46 Comments
Do you feel that T1D limits your travel? Select all statements that are true for you.
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T1D limits my travel in the amount of space it takes up to bring all the supplies. Otherwise, I have had no restrictions traveling to any places.
I dislike flying because of the security and extra stress of having to pack all (or the bulk of) my diabetes supplies in my carryon bag(s).
Did you know you can bring an “extra” Carry on just for medical supplies?
For short road trips close to home, it’s fine. But I tend to worry about longer trips and esp flying. Tomorrow, we’re heading to Alaska for 9 days – some not-so-populous areas that are not likely to have fridges in the rooms. What happens if something goes kerflooey with my Dexcom or my pump? How much extra insulin do I bring? How do I keep it cool until I open it? How many site changes do I bring? So much to worry about!
I have traveled all over the world as part of my job with zero issues apart from the extra baggage and the security fuss with my metal pump. I haven’t really traveled for fun since Covid, but I do think about the practicality of more exotic trips where backup supplies might not be readily available.
I still travel all over the world, but I tend to go to “safer” locations with T1D. Pre T1D I had wanted to do some river and jungle travel in parts of South America, but now I think it would be too risky.
My answer is a qualified “No”. I have travelled extensively, both within the US and internationally with Type 1 diabetes. (Dx’d in 1976) Accommodations/planning for diabetes are a MUST and include packing 2X the supplies/medications (in my carry-on) I would normally use for the time-period of my travel. As I’ve aged and encountered greater challenges in controlling my diabetes, I’ve made certain to buy additional travel insurance to accommodate any unforseen illness/hospitalizations that might occur during international travel. It is essential to understand how much/how little your insurance coverage applies when travelling internationally. In my case, Medicare is my primary insurer and coverage outside of the US is VERY limited. https://www.medicare.gov/Pubs/pdf/11037-Medicare-Coverage-Outside-United-States.pdf
I go everywhere I want, but the extra supplies are a hassle with packing lightly. I recently got back from Africa and did just fine, though I was a bit nervous about being out in the middle of nowhere most of the time. The Frio packs work great even in hot weather to keep insulin cool.
I don’t feel that my Type 1 limits me from traveling, however, I do feel that the need to travel with all of the supplies + extra is a hassle and can be quite frustrating
I do not let T1D limit my travel but I have anxiety about having the proper medications/equipment for my trips away from home.
The traveling I do is not limited, but I don’t travel a lot.
Thank you, Becky! In all my travels, no one has told me I could bring an extra carry-on for medical supplies.
The combination of my age (77) and undergoing cancer treatment are the reasons for my answers. In the past, I did not allow T1D to limit travel.
Next month I’m heading out for my first trip abroad for three weeks (previous trips abroad cancelled due to Covid ) I am not looking forward to packing all the extra supplies I’ll need! And, a little nervous about the nine-hour time change and the unusual foods/dosing for them!
The only limit is having to plan everything around meals and snacks. Sometimes miss seeing or doing things because of it. I’ve always been a very spur of the moment, carefree traveler. Not any more and I hate it. My life is constantly interrupted by my T1D.
I gave up cars 20 years ago when I realized what a rip-off insurance is when you take care of an older car and it’s in excellent condition but the blue book value falls so low, that you get nothing if another car smacks into yours.
I don’t particularly believe T1 limits my travel, but it’s a consideration of activities at remote locations (scuba diving, hiking, etc. ).
Plus over 20 years ago I started seeing other drivers following too closely & the rising cases of road rage. Trains I would consider. But planes and delays and sitting for long periods of time puts me at risk for a stroke. Plus hassle of rapid time zone changes. On a train you can get up and walk around and time zones are easier to handle. BUT, if I were younger I would consider intercontinental travel because I know other T1Ds who handled it w/o problems. Hint: Packing a bunch of Luna or Kind protein bars don’t need refrigeration.
Travelling has not been difficult for me in the past. I kept my blood sugar at a higher level so I would be safe on trips.
My travel is limited noe because of my age. I am 83 years old, and my reactions are slowing down while driving. I do not drive on roads with very fast moving traffic. I drive to nearby locations for doctor appointments and shopping. That is all I do.
T1D limits my travel financially. I don’t have the greatest insurance and while things are most definitely cheaper due to having any insurance at all, I still can’t get enough money to do all the traveling I want to do.
Have travelled through Central America , USA, went to Italy a few months ago. A few cruises. Not a problem with diabetes. I do find traveling much easier on MDI. Less stuff.
Interesting point to do MDI while traveling … it does take up much less luggage space.
Physical limitations hinder me more than T1D
I have travelled all over the world throughout my life. Only a few snags.
I don’t travel much. But, T1D does not limit or interfere with my travel. I travel with a lot of “baggage.”
The biggest problem with traveling with T1D is the size of the suitcase to carry all my supplies—which I don’t let out of my sight! We have done nine cross-country drives in the past two years for a month each where a box of supplies worked fine and three two-week trips to Jamaica where I carried a separate carry-on bag with at least double the usual number of supplies I will need. I use a Thirty-One zippered utility tote that fits under the seat on the plane.
