Pharmacy is most patients' first call when planning a trip abroad. The right travel first aid kit covers the small problems that would otherwise spoil a holiday and means the patient does not have to navigate an unfamiliar healthcare system for routine complaints. The wrong kit either contains nothing useful or, more dangerously, includes a medicine that is illegal in the destination country.
This guide sets out what a community pharmacy team can recommend for a family travel kit, drawn from NHS Travel Health, NaTHNaC (National Travel Health Network and Centre) and BNF guidance.
The core kit — every traveller
| Category | Items | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Wound care | Plasters (assorted), sterile gauze, micropore tape, antiseptic wipes (chlorhexidine 0.5%), tweezers, small scissors | Pack in clear bag for security inspection |
| Pain and fever | Paracetamol 500 mg, ibuprofen 200/400 mg, paracetamol 250 mg/5 ml suspension for children | Avoid aspirin in under-16s |
| Allergy | Non-sedating antihistamine (cetirizine, loratadine), hydrocortisone 1% cream, calamine lotion | Useful for bites, stings, hay fever, mild rashes |
| Stomach | Loperamide 2 mg, oral rehydration salts (Dioralyte sachets), antacid tablets | Loperamide for adults only — avoid in children under 12 |
| Skin | Sunscreen SPF 30+ (preferably SPF 50 for children and high UV index), after-sun lotion, blister plasters (Compeed) | Reapply every two hours and after swimming |
| Insect | DEET-based repellent 30–50%, bite cream | DEET 50% gives ~10 hours protection |
| Eye and ear | Lubricating eye drops, allergy eye drops, ear drops for swimmer's ear | — |
| Other | Thermometer, motion sickness tablets, tissues, hand sanitiser | — |
The Department of Health and Social Care also recommends carrying a copy of all repeat prescriptions in the original packaging with the patient's name on the dispensing label, plus a Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) for trips to the EU and Switzerland.
Add-ons for specific destinations
Hot, sunny destinations. Higher SPF, after-sun with aloe, oral rehydration salts in larger quantity. Consider prickly heat treatment.
Tropical and sub-tropical. Antimalarial tablets where indicated by NaTHNaC for the destination, mosquito net spray (permethrin), broad-spectrum insect repellent.
High-altitude trips (above 2,500 m). Acetazolamide is prescription-only in the UK; a pre-trip pharmacy or travel clinic appointment is needed. Symptomatic relief: paracetamol for headache, anti-emetic for nausea.
Long-haul flights. Compression stockings (graduated 15–20 mmHg) for at-risk passengers, melatonin where legal at the destination (note: UK supply is via prescription).
Trekking and rural travel. Rehydration salts, water purification tablets, broad-spectrum antibiotic on prescription where appropriate (traveller's diarrhoea standby), wound dressings in larger volume.
Country-specific medicine rules
A surprising number of common UK over-the-counter medicines are restricted or illegal abroad. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) advises checking the destination embassy website before travel.
| Country | Restricted or illegal | Pharmacy alternative |
|---|---|---|
| United Arab Emirates | Codeine and most opioid combinations, some sleep aids, CBD products | Paracetamol, ibuprofen; carry a doctor's letter for any prescribed opioid |
| Singapore | Pseudoephedrine, codeine | Paracetamol, saline nasal spray |
| Japan | Pseudoephedrine, codeine, some inhalers containing salbutamol require import permit | Saline spray, antihistamine |
| Saudi Arabia | Codeine, controlled drugs | Paracetamol, ibuprofen |
| United States | Some sedating antihistamines (codeine combinations) declared at customs | Paracetamol, non-codeine analgesics |
| Greece | Codeine combinations restricted | — |
When a patient is travelling with a controlled drug they have been prescribed, the FCDO recommends a doctor's letter, the original packaging, the dispensing label, and contacting the destination embassy at least four weeks before travel.
Vaccinations and prescriptions
Travel vaccinations are not part of a first aid kit but the conversation often arises in the same consultation. NHS-funded travel vaccines include hepatitis A, typhoid, cholera, diphtheria/tetanus/polio booster and (in eligible groups) hepatitis B. Yellow fever, Japanese encephalitis, rabies, tick-borne encephalitis and meningitis ACWY for Hajj travel are private. Pharmacies offering travel clinics can administer these alongside dispensing.
Patients on long-term medication should plan for at least seven days' extra supply in case of return delay. The NHS England travel-supply policy permits a one-off three-month supply for travel up to three months, with longer trips needing a private prescription.
What not to pack
- Out-of-date medicines (six-month buffer is sensible)
- Tablets in a pill organiser without packaging — most country borders require labelled containers
- Drowsy antihistamines if the trip involves driving or scuba diving
- Aspirin for under-16s
- Loperamide for children under 12
- Anything refrigerated without an ice pack and confirmation it can be carried (insulin pens travel best in a Frio wallet or similar)
When the kit isn't enough
The pharmacy team should also remind the traveller of warning signs that need local medical attention rather than self-care:
- Fever above 38.5 °C lasting more than three days
- Diarrhoea with blood, persisting more than 48 hours, or accompanied by severe abdominal pain
- Severe allergic reactions (facial swelling, breathing difficulty)
- Suspected fracture, deep wound or animal bite
- Symptoms of malaria or dengue (fever, chills, severe headache after bite exposure in endemic regions)
PharmSee's pharmacy directory lists community pharmacies offering travel clinics across the UK; the pharmacist career page covers the additional clinical scope of travel-vaccination-trained pharmacists. The PharmSee jobs board lists current travel-health pharmacist vacancies.
Sources
- NHS Travel Health
- NaTHNaC TravelHealthPro country pages
- BNF — Travel medicine and prescribing
- Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office travel advice