I read a few articles about what to put in a travel first aid kit, so I'll tell you what I think is important. If you're traveling and staying in an apartment/hostel, I think it could be important to make a small kit and take it with you. At most hotels, I'm pretty sure they could provide you with most of this should the need arise, but it might still be a good idea to have your own, just in case.
Here's what we got at Target:
Some of this isn't necessarily for the first aid kit, but I'll list it all anyway. We've got gum (for stank plane breath), Neutrogena face wipes (good for the plane also), contact lens cases, dryer sheets (I heard you should put a sheet in your luggage to keep your clothes smelling fresh, so I'm gonna try it), Dayquil, generic Benadryl, contact lens solution, tiny deodorant, toothbrushes, toothbrush holders, an AUX cable plug splitter thingy (so we could both plug our headphones into the same device), Neosporin, a digital thermometer and generic Claritin (Aaron gets seasonal allergies).
*Sidenote: When shopping generics, always check to make sure the active ingredients, dosages and side effects are the same as the brand name (they pretty much always are). I have never had an issue taking a generic medication and I usually save a lot of money. People who say generics are of inferior quality to brand name drugs are wrong. It's simply a marketing thing. Brand named drugs are patented, marketed and advertised costing a lot of money, therefore they have to charge you a lot of money to buy them. Generics aren't advertised, therefore don't cost as much to sell. I know it's slightly more complicated than that, but the bottom line is generics are fine. Don't be a snob and a dummy.
Then I went to Walgreens and got:
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Salonpas for muscle pain (works great!), bug bite cream, burn pads (for actual fire burns) and Aloe Vera gel (for sunburns...the only mini sized ones were fruit flavors).
So as far as medicines, obviously bring your personal prescriptions, including your anti-diarrhea meds, altitude pills and Malaria (if you need it). Bring allergy pills (you never know how the weather/climate will affect your allergies), bring Benadryl for allergic reactions (again you never know what you could be allergic to), bring cold meds, antacids (Tums) and pain meds (Ibuprofen, aspirin, Aleve, pick your poison). I also want to get a multi-vitamin of some kind, but we'll see.
As far as first aid stuff I'm bringing tons of band-aids, bandages and maybe even some gauze. Also Neosporin, Bactine, hand sanitizer and anti-bacterial wipes. Sunscreen is a must. Burn cream and Aloe Vera gel (for sunburns) also would be good. We got a thermometer because you want to know if your're getting a fever (good indicator that you caught something), batteries for whatever you need them for, tweezers, small scissors, safety pins, paperclips and duct tape (just good to have).
Let's get serious about mosquitoes for a sec: they are NO JOKE! You can catch so many diseases from mosquitoes, so avoid bites (and of course, get vaccinated) at all costs. Make sure you have a mosquito repellent with at least 20% DEET to put on your skin every day (no need to go super high on the DEET percentage because I've heard it isn't more effective and can really dry you skin, maybe stick to between 20-30%). Also get a spray with permethrin for your clothes (NOT your skin). You can give your clothes and sheets a good spray and that will last about 6 weeks (or 6 washes) on average. You definitely want to do BOTH DEET and permethrin and stay on top of it! Don't slack on this because it could save your life. I know that sounds dramatic, but it's true! Also, get a bed net, if you keep windows open at night or if bugs can get into your room, and wear long-sleeves and pants when hiking or trekking through the jungle.
This would be a pretty extensive first aid kit. I'm not saying you need ALL this stuff, but pick and choose based on where you're going and what the conditions are. Obviously if you're camping or climbing a mountain or something, this is not the list for you. I wouldn't even know where to begin! Oh yea, and good luck with that!
Some of these things we're buying now and others we will find when we get to Costa Rica. Since we're not planning on checking ANY bags, we have to be a little more frugal with our liquids/creams/gels. Having said that, all the stuff on this list will be purchased at some point, since I'm somewhat of a hypochondriac. Better to be safe than sorry!
First thing I did was remove all the packaging (takes up way too much space):
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Maybe tear the instructions/ingredient list off the back if you really need it, but don't keep the entire box. It's a huge waste of space. That gigantic box on the left held that tiny tube next to it. Dumb! Anyway, here's my first aid kit:
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I used the travel bag my mom got us for Christmas. At the very top, I've got the Ibuprofen, Benadryl and Claritin. On the far left, I've got the burn pads and the Salonpas patches for muscle pain. In the pouches in the center, I put our Dayquil and antibacterial wipes. Under that are all my bandaids and bandages. On the right, I found a pouch for all my Eos chapsticks (I know that has nothing to do with first aid, sorry). On the far right, I've got my thermometer and tiny nail kit (tweezers, small scissors, nail clippers and files). All the liquids (Aloe Vera, Neosporin, hand sanitizer and bug bite cream have to go in my quart-sized Ziplock bag). After clearing airport security, I'll move my chapsticks and put the liquids in that pouch.
