Summer Trip? 6 Health/Safety Items People Tend to Forget While Packing

As warmer weather arrives, you might be dragging out shorts and flip-flops from the back of your closet or dusting off the grill for some al fresco meals. After a year of social distancing, you may also be excited to load the car and travel somewhere nearby. While packing your swimsuit and toiletries, don’t forget to assemble a first-aid kit. We’ve laid out some of the most common health and safety items that people tend to forget and wish they didn’t.

Prescriptions You and Your Family Currently Take

If you or any of your family members currently take prescription medications, you’ll need to ensure you have enough medicine for the duration of your trip. You may need to visit your physician or pharmacy to obtain a refill. Always take a few extra days of medication along with you. If you’re enjoying your trip, you may want to extend it a few days. Or, you might experience travel delays due to car trouble.

Medications for Gastrointestinal Problems

Many illnesses encountered during travel are gastrointestinal-related. Adding medications to manage constipation, heartburn, and diarrhea is smart. Items such as Loperamide, bismuth subsalicylate, a polyethylene glycol-based laxative, fiber supplements, and an antacid are all great to pack. Your physician can also prescribe an antibiotic you can take if you succumb to travelers’ diarrhea.

Remember to keep the family as hydrated as possible to assist with GI health. Read medication labels carefully before taking and, if you suffer diarrhea that won’t subside, dizziness, or dehydration, seek help from a medical professional.

Skin Safety Supplies

Skin problems like burns, cuts, and bites are incredibly common in the summer.

Add these items to your kit:

• Elastic wrap
• Adhesive bandages of various sizes
• A small bottle of liquid bandage
• Gauze
• A tube of triple antibiotic ointment for burns or scrapes
• A tube of anti-itch cream for insect bites
• A bottle of sunscreen (at least SPF 30)
• A bottle of moisturizer

NOTE: If you’re not in the car, these items shouldn’t be either. Make sure to keep them in a cool, dry place as often as possible.

Eye Drops

Traveling can wreak havoc on your eyes. Even those who don’t usually have dry eyes can be affected by being in a low-humidity environment. In hotels, heating and air-conditioning systems deplete moisture from the air. Desserts and mountainous regions also pose risks for developing dry eyes. Buying some eye drops to put into your first-aid kit can help alleviate this uncomfortable condition.

Medicines for Motion Sickness

Do you plan to be out on the water during your upcoming trip? To prevent nausea while deep sea fishing, taking a dinner cruise, or enjoying some other activity away from land, buy some over-the-counter motion sickness medicine for your first-aid kit.

Anti-bacterial Wipes

Rental cars, hotels, restaurants, amusement parks, public restrooms, and other places you might visit on your trip are often havens for germs. To keep you and your family healthy on your vacation, take some anti-bacterial wipes along. Use them to wipe down items like the steering wheel in your rental car or the toilet seat in your hotel. In addition to anti-bacterial wipes, having hand sanitizer is handy for trips too.

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While you should hope for best-case scenarios on upcoming trips, it’s wise to plan for unexpected medical emergencies. Make it easy on yourself by storing these items inside a travel kit that’s easy to pack-and-go. Just make sure to watch expiration dates and don’t store this kit in the car during the summer!