Are you preparing for that much awaited getaway? Then you’ll need a travel first aid kit put together just for you! Making your travel first aid kit yourself is super easy and it ensures you have just what you and your family will need for your much deserved vacation! This post contains affiliate links. This means if you choose to make a purchasing from my links I will receive a small commission at no cost to you.
Assembling a travel first aid kit may seem like the last thing you want to do to prepare for your trip. However, skimping or skipping it altogether can really ruin your trip if you end up sick or with minor injuries. In this post I will share my ride or die essentials I bring with me on my trips. I will specifically group together items I would never be caught without while abroad as well.
Please keep in mind that we are all different and this is meant to be a starting off point for you to personalize your very own travel first aid kit. Hopefully my suggestions will give you a few things you didn’t think to bring, as well as pointing you in the right direction to get your kit together.
This post is all about assembling a travel first aid kit.
How to assemble a travel first aid kit
I have one random item I’ll just get out of the way so I don’t forget it:
Tide To Go Pen– No one wants to strut around in your cute outfit on vacation with a huge stain on it!
It goes without saying you’ll want to bring any regular medications you may take. In edition, you’ll want to have some basic medications with you in case of a headache, swelling, your period or an injury. While I am a registered nurse, I cannot diagnose or treat any medical conditions.
My go to medications to bring are:
Tylenol– Not anti inflammatory. Great for pain and to reduce a fever.
Ibuprofen– This medication is anti inflammatory. It is great for an injury or can help control period cramps.
Excedrin Migraine– This is a must have for me as I get migraines often. I would never want it to ruin my vacation. If migraines are not caught in the beginning they’ll escalate, ruining your whole day. You DO NOT want to be running around town looking for migraine medication when a migraine hits.
Benadryl– I tend to be allergic to a lot of things. So I do like to carry a few doses of Benadryl with me when traveling.
Chewable Aspirin 81mg– This is smart because if you or someone near you is having symptoms of a heart attack they can chew up to 3 low dose aspirins while awaiting the medical personnel.
Imodium or anti diarrhea medication– Again, you do not want to run all over looking for this medication if you really need it!
tip: if you want to consolidate medications a bit you could skip the excedrin migraine and take a dose of tylenol and ibuprofen together and get a cup of strong coffee to fight a migraine. I am not a coffee drinker though 🙂
Minor injury supplies
Alcohol wipes– to clean any scrapes or cuts.
Bandaids– I will link my favorite waterproof bandaids below. They stay on great through showers and everything. I also love that they come in three sizes in the one box of 100 count! I find I prefer these over the “max hold” version of the same brand.
Band-Aid Blister Bandages– It is the worst to get a blister on your heel on your vacation. These band-aids are especially made to cushion and heal your blisters. My husband used them on our last trip and they worked well. You can grab them on Amazon below:
Antibacterial ointment– This is great to have to prevent any minor scrapes from turning into way bigger of deal than necessary on your trip.
space-saving tip: You could opt for bandaids that have antibacterial ointment built in to save yourself from lugging the tube. You can find those on amazon here.
Post COVID travel essentials
Well at this point we’re still in COVID but I think many of us will not feel comfortable without these essentials for quite a while:
Disposable face masks– While you will likely have reusable masks with you, you may want to bring a few disposables in case you lose your mask. Also if you wash your mask and it is drying you’ll have a few more.
Hand sanitizer– We all know we no longer leave the house with out it, LOL! These are the 1oz hand sanitizers with the jelly loop to hang on your bags or the 2oz travel size you can find here.
Disinfectant wipes– You really should be wiping down hard surfaces in your airplane seat like the arms rests, table, touch screen and seat belt. Also you’ll want to wipe down tables and chair handles in public places.
Airborne– I like to start taking Airborne three times a day a few days before I leave and continue it at least once a day once I arrive at my destination. I really hate to come down with anything before I leave or catch something on a flight. I even did this before COVID.
Soap sheets– There are just times you want to wash with soap and water. Depending where you’re traveling to, you may find bathrooms out of soap often or maybe you’re camping. These soap sheets take up such little space, they’re totally worth bringing! Just pull a sheet with dry hands out of the dispenser and add water.
International travel must haves
Now, some of these items may have been mentioned in other areas, but if you’re going abroad, I really wouldn’t skip them. I have realized other countries do not have the same items we do even at pharmacies. Or you may need a prescription to get them. (This happened with us with Benadryl once).
Feminine products/tampons or pads/liners– Anything you use for feminine hygiene or tampons and liners/pads I would bring with you. Depending which country you go to they may not have tampons at all or they have no applicators. Also, I have yet to see thong liners in the countries I have been to.
Band-Aid Blister Bandages– I’m assuming most people do a lot of walking abroad. Also they tend to buy new walking shoes to go. Not a good combo. It is best to break your new shoes in before your trip. But if you forgot or if you’re just prone to blisters, these will be a life saver!
Tissues and soap sheets– These are a must have because you may find yourself in restrooms with no soap and/or no toilet paper pretty often depending on which countries you travel to. I would have these items on hand at all times.
Medications
Midol– This is a bit of a luxury medication I have learned. I would bring this if you know you get cramping and bloating with your period. Or if ibuprofen is what you use, you could skip this. I just find this does help more with bloating.
Excedrine Migraine– Again a luxury medication, LOL! Bring it if you suffer from migraines. Or bring your prescription with you if that’s what works for you.
Benadryl– You never want to have to run around looking for this. As I mentioned above, we once found out we needed a prescription to get this abroad and so my husband had to wait it out. It’s best to bring it.
Imodium or anti diarrhea medication– … A new place… New food… Enough said!
The perfect travel first aid kit bag
Now you just need to find the right size bag to fit your kit. I have the BEST carry-on personal item bag, the Lug Puddle Jumper. This bag will end up a post in itself. My bag came with a clear zipper pouch that I use to fit my first aid kit. (It doesn’t come with it any longer, you now get a packable bag that unfolds to the size of the original bag instead). I fit all the products I mentioned in this pouch except my tampons and liners, which I prefer to keep in my toiletry bag.
Space-Saving tip: I use the small containers below to put a few different pills in if i have them on hand at home and they don’t make travel sizes of them. just be sure not to mix medications you cannot tell apart.
That’s a wrap!
I hope this gave you start on assembling your travel first aid kit. I know we’re all eager to get back out there and see the beautiful world we live in whether we travel by car within our own country or fly abroad! Please be safe and enjoy, you deserve it! If you have any other great essentials I missed, please share them by commenting below.
Thank you so much for reading! Happy travels!
This post was all about assembling a travel first aid kit.
Awesome! This is very helpful information. Would never have thought of some of these things 🙂
So glad this was helpful to you!