7 Tips For Diabetics On Vacation Traveling This Summer? Don't Forget These! Review

Here are seven tips to make your vacation a time to remember for the right reasons!

1) A Medic Alert bracelet. If you don't wear one now (and you really should consider doing so), you will want a piece of jewelry identifying your condition when you're on the road. Be sure to order from whatever company in enough time for you to receive your bracelet. With an eye to fashion, even Medic Alert offers tiny emblems on necklaces or other pieces in a variety of colors. After talking with multiple emergency responders over the years, all of them have told me that they'll always look to the wrist and neck for a symbol. I wear a bracelet with a huge red emblem 24/7. I simply purchase the chain slightly larger than I otherwise might, and it wraps around my wrist. A paramedic will know what it is, but to anyone else, I'm simply wearing a silver chain. The company you choose isn't important -- getting your meds and conditions into an electronic system tied to an id number on your body is what counts.

2) Bring a spare meter, strips and lancets and pack them in checked luggage if flying. The same goes with your insulin. Split your supplies and make sure you have enough personaly with you for at least two days. You'll be carrying your "regular" meter with you in carry-on luggage or close by. Checking your meter simply means that if your suitcase is lost that you either go without checking your sugar, which is silly, or spending $100 at a pharmacy for a new meter. If you don't already have at least 2 meters with working batteries, you're already behind the curve. Try to keep at least one at home and one at work if you work outside the home. When going on vacation, make sure you have plenty of strips, lancets and swabs and divide them equally. If you're flying, this is where your Medic Alert bracelet comes in handy. TSA screeners in the United States already have plenty of experience with more than 20 million diabetics who travel around the country. If you're heading overseas, your bracelet serves as yet another international symbol and should avoid delays when checking in for a flight.

3) Find a good, durable pill case and move your necessary meds to that case. Your pharmacist can give you a printout of prescription medicines. Keep that with the pill case. Many diabetics have two or three oral medications in addition to other pills. You'll want a copy in case you need emergency refills, but you'll also want to avoid a raised eyebrow from someone in an airport especially if you are traveling with many pills. As for the case itself, if you end up with a typical plastic case hinged on one side, bring Saran Wrap or something similar. Hours of traveling by plane, train or automobile will likely cause your case to open. You don't want to be picking tiny pills out of your luggage.

4) Bring a rugged plastic container for sharps and make sure to label it as such. If you're staying in a hotel, ask the desk clerk how they can be safely disposed of. If you're visiting friends or relatives, a simple call to the local government's waste management office will answer the question. Remember that lancets are sharps, and it's not fair to someone emptying a trash can to get nicked by your waste and be worried about what was on the needle. I've seen too many diabetics simply drop a lancet in a public trashcan even though they know better.

5) You'll need a quick energy source even if you do not normally go hypoglycemic. Everything changes on vacation. You're eating different foods, likely keeping different hours and may have other issues like over-exertion or sleep deficits. Around my normal stomping grounds, I like keeping a shelf-stable box of 100% pure juice, which usualy provides enough quick carbs without overcompensating. If you are traveling by air or you'll be moving around a lot, check out meal replacement bars that will not be damaged by heat or being jostled during tours. My favorite well balanced bars are Luna bars or Special K's smaller snack bars. Both give you 20 or so carbs in a small package.

6) If your vacation plans include beaches or swimming pools, your feet will be exposed. Sturdy sandals are the least you can get away with, and you shouldn't wear them solo if you plan to do a lot of walking. Make sure you have appropriate foot care items in your toiletries bag. You'll want gauze, pads in case of a blister, Neo-Sporin or similar product and Band Aids. Treat cuts and scrapes on your feet with the attention they deserve by washing with warm, soapy water, blotting dry and using the appropriate covering. Talk with your podiatrist about the best way to administer minor first aid. Your primary care physician can help if you aren't seeing a podiatrst for some reason.

7) If you are traveling overseas where English is not the native language, get a native speaker or a translation service to give you a simple statement explaining that you are diabetic, any complications you have and how to best care for you if you are unable to speak should something happen. You certainly don't want to hit your head during a fender-bender and find someone hooking you up to an IV full of glucose. Once you have this statement in the native language, drop by an office supply store like Staples or FedEx Kinkos and laminate the document. Cut it down and slip it inside your passport, but don't tape or staple the document inside your passport. Simply place it inside like you would a bookmark.