I'm pretty proud of my first aid kit. I'm obviously hoping we never have to use it, but I know if the need arises, we'll be really glad to have it. If traveling anywhere, think about making one (it can be WAY smaller). You can even buy one already put together, but they're pretty expensive and don't seem to come with enough stuff. I'm the more is more type, so I want enough band-aids to cover my entire body, just in case. Not to say, I can't buy all this stuff once we get there, but they might not have what we're used to and it might be more expensive. Plus, who wants to shop for a first aid kit while on vacation? I sure don't! This would even be great just to have around the house. Get started on your first aid kit today!
Here's what we got at Target:
*Sidenote: When shopping generics, always check to make sure the active ingredients, dosages and side effects are the same as the brand name (they pretty much always are). I have never had an issue taking a generic medication and I usually save a lot of money. People who say generics are of inferior quality to brand name drugs are wrong. It's simply a marketing thing. Brand named drugs are patented, marketed and advertised costing a lot of money, therefore they have to charge you a lot of money to buy them. Generics aren't advertised, therefore don't cost as much to sell. I know it's slightly more complicated than that, but the bottom line is generics are fine. Don't be a snob and a dummy.
Then I went to Walgreens and got:
Salonpas for muscle pain (works great!), bug bite cream, burn pads (for actual fire burns) and Aloe Vera gel (for sunburns...the only mini sized ones were fruit flavors).
So as far as medicines, obviously bring your personal prescriptions, including your anti-diarrhea meds, altitude pills and Malaria (if you need it). Bring allergy pills (you never know how the weather/climate will affect your allergies), bring Benadryl for allergic reactions (again you never know what you could be allergic to), bring cold meds, antacids (Tums) and pain meds (Ibuprofen, aspirin, Aleve, pick your poison). I also want to get a multi-vitamin of some kind, but we'll see.
As far as first aid stuff I'm bringing tons of band-aids, bandages and maybe even some gauze. Also Neosporin, Bactine, hand sanitizer and anti-bacterial wipes. Sunscreen is a must. Burn cream and Aloe Vera gel (for sunburns) also would be good. We got a thermometer because you want to know if your're getting a fever (good indicator that you caught something), batteries for whatever you need them for, tweezers, small scissors, safety pins, paperclips and duct tape (just good to have).
Let's get serious about mosquitoes for a sec: they are NO JOKE! You can catch so many diseases from mosquitoes, so avoid bites (and of course, get vaccinated) at all costs. Make sure you have a mosquito repellent with at least 20% DEET to put on your skin every day (no need to go super high on the DEET percentage because I've heard it isn't more effective and can really dry you skin, maybe stick to between 20-30%). Also get a spray with permethrin for your clothes (NOT your skin). You can give your clothes and sheets a good spray and that will last about 6 weeks (or 6 washes) on average. You definitely want to do BOTH DEET and permethrin and stay on top of it! Don't slack on this because it could save your life. I know that sounds dramatic, but it's true! Also, get a bed net, if you keep windows open at night or if bugs can get into your room, and wear long-sleeves and pants when hiking or trekking through the jungle.
This would be a pretty extensive first aid kit. I'm not saying you need ALL this stuff, but pick and choose based on where you're going and what the conditions are. Obviously if you're camping or climbing a mountain or something, this is not the list for you. I wouldn't even know where to begin! Oh yea, and good luck with that!
Some of these things we're buying now and others we will find when we get to Costa Rica. Since we're not planning on checking ANY bags, we have to be a little more frugal with our liquids/creams/gels. Having said that, all the stuff on this list will be purchased at some point, since I'm somewhat of a hypochondriac. Better to be safe than sorry!
First thing I did was remove all the packaging (takes up way too much space):
I'm pretty proud of my first aid kit. I'm obviously hoping we never have to use it, but I know if the need arises, we'll be really glad to have it. If traveling anywhere, think about making one (it can be WAY smaller). You can even buy one already put together, but they're pretty expensive and don't seem to come with enough stuff. I'm the more is more type, so I want enough band-aids to cover my entire body, just in case. Not to say, I can't buy all this stuff once we get there, but they might not have what we're used to and it might be more expensive. Plus, who wants to shop for a first aid kit while on vacation? I sure don't! This would even be great just to have around the house. Get started on your first aid kit today!
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