The Web site also features links to several other helpful pages. “Flying With Diabetes” covers some of the TSA’s advice and has additional links to the TSA’s and ADA’s pages on diabetes, children, and travel. The “Have Insulin, Will Fly: Diabetes Management During Air Travel and Time Zone Adjustment Strategies” link leads to a comprehensive article in the medical journal Clinical Diabetes on managing diabetes during air travel. (This article contains advice applicable to people with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes and can be accessed directly at http://clinical.diabetesjournals.org/cgi/content/full/21/2/82.) The Children With Diabetes Web page’s links also include a chart that displays how to say “I have diabetes,” “pharmacy,” and “hospital” in a wide array of languages; a “Global Diabetes Organizations” link that provides contact information for diabetes associations in many countries; and a “Prescription Laws from Around the World” link that indicates whether a prescription is required to purchase insulin and syringes in all 50 US states and in some international locations.
INTERNATIONAL DIABETES CENTER: “TRAVEL”
www.parknicollet.com/Diabetes/selfCare/travel.cfm
The International Diabetes Center, a center for diabetes care, education, and research at the Park Nicollet Institute in Minneapolis, Minnesota, has a good basic primer on traveling with diabetes. This Web page contains links to a handy travel checklist, five general travel tips for people with diabetes, specific tips on air travel and overseas travel, and an overview of insulin adjustments for travel across time zones.
NATIONAL DIABETES EDUCATION PROGRAM: “HAVE DIABETES. WILL TRAVEL.”
http://ndep.nih.gov/diabetes/pubs/Diabetes_travel_article.pdf
This article is published by the National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP, a program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and can be viewed as an Adobe PDF file. The article contains nuggets of advice divided into several categories. The section on planning ahead covers issues such as immunizations, prescriptions, and diabetes identification. The section on packing contains tips on diabetes supplies, insulin storage, and snacks. Tips for flying, road trips, and general traveling are also included.
Books
THE DIABETES TRAVEL GUIDE
How to Travel With Diabetes
Anywhere in the World
Davida F. Kruger, MSN, RN, CS, CDE
American Diabetes Association
Alexandria, VA, 2000
This 224-page book, published by the ADA, covers every step of the traveling process, from preparation and packing to eating and exercising on the road to dealing with illness or planning for special situations. It also contains separate chapters on traveling with insulin and traveling with diabetes pills, and has a chapter discussing the nuances of car, plane, and boat travel. The book also features translations of important diabetes-related phrases into seven different languages.
It is currently available at www.amazon.com and other retailers. A second edition of this book was released in November 2006.
Carrying cases
Several companies make carrying cases designed to keep insulin cool and diabetes supplies organized — items that can be very useful during a trip.
The Children With Diabetes Web site has a page entitled “Carrying Cases” (www.childrenwithdiabetes.com/d_06_800.htm) that is a good place to start comparison shopping. It features products from several different companies, ranging from small “wallets” to large, multifunctional organizers, and lists the phone numbers, addresses, and Web sites where you can find the featured products.
