A Traveler’s Necessity: The First Aid Kit

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• Antibiotic cream to ensure that wounds don’t get infected.
• Scissors to assist in the bandaging.
• Tweezers for those nasty little things called slivers.
• A thermometer—preferably non-mercury based as some countries prohibit them).
• Aspirin (or an equivalent) for pain and fever relief.
• Eye drops – especially important when traveling to the big cities of developing countries.
• Insect repellent to stave off those little buggers that bite and sting.
• Antihistamine for the occasion (which may not be so occasional) that either you forget to put on insect repellent or the insects just ignore it.
• Sunscreen to save you from burns and a future case of skin cancer.
• Calamine lotion or aloe vera when you just need a little relief for your skin.
• Antifungal cream for reasons similar to those above but from a different cause.
• Multivitamins to keep your body in balance.
• Loperamide (brand name Imodium) to keep the runs from running.
• Motion sickness medicine such as Dramamine (even if this is not a problem for you, it’s always nice to have for others—if you know what I mean).
• And last but not least, oral rehydration salts. A must in my book, just add them to your drinking water and dehydration ain’t going to happen (especially useful in cases of severe diarrhea).

So those are the basics. For the more adventurous traveler however, there are a couple of other things to consider, which I’ve included below.

The first of these is needles. While precautionary in nature, a selection of needles and syringes is a good idea to have in certain parts of the world, especially where sterilization is an issue.

For instance, let’s say you get a bad case of the runs in Africa or India and the doctor wants to put you on an IV because you are severely dehydrated (something that I can assure you does happen because it has happened to me). In this case, you want to have your own needles because trading a bad case of the runs and a severe case of dehydration for something like HIV or hepatitis just isn’t a worthwhile tradeoff.

At the same time, it is a reality you have to face where needles are in short supply. So, stay prepared and keep yourself safe. Carry at least one IV needle and a few syringes of different sizes. You never know when you’ll need them, and if nothing else, they supply peace of mind that is well worth carrying them.

Another good thing to carry is a basic selection of antibiotics. Below are a few of the more commonly used amongst travelers. I must stress that self-diagnosis and treatment is not advised. Antibiotics should only be administered under the supervision of a licensed doctor. Therefore, the information that follows is intended solely for your thoughts and preparations.

Performing many of functions, the most useful of these medications is an antibiotic called ciprofloxacin (aka cipro). Its most likely use is to treat bacterial diarrhea or dysentery, the most common cause of runs amongst travelers. However, for the more adventurous, it combats things like pneumonia, typhoid fever, and bone, joint, skin and urinary tract infections. But that’s not all. For the promiscuous traveler, it treats gonorrhea. And for the downright crazy traveler—you know, like those nuts who visit mailrooms of the US Postal Service—it’s even used to combat the inhalation of anthrax.

So just in case you happen to be caught in the crossfire of a biological terrorist attack, there’s no need for worry. You’ll be prepared. Doesn’t it feel like there should be a side-effects disclosure now?

If you can’t find cipro, a good alternative for all but the pneumonia, typhoid fever and anthrax attack is norfloxacin. It’s roughly an equivalent. Now, onto more serious things.

For more dire cases of diarrhea, namely those caused by giardiasis and amoebic dysentery, neither cipro nor norfloxacin will do. Instead, you’ll need something more powerful; something equivalent to an A-bomb for your gut. And you have two choices: metronidazole (commonly known by the brand name Flagyl) or tinidazole.

Crossing four categories of drugs, metronidazole is an anthelmintic, antibacterial, antiprotozoal and bowel disease inflammatory suppressant. You can see why this would wipe out everything. That said, these medications should be taken with care and only under the express direction of a doctor.

For more information on any of the above drugs go to medlineplus.gov, click on the drug information icon, and select the name.

I can’t tell you how many times I was somewhere remote that I got a stomach ailment and wished I’d had one or more of the above medications with me. That’s why I carry them with me now. And while none of them can save you from the stink of the guy next to you, they can save you from making your own stink. Farewell and healthy travels.

Sean Enright initially caught the travel bug after a near-death experience in 1996. He has traveled in India, throughout South and Southeast Asia, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and in Latin America and the Caribbean. Most recently he spent 14 months in Thailand. He now lives in Winter Park, Colo.

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