Travel Medical Kit Builder
Answer three questions and we'll generate a personalized travel medical kit checklist — your travel first aid kit, tuned to where you're going — with a one-line reason for every item, so you know what's non-negotiable and what's a maybe.
Three quick questions
Travel medical kit vs. travel first aid kit
A first-aid kit handles cuts and scrapes. A travel health kit handles everything that goes wrong when you're more than 30 minutes from a pharmacy that speaks your language — traveler's diarrhea on a 6-hour bus ride, an allergic reaction to a food you can't name, altitude sickness on day two of a Cusco trip, a blister that ends your walking tour by 10 a.m. The right kit is small, redundant where it matters, and tuned to the trip in front of you.
What airlines actually allow in carry-on
Solid medications (pills, tablets) have no quantity limit in carry-on across TSA, EU, UK, and most Asian airports. Liquid medications, insulin, and gel packs for cold-chain meds are exempt from the 100 ml rule but must be declared at the security tray. Sharps (needles, lancets) are allowed with the corresponding prescription medication present — keep them in the original pharmacy packaging.
When to buy locally vs. bring from home
Buy locally: bandages, gauze, sunscreen, insect repellent, electrolytes, over-the-counter pain relievers in most developed countries. Bring from home: anything you take by prescription, anything you'd want at 2 a.m. in a language you don't read, and any medication that's restricted at your destination (see our Medication Travel Planner for country-specific notes).
OTC drugs that are restricted abroad
Pseudoephedrine (Sudafed) is banned in Japan and restricted in Mexico. Codeine cough syrup is controlled across most of the Gulf and Southeast Asia. Melatonin is prescription-only in much of Europe and Australia. CBD products of any kind are illegal in the UAE, Singapore, and parts of Asia. When in doubt, leave it home or check the destination embassy's medication page first.