Everything You Need to Know About International Travel And Medications

If you are planning international travel and take medications, there are things that you should definitely know before boarding that flight. Traveling with essential medications, from pain medication to insulin, can be a challenge — especially if you’re going to be flying by plane.

Get a Certificate of Ownership

Having a valid prescription for your medications isn’t always enough. If you’re traveling, whether it be for business or pleasure, internationally, you’ll often need a certificate of ownership. You can usually get this from your doctor: when you pick up your prescription, ask for a certificate that clearly lists your medication, the dosage and your name.

When Possible, Avoid the Flights

Flying is one of the hardest things to do with medication. If you have medication, you may instead want to consider ground transportation offices, such as city to city chauffeured services. Flying often requires that you get your medications screened, which can take extra time in security. So, if you will be flying, make sure to give yourself a buffer.

Never Check In Liquid Medications

If you have insulin, you may be tempted to check it in your baggage so that you can avoid the additional security checks. You should never do this. Insulin can be affected by the radical temperature and pressure changes that it will experience when being loaded into the plane and in the cargo hold itself. Further, luggage can get lost or misrouted.

As long as you get the proper documentation, traveling with medication shouldn’t be too difficult. Just make sure that you always know where your medication is and that you have a backup plan in case it gets lost.