A travel first aid kit is essential for any trip. Hopefully, it’s an item that won’t need to be used, but if the situation calls for it, it’s best to be prepared. Most of the time, emergencies can’t wait, and if they can, hanging on for long may only exacerbate a patient’s prognosis.
Many things could go wrong when traveling, including injury, an allergy attack, having an upset stomach, and other unexpected circumstances. Drugstores, clinics, or hospitals are not always accessible, so travelers must always be ready for roadside treatment. Along with bringing a travel medical kit, it’s also important for travelers to have first aid knowledge, otherwise, the kit will be useless. Learning the procedure may help save lives or help injuries to be treated while waiting for medical care.
To help travelers prepare what they need to bring, here are the essentials of a travel first aid kit:
1. Adhesive Bandages
Adhesive bandages are the most basic materials needed when traveling. Bandages help cover a minor cut or graze and keep the skin away from bacteria, infection, dirt, and further damage due to their antiseptic properties. Additionally, adhesive bandages hold the cut skin together, making the healing process faster. Having bandages in different sizes to fully cover any minor injury would be most ideal.
2. Blister Plasters
Physical activities, such as running, trekking, or climbing, while traveling may cause blisters on hands and feet. These usually form due to constant friction on skin or heat and sweating. The epidermis gets sheared from its lower skin layers and fluid collects in that isolated area, forming blisters.
A blister may cause discomfort, irritation, and pain. Typically, it heals on its own, given that it doesn’t get popped, which typically leads to an open wound. However, to assist the skin’s natural healing process, it’s good to have blister plasters inside a travel first aid kit. Blister plasters may help protect the blister from additional pressure, as well as bacteria, dirt, and infection if it’s open.
3. Pain Relievers
Any kind of pain is the ultimate killjoy of all trips. When traveling, it’s easy to develop headaches or other body pains due to motion sickness or physical activities. If a traveler isn’t feeling well, chances are they’ll only end up staying in their hotel bed to rest, missing out on the travel fun.
It’s certainly a good idea to keep something for pain relief when you pack a first aid kit, to aid headaches, nausea, migraine, or muscle pain. This could be in the form of a packet from the pharmacy or something more natural like CBD.
The need doubles when kids are joining the trip. When packing pain relievers for kids, it’s a must to take pediatrician-approved tablets that are suitable for their age.
4. Diarrhea Tablets
It’s always fun to immerse oneself in other cultures and local cuisine and traveling involves a lot of eating and trying out new dishes, especially the staple food in a particular country or city. However, because travelers may not be used to the food in the places they visit, they might experience stomach trouble, such as diarrhea, which frequently leads to dehydration, bloating, abdominal cramps, vomiting, or worse, fever.
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To keep the vacation going and avoid diarrhea or other stomach issues, stocking up a travel health kit with diarrhea tablets may help.
5. Antibacterial Cream
Those who travel for leisure or special-interest adventures are commonly prone to wounds, cuts, burns, or other minor injuries. Covering an area of ripped skin with bandages may help protect from anything that might cause further harm. However, it should be treated properly to avoid infection and other complications. Hence, antibacterial creams are essential in a travel first aid kit.
Antibacterial creams or antibiotic topicals may help reduce or end bacteria buildup on an injured person’s skin, helping it regenerate faster. Before applying, one should wash, cleanse, and dry the affected area. These creams shouldn’t be ingested but applied to the skin regularly until the skin condition improves. If it doesn’t, a physician’s appointment might be necessary. It’s also important to remember that antibacterial creams may cause side effects when excessively used.
6. Gauze
Having gauze in a travel first aid kit is essential, as it can help dress any wound, soak up blood, keep an injury clean, or stop blood from flowing. It assists with the healing process of the skin.
A gauze pad has numerous purposes and uses, which may be handy to have when traveling should the need arise. Gauzes in pre-cut sizes are ideal to have, to eliminate the trouble of bringing scissors and manually cutting a large one.
7. Surgical Tape
Having gauze in a travel first aid kit also involves carrying surgical tape as they go hand in hand. While using regular plasters and bandages might work, using gauze with surgical tape would be more effective in covering a larger wound and securing the protection in place.
Conclusion
When going on a trip, it’s best to bring a travel first aid kit. This way, travelers are prepared for any unanticipated scenarios and able to prevent any medical situation from getting worse. When traveling with the family, it’s ideal to bring enough supplies for everybody and consider any existing health conditions or maintenance medicines.
Above all, taking the time to learn how to use the first aid items will help make the most out of bringing the medical kit. After all, it’ll be near useless to have a first aid kit without knowing how to use the items and equipment in it.
