Travel Essentials: Must Haves for Your Travel First Aid Kit

I often travel for work and although we usually bring a first aid kit, I usually like to pack my own personal first aid kit. Making your own travel first aid kit is easier and cheaper than you think. Here are some of the basics you should include:

1. Neosporin or a similar antibiotic cream

Use on minor cuts and abrasions.

2. Anti-itch cream

For bug bites like mosquitos

3. Burn gel or aloe gel

Great for sunburns or other first degree burns

4. Anti-inflammatory cream

Good for sprains or lower back pain

5. Diarrhea relief

This is always good to have just in case you’re hit with Montezuma’s Revenge and you eat or drink something that doesn’t agree with you.

6. Anti-diarrhea pills

Imodium is great

7. Pain pills (Ibuprofen or acetaminophen)

For headaches, aches and pains, hangovers, etc.

8. Motion sickness relief

For the boat rides and bumpy bus or plane rides

9. Benadryl or other anti-histamine pills

10. Tweezers and mini scissors

For blisters, cutting gauze or surgical tape, etc.

11. Band-Aids

A first aid kit essential for cuts or grazes. This Johnson & Johnson kit is great because it comes with the remaining items and comes with a small carrying case

12. Alcohol wipes

13. Gauze

I also included Tums in my first aid kit because heartburn is so uncomfortable and it totally disrupts my sleep.

Extras – the items below aren’t necessities, but it doesn’t hurt to add them to your kit if you’d like.

Oral rehydration salts – a great fluid replacement when dealing with dehydration from diarrhea and other illnesses

Moleskin – to prevent blisters if you’re going to be walking or hiking a lot

Activated Charcoal Tablets – to prevent a hangover, neutralize food poisoning or prevent diarrhea

Probiotics – the good bacteria in your body that supports your body’s ability to absorb nutrients and fight infection. My mother swears by these.

Surgical Tape

I made my own travel first aid kit over the weekend using some supplies I already had at home and a few things I picked up at Walmart and the Dollar Store. The dollar store is great supplies like anti-itch or burn cream and I even found Emergen-C there. I also scooped up a couple of travel beauty essentials there as well. I found these packing cubes earlier this year at TJ Maxx for under $10 and the medium size one is perfect to store all my first-aid supplies in.