Prepare your health and travel first-aid kit before your trip

• Check in good time which medications, records, and personal aids you actually need.
• Take regularly needed medications in their original packaging, with an adequate reserve.
• Store medications in a way that protects them from heat, moisture, and unauthorized access.
• Store information about allergies, important diagnoses, and contact details in a way that only you can access.
• Depending on the country, special documentation may be required for certain medications when entering or transiting.
• A small, suitable travel first-aid kit is no substitute for medical advice and should not be unnecessarily large.

Start with a personal list: Which medications do you take regularly, which conditions could cause problems while traveling, and which aids must be available every day? If you have a chronic condition or an allergy, are pregnant, or are planning a strenuous trip, discuss your medical preparations with your healthcare provider well in advance. The key is not a general shopping list, but what suits your circumstances and the specific trip.

Also check the destination country's health information and the preventive measures recommended for your trip. Requirements can vary depending on your route, length of stay, transit, and personal circumstances. For initial guidance on the travel first-aid kit from the federal health portal gesund.bund.de, consult the information provided by your specific destination country and seek individual medical advice.

Your personal documents belong in the same preparation routine: check validity dates, required documentation, and that items are stored separately. Include a separate item for prescriptions, certificates, aids, and reserves in your travel checklist and timeline.

Medications you need regularly should be within reach during your journey and not packed only in checked luggage. Keep them in their original packaging if possible, so the name, strength, and dosage remain clear. Do not change how you take them on your own just because your routine, time zone, or flight time changes. Your healthcare provider is the right person to ask about adjusting to a time difference.

Additional certificates or quantity limits may apply to certain medications when crossing borders. There is no general answer that applies to every country. Before departure, check the requirements of the relevant authorities in your destination and transit countries. Planning transit and onward travel can help you account for multiple border crossings and connections in one itinerary.

A copy of your prescription, the medication's active ingredient, and a medical certificate can make communication easier, but should be stored securely. Your digitally secured travel documents should include only files that you can access safely while traveling. Save important documents offline as well, and keep a paper backup separate from your main luggage.

Your travel first-aid kit should suit your route, accommodation, activities, and personal experience. In addition to medications you regularly need, products for minor wounds, personal sun protection, or familiar ailments may be useful, depending on your individual medical advice. Avoid collecting items indiscriminately, and check expiration dates before every longer trip. The needs of children, older people, and those with specific health conditions differ from those of healthy adults.

Pack small aids so that you can find them without searching for long. A waterproof bag can protect them in changeable weather; products that are sensitive to conditions need to be stored as directed on the packaging. In the staying safe while traveling section, a travel first-aid kit is only one part of the preparations: contacts, routes, and a plan for unexpected situations matter too.

Write down the contact details of your healthcare provider, insurer, and a trusted person who can be reached. Include medication names, allergies, and important notes only in a secure form. The preparation for communicating when problems arise illustrates why brief, legible information is more useful in an uncertain situation than a long explanation.

If your phone or data connection stops working, you still need to be able to access addresses, booking details, and important contacts. So check your phone, data, and internet preparations and save the information you need offline. Someone else should know where your backup documents are without being given access to unnecessary sensitive information.

Do not keep originals, copies, and medications all in the same bag. The advice on protecting valuables and documents also applies to health records. For a longer journey, a backup plan with reserves and contacts gives you more flexibility if a piece of luggage is delayed or a connection is canceled.

What should always go in a travel first-aid kit?

It should always include the medications you personally need regularly and any aids you use every day. Everything else should be suited to your route, activities, and individual medical advice.

Should I put medications in my checked luggage?

Important medications should remain within reach during your journey. How you divide them up depends on the product, storage requirements, and transport rules; if in doubt, ask your healthcare provider, pharmacist, or airline.

What documentation do I need for medications?

That depends on the medication and the destination and transit countries. Check the current requirements of the relevant authorities and carry any required documents together with the original packaging.

How should I store health information while traveling?

Keep it secure, available offline, and separate from the original. Store only the information that would actually be needed in an emergency, and keep a paper backup of important contact details.