• Carry diabetes ID and a letter from your doctor if you are carrying insulin.
• Take twice the quantity of medical supplies you would normally use for your diabetes.
• Flights often cross time zones. If you treat your diabetes with medication or insulin it’s important you check with your diabetes care team. If you need to make any changes to your regimen be mindful that hot or cold climates may affect how your insulin and blood glucose monitor work.
• Make sure you have the free European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) if you are traveling to a European Union member country – it will ensure that you have easy access to healthcare in that country. Remember it is still advisable to buy travel insurance, as the card doesn’t cover, for example, emergency repatriation.

Packing for your trip:

• Split your diabetes supplies in separate bags.
• If flying make sure you have some diabetes supplies in your hand luggage in case your bags get lost.
• Pack extra snacks in case of delay with your journey
• Make sure you have all your diabetes medication and equipment packed.
• If you are carrying syringes and insulin on your flight take a letter from your doctor.

Note: In some countries, blood glucose is measured in milligrams per 100 millilitres (expressed as mg %) and not in millimoles per litre (mmol/l). A blood glucose conversion chart is below.

 

mmol/l	mg %	mmol/l	mg %
1	18	13	234
2	36	14	252
3	54	15	270
4	72	16	288
5	90	17	306
6	108	18	324
7	126	19	343
8	144	20	360
9	162	21	378
10	180	22	396
11	198	23	414
12	216	24	432