Travelling w/ meds kept cold?
Jul 22, 2006, 7:07 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: YYZ
Programs: AA PLT
Posts: 121
Travelling w/ meds kept cold?
I've recently been changed to a med that has to be kept cold, and i'm wondering if anyone has any hints and/or tips on travelling with them? I pretty much only travel domestically within Canada/USA, so it's not terribly long flights, but I can still be away from refrigeration 12+ hours at a time travelling transcon...
Any tips appreciated
Any tips appreciated
Jul 22, 2006, 7:14 am
#2
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: 99654
Programs: Many
Posts: 6,450
You can use the gel based ice packs. they stay cold for hours. even
the small ones ( that look like a pouch) work well too.
Carry an extra icepack or two and a ziplock bag. On the flight you can
ask for exgtra ice, and let the spare icepacks stay cold. Should give you
a couple more hours of cool pack after the flights.
Its not uncommon to ask a restaurant or hotel to keep the
icepacks in the freezer for you.
If you mail-order your medication, they may even come with these
ice packs that you can reuse.
the small ones ( that look like a pouch) work well too.
Carry an extra icepack or two and a ziplock bag. On the flight you can
ask for exgtra ice, and let the spare icepacks stay cold. Should give you
a couple more hours of cool pack after the flights.
Its not uncommon to ask a restaurant or hotel to keep the
icepacks in the freezer for you.
If you mail-order your medication, they may even come with these
ice packs that you can reuse.
Jul 22, 2006, 7:20 am
#3
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: ZRH/DFW/LON/BOS
Programs: AA PLT (2MM), HH Diamond, SPG Plat., PC Plat.
Posts: 27
Dry ice packages (up to 4lbs frozen CO2) may be carried on the aircraft. I did it serveral times on AA and NW flights, never had any problem.
4lbs dry ice in a decent container should easily keep your meds cool for far more than 24h...
http://www.nwa.com/travel/luggage/specialitems.html
http://www.aa.com/content/travelInfo...horEvent=false
4lbs dry ice in a decent container should easily keep your meds cool for far more than 24h...
http://www.nwa.com/travel/luggage/specialitems.html
http://www.aa.com/content/travelInfo...horEvent=false
Jul 22, 2006, 7:31 am
#4
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: 99654
Programs: Many
Posts: 6,450
i was holding off from suggesting dry ice, because:
1 - it could be difficult to find
2 - may be too cold for some meds. You need to keep certain
meds cold. but not frozen
3 - you need a large container. while for some meds, you can get away
with a very small hot/cold insulated pack that can fit in your
pocket/purse/backpack.
1 - it could be difficult to find
2 - may be too cold for some meds. You need to keep certain
meds cold. but not frozen
3 - you need a large container. while for some meds, you can get away
with a very small hot/cold insulated pack that can fit in your
pocket/purse/backpack.
Jul 22, 2006, 8:05 am
#5
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: west of DFW airport
Programs: AA LT Gold 1.9 MM flying my way to LT PLAT
Posts: 11,074
I do a lot of long haul flights
The floor especially at a window seat is often very cold. Gel Packs are a problem because refreezing them along the way can be difficult. It is easier to refresh your ice if you use a couple Zip-Loc bags one inside the other and get ice as you go along.
There are also special cold packs made for use by diabetics that aren't frozen but are soaked in water. They stay very cold for days without going back in the frig. Try a GOOGLE search for those.
I've done well using ice (but as mentioned, don't let your meds actually freeze). Don't forget about the floor! It can be very cold and works well as a place to keep the bag with your meds.
There are also special cold packs made for use by diabetics that aren't frozen but are soaked in water. They stay very cold for days without going back in the frig. Try a GOOGLE search for those.
I've done well using ice (but as mentioned, don't let your meds actually freeze). Don't forget about the floor! It can be very cold and works well as a place to keep the bag with your meds.
Jul 23, 2006, 9:40 am
#6
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Florida
Posts: 2,872
Then there's the whole hotel mini bar thing to consider. I learned the hard way to ask upon check in to have someone come up and remove a few items so that there is room for my husband's insulin. Once upon a time in a hotel that will remain nameless (mainly because I can't remember which one it was), I moved a few items around to make space for the insulin, not realizing the mini bar was one of those new fangled ones with the sensors that automatically charge you when an item is picked up or moved away from its assigned slot. What a mess it was getting that straightened out!
Jul 24, 2006, 8:55 am
#7
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Baltimore MD
Posts: 3,457
Originally Posted by SarahEmm
I've recently been changed to a med that has to be kept cold, and i'm wondering if anyone has any hints and/or tips on travelling with them? I pretty much only travel domestically within Canada/USA, so it's not terribly long flights, but I can still be away from refrigeration 12+ hours at a time travelling transcon...
Any tips appreciated
Any tips appreciated
Jul 24, 2006, 2:35 pm
#8
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: west of DFW airport
Programs: AA LT Gold 1.9 MM flying my way to LT PLAT
Posts: 11,074
Never put necessary meds into checked baggage!
Originally Posted by FlyingDoctorwu
My fiance and I both travel with medicine that must be kept cold. On most flights we carry a small cooler, packed with ice packs (our meds get sent out via overnight express with the ice packs which we keep). The meds stay cool for the duration of our flight (sometimes we will just stick the cooler in our packed luggage).
Aug 3, 2006, 6:49 pm
#9
Join Date: Dec 2004
Programs: AA, Skymiles, OnePass
Posts: 271
The last time I traveled my son was on an antibiotic that needed refrigeration. I got a disposable tupperware, put the bottle of medicine inside it, and filled the tupperware with ice, which I changed out several times over the course of a 10-hour travel day. The medicine was still cold at our destination.