TRAVELING WITH DIABETES
Hello Food Lovers and Diabetics!
Today I will be talking about a topic that many people have asked us recently and we believe it is very important for anyone with diabetes, either Type 1 Diabetes or Type 2 Diabetes to understand.
From the header of this blog post, you can guess it… Traveling With Diabetes. How hard it truly is to travel when you have Type 1 Diabetes or Type 2 Diabetes? How much preparation up front you need to do in order to travel safely? What are the necessary steps to prepare yourself for whether a get away weekend or a 2-week trip across the world?
In this blog post, I will help you answer all these questions based on our extensive experience traveling the world together.
It all starts with preparing ahead and knowing exactly what to do. Traveling is the most exciting way to experience different places and cultures and there is no reason to sacrifice your diabetes and health when going away.
get a note from your doctor
The first thing I recommend doing before anything is getting a note from your doctor explaining your diabetes condition and your medication needed. This has helped us many times when traveling, specially carrying insulin and medical supplies with us. Also, make sure you get a few copies in case you misplace one. When requesting the letter, make sure it is written in English so you can use it when traveling domestic (U.S. Territory) and international since English is the most popular language worldwide.
Lastly, make sure you carry it with you at all times, specially when flying in case they question your medication purposes.
enough supplies
The most important part of your check list will be to make sure in advance that you will have enough supplies for the trip. We usually check the supplies a week in advance in case we need to request more insulin pens or any additional supplies. Also, make sure to throw in there extra medication just to be proactive because you never want to run short.
store supplies properly
Every time we travel domestic or international, we always store all of his insulins in portable coolers. I strongly recommend getting one since it will help you to keep your medication in perfect temperature until your arrival. You can get one fairly cheap at Amazon or Walmart.
A very important thing to remember is to store your insulin or medication in a fridge as soon as you arrive to your destination. If you will be staying at a hotel, make sure to call ahead of time and ask if your room will have a fridge. Sometimes they will even put one at no additional cost or offer to store them at the hotel kitchen fridge.
Always, always, always… carry your insulin and medication in your carry-on luggage! NEVER put them inside your checked bag.
CHECK YOUR BLOOD SUGAR LEVELS MORE OFTEN
With local time changes and different types of foods, checking your blood sugar levels more often will definitely help you to stay on track. Test your blood sugar levels before and after every meal to see how the meal is affecting your diabetes levels.
LAST BUT NOT LEAST… WATCH WHAT YOU EAT & ENJOY!
There is not reason for any of us to miss out on any food related experience we would want to have. However, making sure you understand the macronutrient content on each type of food or meal will help you calculate your insulin dosis more accurately. What works for us is to try a bit of everything but not all at once, allowing his sugar levels to stay stable while tasting out different foreign foods and sweets when he is craving for one. Traveling is a unique experience and we believe everyone should make their own memories!
Hope these several tips have helped you understand that Diabetes is not a barrier when it comes to travel and that you just need to be organized and prepare ahead. If you have any particular stories or memories you would like to share regarding traveling with diabetes, please let us know as we would love to hear about them!
Remember, adapt diabetes to your life and not your life to diabetes.
Thanks for checking my blog and hope these tips have been helpful to you!