A first-aid kit for every occasion – here are the necessities
14.6.2023
Translation: Veronica Bielawski
Whether you’re on a mountain trip, a beach in the Mediterranean or somewhere in the tropics, no one’s immune to illness and injury on vacation. With the right first-aid kit, you’ll be ready for whatever comes your way.
Summer’s just around the corner, and with it, travel. Looking forward to camping on a farm or camping in Sweden? Or would you prefer to enjoy the beach of Lido di Jesolo or go on that long-haul trip to India? Whether you’ll be adventuring or relaxing, it’s good to be prepared. Depending on your destination, you may want to take out an additional travel insurance.
Packing an appropriate first aid kit may include anything from disinfectant to electrolyte powder. Here are the key medicines and medical products to pack depending on your travel plans.
Basic first-aid kit
It can be difficult to overcome the language barrier when you’re abroad (even if Google Translate can certainly help) in order to get the right medicine or medical product. A lack of infrastructure in remote locations can also prove the downfall of getting to the necessary medical care. All the more reason to carry a basic collection of medical products as part of your first-aid kit.
Here’s what it should include:
- Wound dressings, wound disinfectant spray, wound compress, plasters, small scissors, tweezers and adhesive tape
- Sunscreen with a high SPF and a cooling ointment to treat sunburn
- Disposable latex gloves
- Painkillers with either ibuprofen or paracetamol as the active ingredient
- Burn and wound ointment
- Medical thermometer (for young children, an ear or forehead thermometer may be preferable)
- If you’ve got allergies: antiallergenics to treat allergic reactions, for example insect bites. If you risk anaphylaxis, pack an emergency set with an epinephrine shot and antihistamines.
- For your individual needs: medications that you need to take daily (for example, the birth control pill or medications for hyper- or hypothyroidism).
Here’s a basic first-aid kit that you can expand according to your needs:
Beach first-aid kit
Lounging around in the sun without sunscreen is dangerous, and there are other potential hazards lurking in the sea. To be prepared for whatever the beach throws your way, you can expand your basic first-aid kit with the following products:
- Medicines for sunstroke: the prescription active ingredient diazepam helps relieve sunstroke symptoms such as restlessness and muscle tension. In the case of sunstroke, you should also cool your head, avoid the sun and treat any headaches with a painkiller, for example ibuprofen. A good preventive measure is to always wear a hat.
- Eye drops for dry eyes, light sensitivity or conjunctivitis: the sun’s UV rays also attack your eyes, so they may need extra care on your beach holiday. You can get prescription eye drops with UV protection. According to clinical studies, these protect primarily against UV-C radiation. A good preventive measure is to wear sunglasses with the appropriate protection.
- Insect repellent and anti-itch gels
- Anti-inflammatory ointments for sea urchin stings – for example, with the active ingredient ibuprofen. Sea urchin spines should be removed entirely (soaking your foot in a mixture of vinegar water may help), the sore area disinfected and treated with an anti-inflammatory cream. Sea urchin stings in the Mediterranean are highly unpleasant. But there are also poisonous sea urchins, for example in the tropical Indo-Pacific. In this case, self-medication isn’t enough; you’ll need to see a doctor.
- Safe Sea jellyfish repellent: this lotion blocks jellyfish stings. Unlike the better-known Sting No More lotion, Safe Sea is available in Switzerland. If you don’t have a jellyfish repellent handy, you can resort to other first-aid methods. However, the recommendations vary depending on the type of jellyfish.
For the Portuguese man o’ war (Physalia physalis) (native to the Pacific, off the Canary Islands and Portugal, among other places), researchers recently came up with clear instructions: rinse the burn with commercially available vinegar and then cover the wound with a moist cloth at 45 degrees Celsius for 45 minutes.
What you should not do is cool your skin and manually try to remove the tentacles. Before travelling, check if any poisonous or life-threatening jellyfish are native to the area.
Long-distance travel first-aid kit
If you’re travelling to the other end of the world, there are a few things to keep in mind: get all the necessary vaccinations (e.g. against typhus, rabies, cholera), take out international health insurance and stock up your first-aid kit. In tropical countries especially, your body comes into contact with pathogens it’s not used to, so it reacts very strongly. Here’s what you should add to your first-aid kit:
- Pills or chewing gum to combat motion sickness
- Malaria prophylaxis. When travelling to a malaria-affected region, the Federal Office of Public Health (linked page in German) recommends taking preventive medication before your trip or bringing emergency medication with you.
- Water purification tablets (also available in pharmacies) rid unsafe water of bacteria, viruses and fungi, making it suitable for cooking, washing up and drinking.
- Charcoal tablets, electrolyte powders or medicines with the active ingredient loperamide: they help in the case of prolonged diarrhoea, gastrointestinal complaints or food poisoning.
Hiking first-aid kit
Going on a mountain tour, you’re hoping for seclusion, peace and closeness to nature away from any infrastructure. So, it’s important to be well prepared for any emergencies. In addition to sunscreen and bandages, add the following to your first-aid kit:
- Magnesium to help with muscle cramps, as the body has a higher magnesium requirement during exercise and increased sweating.
- Blister plasters
- Knee bandage: your joints are under a lot of stress during a long hike and may need stabilisation.
- Kinesiology tape to support stressed joints
- Arnica gel for strains, bruises, and sprains
- Heat plaster to combat muscle stiffness and pain
- Tick removal tweezers
- Emergency whistle
Family first-aid kit
Travelling with children requires even more planning, as you’re not only responsible for yourself. Kids also require different medications than adults. Here’s what to add to your first-aid kit:
- Sunscreen with good UV-A and UV-B filter (ideally at least SPF 50)
- Fever-reducing medication for children (suppositories, drops or syrup)
- Cough syrup and nasal drops for children
- Gentle, skin-friendly disinfectant
- Insect repellent for sensitive skin, for example with the active ingredient icaridin. For older children, it’s best to also pack a heat-powered insect bite healer such as Bite Away.
- Medication to treat diarrhoea and vomiting for children
- Electrolytes for children to counteract dehydration after prolonged gastrointestinal problems. If your children are picky drinkers, this study found that diluted apple juice followed by the child’s preferred fluids resulted in more successful treatment than electrolyte maintenance solution.
- Medication against motion sickness for children. The active ingredient commonly used for adults, diphenhydramine (linked article in German), is not recommended for children due to its side effects. Alternatives include ginger, anise and fennel tea.
- If you’re travelling with a baby, it’s a good idea to pack a teething gel as well as a healing ointment (e.g. with zinc or dexpanthenol) against diaper rash.
Olivia Leimpeters-Leth
Autorin von customize mediahouse
oliver.fischer@digitecgalaxus.chI'm a sucker for flowery turns of phrase and allegorical language. Clever metaphors are my Kryptonite – even if, sometimes, it's better to just get to the point. Everything I write is edited by my cat, which I reckon is more «pet humanisation» than metaphor. When I'm not at my desk, I enjoy going hiking, taking part in fireside jamming sessions, dragging my exhausted body out to do some sport and hitting the occasional party.
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