurance ready in case of emergency healthcare.
• If traveling out of country be informed about the different time zones, set your watches accordingly. Inform the airline company about your diabetic condition and things that you need to carry.
• Locate nearest pharmacies, health clinics at your destination.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), India had 69.2 million people living with diabetes in 2015. And number of incidences of Diabetes are on rise – Get yourself regularly checked for Diabetes

Packing:

Make a checklist of the crucial things that you need to carry in your Diabetes Kit.

• Carry extra medicines
• Glucometer, test strips and needles, batteries
• Insulin pens (if using), gel packs (to store them) 
• Healthy Snacks in case of delays in meals
• Glucose tablets/powders to avoid Hypoglycemia
• Contact details of the Endocrinologist who is treating you
• Basic First aid kit

      If traveling by air, you can keep the above things in hand luggage.

During the travel:

• Keep checking your sugars more frequently than regular, especially if you are in a completely different climate and time zone.
• While you travel by road or railway try carry a whole day’s meal and some snacks with you to avoid eating anything unhealthy. It can be Theplas/Parathas/Khakra/Lemony Daliya with Chutney can stay fresh for a day or two.
• Keep some snacks ready if you tend to miss the meals like Dried fruits/Nuts/Fresh Fruits/Homemade snacks.
• You can get Healthy food at the airport too. Discuss about the available options there with the help of Dietitian.
• Healthy food is not difficult to find, know about the local healthy cuisines and try them.
• Stay Hydrated especially in hot climate areas to avoid dehydration.
• Try not to miss your regular exercise routine. Stay Active.

Insulin care:

• For keeping Insulin cool, gel packs and Insulin cases are available which keep the Insulin cool up to 40 hours.
• You can also wrap the Insulin bottles in thick cloth napkin dipped in cold water.

It is true that Diabetes makes day-to-day life a bit more challenging but do not let it come in the way of enjoying life.

Happy Travelling!

To know more about Diabetes Monitoring Tests & Profiles, click here

Contributed by Mayuri Joshi – Dietitian