Travel, Trains and Long Journeys

Travelling with Type 1 in India is mostly a packing problem, and the failures are predictable enough to prevent.

Carry considerably more than the trip needs — at least several days extra of insulin, strips and needles — and split it between two bags. Keep insulin in hand luggage, never only in checked baggage, where it can be lost or exposed to extremes.

Heat is the specific problem here. Insulin needs to be kept cool, and test strips are sensitive to heat and humidity. A cool pouch is a worthwhile purchase. Do not leave supplies in a parked car, against a sunny train window, or on a hotel windowsill, and check that a hotel fridge is actually working rather than assuming.

Delays are the other reliable feature of travel, and delayed meals with insulin already taken cause lows. Keep fast-acting glucose and some carbohydrate you can eat cold in a bag you can reach without standing up.

Carry a written list of your medicines and doses, plus your doctor's number, on paper as well as on your phone. Phone batteries fail in exactly the circumstances where you need that list.

Sharps need somewhere to go. Take a small hard container rather than leaving used needles loose.

The general travel advice applies too, with insulin storage added on top.