7 Unbreakable Rules For Traveling With Type 1 Diabetes

Managing Type 1 diabetes (T1D) can be relentless and challenging, but it shouldn’t stop you from traveling to experience all of the amazing cultures, foods, and activities the world has to offer. As a Type 1 diabetic, I’ve studied abroad, worked in different states and countries, and even backpacked through Europe. From these experiences, I have seven rules that I follow no matter what to stay safe while traveling with diabetes.

*Please note: While I have done much exploring as a Type 1 diabetic, I am not a doctor nor a certified medical advisor. These are tips and tricks that work well for me as I navigate blood sugar management during travel, but may not be the best option for the treatment of your diabetes. Always consult your healthcare team to create a personalized plan before traveling with T1D.*

1. Always have a source of sugar on you. Always.

If there is one rule that is non-negotiable when traveling as a Type 1 diabetic, it’s to always have some consumable item on your person that can reverse hypoglycemia in 15 minutes or less. Your blood sugars will likely have more irregular patterns than typical while on the road because you’ll be trying different foods, exercising more or less than normal, and potentially changing what times you’re eating meals and giving yourself insulin. When I’m traveling, I tend to experience blood sugar lows much more often (and they come on faster), compared to when I’m at home because of how much more walking/hiking I’m doing. As such, I always have a few bags of fruit snacks in my pocket, plus more in my bag if I’m carrying one. By having fruit snacks in my pocket, though, I ensure that I still have something to eat if my bag is misplaced, lost, or stolen.

Other diabetics travel with candy, tubes of frosting, or a bottle of fruit juice as easy-to-carry, quick glucose options. If you’re ever running low on snacks, go to a grocery store or convenience stand to buy something that is sugar-heavy and breaks down quickly to boost your blood glucose if you experience a hypoglycemic episode. In Europe, I tried out tons of different candies and sweets this way. For example, my diabetes snack in the Netherlands was stroopwafels, and in Sweden it was licorice, both of which are popular in their respective countries. Even when dealing with low blood sugar, I was still gaining exposure to local cuisine!

2. Bring double the amount of diabetes supplies you expect to use.

This is a travel rule that my endocrinologist shared with me when I was first diagnosed with T1D. When you’re packing diabetes-related products for your trip, calculate how much of each item you would normally need for the duration of time that you’ll be away from home, and multiply it by two – that’s the amount of the item you should bring. For example, if I’m going on a month-long trip and know that I’ll be using three continuous glucose monitors in that time span, I’ll pack six. When possible, I’ll split them across the two bags that I carry (my day bag and my suitcase) so that if one gets lost, I still have ample supplies available.

If you run out of diabetes supplies while traveling, it can be challenging to get more (particularly outside of your home country), especially without having access to your care team and local pharmacy. Packing backups is critical to ensure that you have the proper amount of diabetes care items, even if it means that you have to sacrifice bringing extra outfits. Ultimately, it’s less stressful to re-wear dirty clothing than trying to get extra diabetes equipment on short notice.

3. When in doubt, play it safe – high blood sugar is better than low blood sugar.

First and foremost, do not be afraid to try new things when traveling – that’s the entire point of venturing somewhere different. Whether it’s a new food or a unique activity, if you have a chance to experience it safely, you should go for it! As you map out a plan for managing your blood sugar, though, make sure that you’re taking the safe route instead of trying to micromanage your numbers. If you’re trying a new food and don’t know how much insulin to give yourself when dosing, take a little less than you think you need, because it’s safer in the short term to ride a bit higher in terms of blood glucose readings than to drop too low. If you know that you’re going to be exercising a lot on a certain day, consider giving yourself less long-lasting insulin the night before or reducing your pre-exercise meal’s fast-acting insulin dosage by a small degree. Overall, having slightly elevated blood sugar readings is inconvenient, but it’s still safer than having your blood glucose levels plummet and being at risk of passing out from hypoglycemia.

