We love to travel as a family, and over the years, I think we’ve gotten better at being prepared. I have written about tips when packing the suitcase, or road trip savers. But there is one thing I haven’t talked about much, and yet, comes with us on each trip.
When we travel we bring a mini medicine cabinet with us. Clearly, we aren’t packaging up a wooden shelving unit, but key elements from our medicine cabinet (which is usually well stocked) are packed to bring with us and ensure that we are prepared at our destination with few interruptions. From time to time, I’ve been caught both unprepared, and prepared (thanks to my mini pharmacy!)
When we travelled to Turks and Caicos, we had to make a special trip to a local pharmacy to get some anti-nausea medicine before our flight home because I thought we had more than we really did (I hadn’t checked before we left Ottawa!)
Last summer, when in PEI, I got too much sun that turned into more of a rash on my chest. It wasn’t particular hot out, and I had sunscreen on, so I still don’t know why my skin reacted that way. But, fortunately, I had some hydrocortisone cream in my pharmacy bag that I was able to use and it really helped not only clear it up but relieve the itching.
And, of course, all of us always need to carry bandages in our purses, cars and bags when we travel. There is nothing worse than a little scrape, or blister when you still have so much time left in your adventures!
I’ve partnered with Life Brand to share a video with some of my tips for what to pack when traveling with the kids. Below are some ideas to keep in mind when you are packing your next travel bag.
Watch the video here and read on for more of my tips!
What to pack in your medicine cabinet on-the-go
- First, you need a water proof bag to store your items in. Use an old make up bag, or zipped water proof bag (you may have one from storing baby items in maternity bags!) or just a sealable plastic bag would work as well.
- Depending on how you travel, you can’t necessarily have the bag at the ready all the time. I tuck mine into our checked luggage when flying, but pull out parts to keep in my purse for easy access. Usually bandages, headache and anti-nausea medicine needs to be at the ready.
- Go through your list of what you want to bring. Here are some ideas of what’s in my bag:
- Fever Medicine
- Anti-nausea Medicine
- Bandages
- Anti-bacterial cream
- Sun screen
- Bug spray
- Allergy medicine
- Hydrocortisone cream
- Thermometer
- I keep most of these items in the bag all the time, then just have to grab it when we hit the road. However, there are some items that I add on the fly. Current medicine that anyone of us might be taking, or a thermometer tend to get packed more last minute.
- Update and review the bag before each trip. Having it ready to go all the time is great, but some things may expire between trips. Check the dates, and open up the boxes to make sure the boxes aren’t empty (this is a lesson from my own experience!) To avoid expiry dates, I often move the ‘trip’ fever medicine (or others that expire) into our regular medicine cabinet to use as we need it, and update the travel bag with a fresh one before our next trip.
- Head out to the store well before your trip. You don’t want to be rushing around last minute when there is always so many other things to do before you travel. Life Brand products are found at Shoppers Drug Mart and I love that I can get everything I need in one spot. Last time I just brought a list and it was easy to make sure I was prepared.
Just like with all of the other travel tips to keep us organized and help make our experiences less stressful, creating a portable medicine cabinet/mini pharmacy can be just another component of your travel plans. I have found that it really saved me a lot of stress and panic on many trips.
Do you have a ready-to-go pharmacy for when you travel? What must have items do you ensure are included?
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Life Brand and I received compensation, however all opinions are my own. This post is not meant to provide medical advice. It is meant to encourage people not to lose their thermometers like I do.
