Originally Posted by
Tizzette
Did you read what I actually said: that all the meds are available to buy but when you are sick, you don't feel like going out to get them.
Speaking from experience as a solo traveler who doesn't stay in hotels with concierges, I can attest that packing a few tablets of an anti-diarrheal can be invaluable. When you really need them, you really can't go out to get them! I also usually pack a few of my favorite cold tablets, not because I think Europe is uncivilized, but because when I feel like death warmed over I don't feel like dragging myself to the pharmacy and investigating the alternatives.
That said, I think I wasn't relying on my parents to tell me about such things by the time I was 26. But then, I grew up in the pre-helicopter-parent age.