[trip style = any]
I think my mom, Janet {who my sister and I call Juanita to add some spice to her name}, would approve this message. She's ALWAYS prepared. In this spirit...
Do you bring a first aid kit on every vacation? If not, YOU SHOULD, whether your trip style = weekending, beaching it or adventuring.
What prompted this case of clinical concern was a sunset ocean swim, cut short by my foot jabbing a piece of lava rock lurking below water. The cut wasn't a huge deal, but it happened at the beginning of my trip to Hawaii, so I had to make sure the mini-wound wouldn't get infected with sand or the like.
On past trips, I've toted a trusty medical kit, but I haven't been as diligent of late. Aside from a few key supplies like alcohol wipes and band-aids strewn throughout my bag---in nooks and crannies I always forget---they say you don't think about something until you need it. Truth!
Starting now, whether I'm headed to Vegas or Venice, I will bring a first aid kit---even on close-to-home overnighters.
Since I've been home for a few weeks, priority numero uno is to create a medi-kit for travel. Here's what I'm putting inside: 0/ Hand sanitizer 1/ Band-aids of all shapes and sizes 2/ Polysporin 3/ Wipes 4/ Flashlight {always keep one beside your hotel bed in case of emergency} 5/ Pills: gravol, antacids, and cold and flu medication (I learned this lesson the hard way in Kenya when I got sick and had to buy $25 imitation Tylenol cold and flu that didn't really work!)
Don't just take it from me, a non-medic; the Canadian Red Cross suggests you ALSO put the below items in your first aid kit: - Roller bandages and triangular bandages, which can be used to make an arm sling or hold dressings in place - Adhesive tape - Fibre supplements for constipation, laxatives and diarrhea medication - Eye patches - Sterile gauze pads in small and large squares to place over wounds - After-sun lotion - Antifungal skin cream - Disposable nonlatex gloves - Scissors, tweezers and safety pins (check destination's security regulations to determine if this is allowed) - Thermometer - Emergency blanket - Single-use instant ice packs that stay cold for 20 minutes after you squeeze them - Pen and small notebook
[photos sources online and assembled by @tripstyler]