Build your own first aid kit
If you’re doing any sort of backpacking and travelling, particularly to rural areas or developing countries, having a basic first aid kit is a necessity. You may never need it, or you may have to delve into it to help another traveller. I was having breakfast in a hostel in Essaouira, Morocco, recently, when a young woman came in, hands ripped open and bleeding. She had fallen while running, so while it wasn’t anything serious, her wounds did need to be cleaned and patched up. The hostel didn’t have a first aid kit and the pharmacies hadn’t opened yet. So I dived into my backpack to find mine.
What should go into your first aid kit?
There are plenty of ready-made options you can buy. But sooner or later, you’ll need to replace any items you’ve used or that have expired. And depending on where you’re going, you may need to add or remove things. For example, when travelling to East Africa, I was advised to take my own needles and scalpel in case I needed any injections, blood draws or surgery. For most other destinations, this isn’t something you have to worry about.
A basic kit should include the following:
- Betadine
- Insect sting cream
- Plasters (Band-Aid) and blister plasters
- Self-adhesive gauze
- Steri strips
- Small bandage for sprains and safety pins
- Gauze scissors
- Sterile syringes
- Thermometer
- Cotton buds (Q-tips)
- Ibuprofen (anti-inflammatory)
- Paracetamol/acetaminophen (good for headaches)
- Imodium (to be taken only if you have to travel and can’t get to a bathroom)
- Antihistamines
- Thrush medication. This isn’t available over the counter in some countries.
- Rehydration sachets. For those days when you have a dodgy gut, hangover or have spent too long in the heat.
Prescription medications
If you take prescription medication regularly or are on birth control pills, you have two options. The first is to take enough to see you through your trip, if you’re not travelling for long and your doctor can prescribe it. Certain medications (e.g. opioids) cannot be prescribed for longer than a short amount of time. The second is to get a prescription while on the road from a local doctor. Having suitable travel insurance can be helpful here in finding and accessing the right physician.
The same applies to contact lenses. Having enough to see you through is the ideal scenario where possible. Carrying your prescription with you to resupply locally and a spare pair of glasses can see you through longer trips.
In every case, keep your doctor’s prescription with you and ask them to include the active ingredient. Medication names can vary across regions and countries, but the active ingredient will not. A local physician can use that to identify the right medicine for you where necessary. Ideally, keep the original boxes as well.
Finally, remember that what you can buy over the counter at home may need a prescription elsewhere. Thrush tablets are an important one, as I found out the hard way.
I hope you never have to use your first aid kit, but it will be comforting to know it’s there if you need it.
Disclaimer: This is not medical advice. If you are unwell or experiencing a medical emergency, get to a hospital or call an ambulance.