The Holidays are approaching and for many people that means travel! Whether you are traveling to see family over the Holiday weekend, or taking a much needed vacation over the Holiday break, you will need to take medication with you. How you traveling can determine how you pack your medications, and where you are going can also impact how you store these medications.
If you are traveling by car, you don’t need to worry about how many liquid medications you bring with you, or if you have any machines that you need to bring such as a nebulizer or an oxygen tank, you can just transport them as you normally would. You should keep in mind; however, where you are traveling so that you can make sure that your medications will be safe where you will stay. For example, if you are traveling someplace that has pets or small children, you want to be sure that your medications are safely and securely stored.
If you are traveling by airplane, different rules may apply. According to the TSA, you may travel with unlimited medications in pill and liquid form as long as it is properly screened. You may travel with these medications in both your carryon luggage and your checked baggage. It is recommended, however that you keep your medications in your carryon baggage in case you need it while in flight, or in case your luggage doesn’t make it to your destination when you do. You do not need to put your liquid medication in a zip top bag; however you do need to tell the screening TSA officer that you have the medically necessary liquids. Medication is screened via x ray, but you may request that it be screened an alternate way before it is put through the x-ray machine. The TSA does not require you to keep your medications in prescription bottles, however some states have individual laws regarding prescription medications so you need to check with the states that you are traveling to and from and make sure that you comply with their specific laws.
In summary, traveling with medication is not as daunting as you might imagine, use common sense, and inform TSA screeners about the medications you are traveling with. Keeping your medication in a secure medication tote is also a good idea, several companies sell medication totes with TSA approved locks, such as safe tote, which can make packing and storing your medication while on vacation a breeze.