We are getting ready to fly for vacation and I am asking for suggestions on how to travel with pump supplies (syringes, cartridges, etc). Do the extra supplies nees to be in checked luggage due to tje needles? What is the best way to keep them safe? We do have a Dr note as well as the pump letter for TSA. Is that sufficient to carry on even extra supplies?
Always keep your medical supplies in your carry on! The letter from your doctor should be sufficient to allow you to pass with the needles, pump supplies, etc., if you’re even questioned about them. I usually just mention to the TSA agent, before I go through the scanner, that I’m wearing an insulin pump and it might set it off. That’s usually enough.
Hi Kara @Chetnkara, as Monica @MonicaM advises, ALWAYS hand carry medications and sufficient diabetes paraphernalia and food on any travel conveyance - other than lost luggage, you could be stranded for hours out on a taxiway or diverted to another airport and your luggage had gone on another aircraft.
Before packing traveling log on to the JDRF, the ADA and the TSA websites and read. When traveling by air, I carry a printout [one page] from the TSA training manual concerning materials that a person with TypeOne Diabetes mat hand-carry. Many TSA personnel understand but on occasion I’ve “volunteered” to remind some bag-checkers of what they should have learned in basic training.
For instance, when traveling by air I have in my “pocketbook” [in addition to insulin, infusion sets, syringes and needles] granola bars, packages of PB crackers and three 6 oz. juice boxes - the standard maximum for any liquid is [I think] 3 ozs.
Have a great vacation. And Kara, as you approach the first conveyor belt, tell the agent “… I have TypeOne Diabetes and I’m traveling with Medically Necessary items”. You may need to repeat that line a couple of times.
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Hi Kara. This is probably a little too late for your trip but others may find it useful. I travel a lot, both personally and professionally. As a result I have a specific list of supplies that I carry. It is 2x the amount I think I will need which can be a bunch of stuff for longer trips.
What I have found that works really well is a camera case, either soft or hard sided. I use the hard sided ones and have a small for shorter trips (up to about 7 days) and a medium for longer trips. They will generally fit under seats and being hard sided, they (and the contents) stand up to getting banged around a little. The camera case interiors can be configured to meet your specific needs. Depending on which type you pick (I have Amazon basics models) they usually count as your “personal” item (like a briefcase will). .
I also have a hip pack that I carry with my immediate needs for the travel day + 1 day. That either is around my waist or in a backpack.