travelling

[Ejulin]

hi there, i am about to travel to central america for 2 months which i’m very excited about but also have am slightly nervous about going to somewhere new being a type one diabetic. does anybody have any advice or tips?

 

[Pipp]

I have no experience in travel or insulin use, but hoping someone who has will come along with advice from their own experience soon , @Ejulin .

 

[SimonP78]

I've never been to Central America but I have been on exchanges, placements and worked in various parts of Europe for between 2m and just under a year while at school and university. I've also wandered around North America living out of hotels for a set of conferences (at uni) over a 4 week period and also visited Korea over the summer between school and uni for 5 weeks.

Take enough (medical) supplies, always carry snacks. Work out fairly early on what's available locally to replenish snacks (living in hotels can be a pain in this respect as they are not always close to shops where one can purchase food).

I tend to run low when doing new things, I'd suggest erring on the side of caution and risking running a bit high until you're used to whatever/wherever you are - safer than running low.

Other than that just life as usual I think. Are you doing anything specific that might have an effect on sourcing food/running low due to exercise/etc?

In any case enjoy

 

[juliannaleit]

hi there, i am about to travel to central america for 2 months which i’m very excited about but also have am slightly nervous about going to somewhere new being a type one diabetic. does anybody have any advice or tips?

Did you travel to Central America? If so, how did it go? I travel often for work, mostly around Europe and Eastern Europe. Two years ago, when I was traveling in Moldova, I got stopped at the airport in Chisinau. They checked my arm, where I had a Freestyle Libre sensor. Everything checked out okay. Since then, I always carry a card that says I'm type one diabetic, just in case.

This past spring, I went to Greece. When I got to my apartment in the afternoon to check in, I found out all the shops were closed because it was Easter (I had no idea about this.) Thankfully, I had some food and sugar with me.

Another time in Georgia, I was at a tiny bus stop in Tbilisi with high blood sugar. It was really crowded with no bathrooms, so I had to give myself insulin around all the people. I remember one lady who looked at me weirdly and turned her kids away like I was a drug addict. So you always need to be prepared for anything when traveling!

I was diagnosed with T1 two years ago. Since I travel a lot for work (I've been to 20+ countries in the past two years,) having extra supplies like food, insulin, and an ID that says you're diabetic is really important when traveling.