My family and I just got back from a little over two weeks in Mexico City, and on every single day we were there, at least one of us was sick. It’s never fun to get sick, but when you’re away from home and on vacation, it could become a worst-case scenario. Fortunately, I always carry with me a travel medicine kit and know how to find medical care when needed, even outside the United States. Here are my strategies and how you, too, can pack a travel medical kit customized to yourself and your family.
Some of the links in this post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. As an Amazon Associate, I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases without any increase in price to you.
In this post
Before You Leave Home, Get Travel Insurance
An absolute worst-case scenario, even worse than the whole family getting Montezuma’s Revenge, is a severe injury or life-threatening illness when you’re out of the country. Inside the U.S. it’s likely your health insurance will cover large expenses like Medevac transportation or surgery, but once you leave the country, make sure you have insurance coverage for medical expenses that might quickly get into the range of six-digits.
This insurance might be as easy as referring to your credit card. Chase Sapphire Reserve, for example, includes coverage for trip insurance if you use it to purchase your flights, rental car, or a cruise. Covered are things like:
- Travel and Emergency Assistance Services: If you run into a problem away from home, call the Benefit Administrator for legal and medical referrals or other travel and emergency assistance. (You will be responsible for the cost of any goods or services obtained.)
- Trip Cancellation / Interruption Insurance: If your trip is canceled or cut short by sickness, severe weather and other covered situations, you can be reimbursed up to $10,000 per person and $20,000 per trip for your pre-paid, non-refundable travel expenses, including passenger fares, tours and hotels.
- Emergency Evacuation and Transportation: If you or a member of your immediate family are injured or become sick during a trip far from home that results in an emergency evacuation, you can be covered for medical services and transportation up to $100,000.
- Emergency Medical and Dental Benefit: If you’re 100 miles or more from home on a trip, you can be reimbursed up to $2,500 for medical expenses if you or your immediate family member become sick or injured.
In my opinion, this is only the basics, and there are travel insurance companies that offer much more comprehensive coverage. Just be sure, above all, to read the fine print so you know exactly what is and isn’t covered. Keep receipts and record of things like the date/time of an injury or sickness and as many related details as possible.
A few travel insurance companies that are recommended by frequent travelers:
Insure My Trip and SquareMouth will give you policy comparisons between several different companies. If you travel a lot, individual policies can add up to a lot of money. An annual policy might be a better deal in that case.
Research coverage for pre-existing conditions, this includes dental work you’ve had done, and know how to file a claim and the documentation needed.
Finding Healthcare Might Be Easier Than You Think
When you’re out of the country, it’s surprising the medical care that you can get at very low cost. In Mexico there are hundreds of farmacias that not only have knowledgeable employees but often have a doctor in attendance as well. A lot of times the doctor’s office is just right next door to the farmacia.
During our recent trip, my son developed a rather severe upper respiratory problem. We found a farmacia, pictured above with dogs awaiting their owner, checked in, and then waited for a doctor. In this case, the doctor didn’t speak English, but with the help of Google Translate and our own knowledge of Spanish, my son was quickly examined, and for less than $20, we left with two bottles of Amoxicillin and cough drops.
Take a look at the chart below to see the typical pricing of a farmacia doctor visit in Mexico. (Divide the price in half to get an estimate of the equivalent in U.S. dollars.)
In another time and place long ago, I was travelling in the Soviet Union and got very sick with an inner ear infection. This was toward the end of my time in the USSR, so when I arrived in Denmark, a woman who owned the bed-and-breakfast where we were staying walked me down to her doctor’s office, just several houses down. She paid a small amount of money, and in minutes I had a diagnosis and a bottle of eardrops!
If you should get sick and you’re out of the country, don’t assume the absolute worst because chances are you might be surprised at the medical care you can quickly get. If your medical need is more severe, that’s where travel insurance kicks in.
Options for Travel Medicine Kit Containers
Travel insurance and local medical care are all fine and good, but one item you really need whenever you leave home is a travel med kit. I have mine packed in the kit below, and keep it in my carry-on suitcase.
My zippered and padded container is from a Teledoc blood pressure kit, but you can find similar containers on Amazon. Look for travel kits designed to keep electronics and cords organized. You might even have something suitable in your home right now. Be sure to buy one large enough for what you’ll pack, and any type of organization pouches or dividers can help keep your medical supplies organized.
Focus on What You Use Most Often
As you begin to pack your travel medication bag, space will quickly become an issue! So, focus first on what you and your family use and need most often. Are allergies a recurring issue? Then pack allergy meds and an inhaler, if you use one. Does someone in the family tend to get motion sickness? You’ll want to include Dramamine or ginger chews.
When you travel, certainly in the United States, there’s always a Walgreens, CVS, and a Walmart just about everywhere in case your med kit falls short or you run out of a certain supply. I had more than a dozen cough drops in my med kit when we were in Mexico City, but with all of us developing a cough, we headed to the farmacia to buy more!
Pack Your Medical Kit with These 3 Categories of Supplies
To get your kit packed and ready, let’s look at three different categories of supplies.
First Aid Essentials
This category covers essentials for minor injuries and wounds. Only pack a few Band-aids or antiseptic wipes, for example. Chances are, that’s all you need for something small, which is what the kit is designed for.