If I cannot carry enough insulin w/ me and the country doesn’t have plentiful supply, I’ll make that trip shorter than planned.
I will travel with my God son
The biggest limitation now is financial. The amount of out-of-pocket for pump purchase and pump/CGM supplies eliminated my savings account. I’d definitely like to travel beyond the grocery, pharmacy and medical/dental clinics, but that’s no longer possible.
I don’t travel nearly as much or to as many remote places as others do, but for the places I have traveled, I never had to limit my experiences while on vacation.
When traveling by air, I know my supplies have to fit into hand luggage. That limits me to 3 weeks. Also, being older and weaker, I cannot carry heavy stuff, so if I am alone, I have to pack lighter. And finally, I cannot go anywhere where I have no idea what is in the food and where they cannot speak English, as I have to know what carbs to inject for and I have to avoid sodium (which is particularly hard in U.S. restaurants where everything is way too salty and sugary).
T1D limits my travel because of the cost of management. I have traveled all over the world for both business and pleasure. Some places, Madagascar were harder than others.
T1D doesn’t limit my travel nearly as much as my finances and wake/sleep schedule limits it!!! But when I’ve traveled, I don’t think my T1D limited my travel at all other than sometimes having to stop driving to take unplanned breaks from driving to either eat or take more insulin.
All inclusive, I have had a chance to travel more than a 30 minute drive a total of twice in the past 5 years.
I do not feel limited. I take only a carry on bag and a back pack, but sometimes all of the supplies, particularly those huge Dexcom in-setters, are an issue. I am aware I could take an extra carry on for medical supplies, but have never done that, one extra bag to take care of!
The physical act of traveling anyplace, T1 is entirely irrelevant. Having the medication(s), supplies, to keep us alive on said travel(s) is mandatory in order to travel anywhere. Without a delivery method for insulin (MDI/pump) and the insulin itself are the bare minimum required. Beyond that anything else is (in theory) not required.
T1D has limited us socially, we haven’t found a way that guests or hosts are comfortable with that replaces the drinks or cake that are always offerred and refused by us! Now I have CGM almost all travel is fine, even alone
TID has not prevented any of my travel plans. Have visited select places near and far all over the planet Earth … just have to take all the necessary diabetes “stuff” which means an extra carry-on bag to schlep it all, including what I call my “diabetes nerd food”.
I traveled out of the USA to Colombia and just the anger I felt with their security recklessly going through my carry on, after reading the appropriate travel letter got me so mad.
Now I just drive with my friends or kids.
That feeling never left me and I never want to feel invaded again
The limiting factor is cost. Since I want flexibility to manage my T1, I may opt for all inclusive vs airBNB in remote/unfamiliar areas. Or, private/smaller tours so I can bring my own food, cooler, choose the restaurants, map out hospitals, etc. Because of these costs, I explore/do less than if I’m with local friends/family who know all the resources.
I just finished a 2 week trip to Italy. I did have some low blood sugar issues the first couple of days but with a cgm I just made corrections on my pump and did fine.
My daughter’s family lives in a foreign country due to work with the Dept of State. I frequently travel for long distances and must pay close attention to my BG level. I use a CGM and carry many types of snacks to address any lows that may arise. I also target a higher BG level during the flights.
T1 limits my travel due to extra expenses occured due to T1D, causing most travel to be financially prohibitive.
While prepping for a trip is sure a big pain—all those extra supplies to lug around—I feel like a lack of self-confidence/self-mastery to manage T1D reasonably well while on a trip holds me back. We recently went on a short trip to visit family and my BGs were all over the place. I didn’t sleep well and felt like my energy level was really low. (The heat and twisting my ankle did not help at all either.) I’m glad we went but I felt really frustrated a lot of the time and it took a good week to get back on track.
Just not interested in “intrepid” travel. Feel safer in urban environments, and with countries that don’t have many unexpected events, such as strikes, crime, insurrections etc.
With the large packaging of Dexcom G6 and Tandem supplies, it is a pain to pack for long trips. I don’t relish traveling out of the US due to large amount of documentation needed for syringes and all the T1D supplies. TSA Precheck and TSA Cares has made airline travel fairly calm but we take short trips not requiring security checks where possible. My husband has health issues so we have 2 extra bags for just medical things.
My former physician, who was very well traveled, gave me the best advice ever right before I left for a 3 month trip around the world and that advice has always been part of my thinking ever since. He said, always remain close to a train line and go to areas where you can get to an American or British hospital. When traveling in Thailand, I avoided going on a 3 day trek into Laos and Burma with my friends because I’d leave the developed area where I could get the food and healthcare I might need in a crisis. I did go into Guilin, China but was only a short plane flight from Bristish owned Hong Kong at the time. Everywhere else that I visited on this trip, particularly in Europe, had healthcare systems that were sophisticated enough to care for me. When I had an unexpected allergic reaction to something I ate in Austria, I did go to an Austrian hospital and received top quality care at their ER. My physician’s guidance really paid off and has kept me safe as I’ve traveled to many interesting places in the world in my lifetime. (And I still have more to see!)