4. Leave a tracking device in your diabetes supplies bag.

When you’re traveling and trying to keep track of many different things at once, it’s easy to misplace items. The one possession that you can’t afford to forget, though, is your diabetes supplies bag. Fortunately, there’s a simple solution: put a small tracking device in the bag that links to your phone at the beginning of your trip so that you always have a live signal of where it is. I use an Apple AirTag – it’s small, lightweight, and hasn’t failed me in many years of travel. It’s also a nice piece-of-mind item to have; if I leave my bag full of extra diabetes equipment at my overnight accommodation so that I don’t have to lug it around all day, I can always check to make sure that it’s still there while I’m out exploring.

5. Wherever you are, know the steps for getting more insulin.

This point is especially applicable when you’re traveling internationally, because medical systems and access to insulin may be quite different from your home country. For example, I’ve found (broadly speaking) that it’s easier and cheaper to get insulin in Europe than in America. Flipside, I’ve read that insulin is much less accessible in places like Southeast Asia, where Type 1 diabetes is significantly rarer. Before leaving home, have a worst-case scenario plan in place that includes understanding the steps that you’ll need to take to procure more insulin if needed. 

Before traveling anywhere new, I always read up on what places will have insulin (i.e., hospitals, urgent care clinics, pharmacies), what documentation I’ll need to show to get a prescription (i.e., a signed note from my endocrinologist and/or past prescriptions with my full name on them), and whom I’ll likely need to speak to (i.e., doctor, pharmacist, etc.). I’ve found that Reddit forums focused on T1D or the location that I’ll be visiting to be the best source for learning this information, but you can also try looking at the destination’s official healthcare website or T1D blogs that have articles about traveling to certain regions of the world to learn more.

6. Have some form of diabetes identification on you at all times.

If you’re involved in an emergency, it’s critical that first responders and medical staff are able to quickly and easily identify that you have Type 1 diabetes as an underlying condition. You should always have something on your person that informs medical workers that you’re diabetic within 30 seconds of attending to you if you’re unconscious or unable to communicate. Many T1Ds will wear a medical ID tag on a necklace chain or bracelet. I personally don’t like wearing jewelry, so I keep a piece of paper in the clear outside-facing part of my wallet that says “I have Type 1 diabetes” in big letters with the caduceus symbol next to it. I also have “Type 1 diabetic” and my emergency contacts’ numbers in my phone’s medical ID information page, which is accessible even if my phone is locked.

If you’re traveling to a region that doesn’t speak your native language, you still should keep these language-based identification tools with you. Apps like Google Translate will allow people to quickly figure out that you have T1D when they examine your medical ID. 

7. Take care of your body.

This tip goes for all travelers to stay safe and healthy so that you can enjoy your time away, but it’s especially pertinent for T1Ds. I focus on three things to make this happen: what’s going into my body, what’s on my body, and what my body is telling me:

• ‘What’s going into my body,’ involves staying hydrated, not drinking alcohol on an empty stomach, and being generally aware of what I’m consuming so that I can anticipate potential high or low blood sugar readings. 

• ‘What’s on my body,’ means I always have appropriate attire. For example, if I know I’ll be spending all day hiking in the sun, I bring sunglasses to protect my eyes. If I’m on a beach that looks like it could have sharp rocks or glass shards, I wear flip flops to protect my feet. Using common sense and knowing what parts of your body are disproportionately impacted by diabetes will serve you well. 

• ‘What my body is telling me,’ focuses on making choices based on my symptoms. If I’m exhausted, I’ll make sure to get a good night's sleep so that I can make smart decisions the next day, even if it means missing out on a night of bar hopping. If I’m feeling queasy, I’ll eat easily digestible foods that I know won’t result in sickness later on. If I get hurt/sick and think that I may need to see a doctor, I research nearby clinics so that I know where to go if my symptoms get worse. 

All of these little preventative tasks save me from much bigger problems that could occur further down the line, and they’re super easy to do. 

Final Thoughts

Being prepared and being aware are the two single most important measures to ensure success as a traveler, especially while managing a pre-existing medical condition. Diabetes should never stop you from adventuring around the world – don’t be afraid to see how free and capable you really are.