A few items to consider:
- Band-aids (various sizes)
- Antiseptic wipes or spray (for cleaning wounds)
- Gauze pads and medical tape
- Tweezers (for splinters or ticks)
- Small scissors
- Hydrocolloid bandages (great for blisters)
- Burn cream or aloe gel
- Butterfly bandages (for deeper cuts)
- Latex-free gloves (for hygienic wound care)
- Eye drops (for irritation or dryness)
Unless you’ll be traveling in a war-torn part of the world where a tourniquet might be a smart thing to pack, these supplies should be all you need.
Medications and Remedies
The second category is Medications and Remedies, as in natural remedies. These will take up most of your kit’s contents.
What I keep packed in my own med kit are acetaminophen, Benadryl, Pepto Bismol pills, DayQuil, NightQuil, Mucinex pills, and ibuprofen. With our son’s sickness in Mexico, we added a jar of VapoRub from the farmacia.
If you have little ones in the family, you’ll need pediatric meds as well as a small measuring cup or oral syringe.
To save on space, pack things like salves, creams, Vaseline or VapoRub in tiny jars like these from Amazon. I carry a few meds in tiny Ziploc-style bags like these in my purse as well as in my med kit. Use a Sharpie or a sticker to label anything you repackage.
For hydration, which can quickly become an issue at higher elevations and with sicknesses like the flu, add vitamin C powder packets or LiquidIV. On our last couple of days in Mexico, my daughter came down with a stomach flu, and I was so grateful for the packets of LiquidIV I had packed in my kit.
Take a look at this list to add the medications you and your family use most often:
- Pharmaceutical drugs you normally take
- Pain relievers (ibuprofen, acetaminophen, aspirin)
- Antihistamines (for allergies and bug bites, e.g., Benadryl or loratadine)
- Anti-nausea tablets (like Dramamine or ginger chews)
- Anti-diarrheal (loperamide)
- Electrolyte packets (to prevent dehydration)
- Cold and flu relief (like DayQuil/NyQuil packets)
- Cough drops
- Inhaler
- EpiPen if someone has a severe allergy
- Alka-Seltzer
- Antacids (for heartburn or indigestion)
- Antifungal cream (for rashes or athlete’s foot)
- Antibiotic ointment (like Neosporin)
- Motion sickness bands (acupressure wristbands)
- Rehydration salts (for dehydration from heat or illness)
- Immune boosters (like vitamin C or elderberry)
- Anbesol for tooth pain and cold sores
Include Natural and Homeopathic Remedies
Chances are, you probably already know the additional remedies you want to have on hand, things like peppermint essential oil or maybe some chamomile tea bags. Your travel medical kit is uniquely suited to you, so if you rely on these types of remedies, be sure to include them!
If you make your own tinctures or salves, add those in small plastic jars and bottles. A few things we use and I’ve packed are:
- Activated charcoal (for food poisoning or digestive distress)
- Essential oils (like peppermint for headaches and lavender for calming)
- Echinacea or elderberry syrup (for immune support)
- Sleepy Time tea bags
- Some of my witch hazel tincture and cotton pads for application
Comfort and Prevention Tools
The third category for your kit, is what I call comfort and prevention tools. So things like tweezers, sunscreen, a lip balm, a little tiny container of bug spray the, Lidocaine patches, and sleep aids, like melatonin.
Like the other medications and supplies mentioned, what you pack from this list depends on what you think you’ll most likely need and use.
- Face masks (especially for crowded areas)
- Travel-size hand sanitizer
- Sunscreen
- Supplements you take regularly
- Digital thermometer
- Extra contact lenses, case, and solution
- Lip balm (with SPF)
- Bug spray (DEET or natural options)
- Heat packs or hand warmers (for cold climates)
- Cold compress packs (instant ones)
- Sleep aids (like melatonin or earplugs and an eye mask)
- Compression socks (for long flights or drives)
- Reusable water bottle (to stay hydrated)
- Travel-size humidifier (if prone to sinus or dryness issues in hotels)
- Eyeglass repair kit
- Dental lost filling and loose cap repair kit
Frequently Asked Questions
Visit Minimus.biz to find sample size packages of things like sunscreen and bug repellent. Also, most drug stores and many grocery stores have a section where you’ll find travel-sized versions of all kinds of supplies. Snack-size Ziploc bags can come in handy for keeping things organized and to save space on their original containers.
Most likely not, but it wouldn’t be a bad idea to include a written prescription in case you need to get it refilled out of the country.
Definitely pack your med kit with your carry-on luggage. Most airports have basic meds available, such as stomach or headache remedies, but other than that, you’ll do best by having those with you. For more specific information about handling challenges with flights and airports, this is a must-read.
Related Travel Content
- How to be Ready and Stay Safe in an Emergency in Another Country
- How to Prepare for a Hotel Emergency
- Cruise Ship Preparedness: How to Stay Safe at Sea
- The Ultimate Guide to Surviving Canceled Flights and Other Travel Challenges
Final tips from Survival Mom
You probably have on hand right now everything you might want to pack in a travel med kit. Don’t delay with this simple project! Use any type of container for your kit — whatever you have right now is good enough!
It’s best to pack just a few doses of any particular medication to save space but also because it’s unlikely you would use up an entire bottle of Mucinex, for example! You just need enough to see you through a few days until you recover or return home, whichever comes first!
Remember to check out travel insurance before you leave on a trip and do some research to learn more about medical resources in a foreign country, if that’s where you’re headed.
Stay safe and healthy and enjoy traveling this beautiful planet!