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Travel and diabetes

Careful planning before travelling is very important when you have diabetes. To ensure you enjoy your travel and stay healthy, you need to think about several things before you travel.

Read more in our fact sheet or watch our video. If you are planning to fly go to travelling by air.

Travel fact sheet

Careful planning before travelling is very important when you have diabetes. You will need to consider your diabetes management and general health, available food choices what to pack and travel insurance.

Download now

Whether you are travelling by plane, train, boat, or car, within Australia or overseas, plan early to make sure you have everything ready before you go.

Whether you’re planning a road trip, taking a cruise or flying overseas, it’s likely that you’ll be changing your daily routine. To minimise risks, you need to manage your self-care during your journeys and at your destination.

Before you book your trip away, think about:

  • vaccinations
  • how to cope with changes in time zones
  • travel insurance for both your health and belongings
  • available food choices
  • mishaps—such as long delays and misplaced luggage.

You’ll also need to consider:

Talk to your doctor, diabetes nurse practitioner or diabetes educator about your travel plans well ahead of your trip, especially if you’re travelling by air when planning a trip overseas.

 What to doThings to know
Three months before you travelCheck Australian airline security regulations.

Check with airlines about taking liquids on the plane if you plan to use a liquid hypo treatment.
See travelling by air for more information.
 Take out travel insurance for both your health and belongings. If you use an insulin pump, consider insuring it as well.The Australian Government has arrangements with many countries to provide travellers with acute or emergency care benefits similar to Medicare. For more information on Reciprocal Health Care Agreements, visit the Services Australia website.
Two months before you travelMake an appointment with your doctor or diabetes educator to discuss your travel plans, time zones and support hose use.

Arrange necessary vaccinations, and other ‘travel’ tablets that may be required such as those to treat diarrhoea or nausea.
It’s important to discuss your medication/insulin adjustments, glucagon and testing for ketones during the trip.

If you use an insulin pump, CGM or Flash GM device, talk to your diabetes health professionals about managing these devices during plane travel.

This is also a good time to arrange the papers you need to comply with airline regulations.
One month before you travelArrange all the paperwork needed for your trip.Paperwork should include:
  • a letter from your doctor
  • prescriptions for all medications you are taking with you
  • written details of emergency contacts such as your next of kin
  • NDSS and Medicare cards.
 Arrange all diabetes medication and testing devices required for the trip.These should include:
  • medication
  • insulin
  • insulin pens or syringes and needles
  • lancets
  • monitoring strips
  • meter (plus a spare if possible)
  • glucagon and delivery devices
  • sick day action plan and kit
  • travel-size sharps container with lid.

As well as your usual holiday packing, you’ll need to include the items below to help you manage your self-care.

  • If you  take insulin or diabetes tablets (that can cause hypos), carry some easily absorbed carbohydrates, such as glucose tablets or jellybeans (in case of hypo). Pack some longer-acting carbs, such as biscuits, crackers or dried fruit. Check if you need to throw this out before going through customs at your destination.
  • Always carry identification, emergency contacts and consider wearing a Medic Alert bracelet or another form of medical identification. If you have a smartphone, consider using an ICE (In Case of Emergency) app. This will show your identification and emergency contact details on the home screen even when the phone is locked. Health apps are also available to store the medical information you might wish to store on your phone.
  • If you use an insulin pump, you will need to know how to change the time in the pump to the local time once you arrive at your destination.

Extreme heat or cold can affect your ability to manage diabetes. To minimise problems, consider the following:

  • Protect your insulin and blood glucose monitoring strips from freezing or excessive heat by storing them under 30 degrees centigrade.
  • When travelling by air, store insulin in a cool pack in your carry-on luggage.

Temperature also affects the accuracy of blood glucose results. Is the meter too hot or cold? Check your meter user manual for your meter’s operational temperature range.

Plan carefully to reduce the risk of things going wrong. If something does go wrong, do not panic. Seek medical assistance if required, ideally with advice from your travel insurer.

If you are travelling overseas, consider registering your travel plans with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The department can then contact you or your family in the event of an emergency.

More information and support

Featured resources

Travel fact sheet

Careful planning before travelling is very important when you have diabetes. You will need to consider your diabetes management and general health, available food choices what to pack and travel insurance.

Download now
Travel and type 1 diabetes (youth booklet)

Information booklet about travel for young people with type 1 diabetes.

Download
Blood glucose monitoring fact sheet

Checking your blood glucose levels can help you manage your diabetes. You will be able to see what makes your numbers go ‘up’ or ‘down’.

Available in other languages Download now
Managing hypoglycaemia fact sheet

Hypos can occur in people who use insulin and some other types of glucose-lowering medications. Learn about how to recognise the signs and manage hypoglycaemia.

Download now
Living well with type 1 diabetes – what to do when you are sick fact sheet

Like everyone, people living with type 1 diabetes get sick with everyday illnesses such as influenza (flu), a cold, gastro, or other common infections. It is important to be prepared and to know what to do.

Download now
Living well with type 2 diabetes – what to do when you are sick fact sheet

Like everyone, people living with type 2 diabetes get sick with everyday illnesses such as influenza (flu), a cold, gastro, or other common infections. It is important to be prepared and to know what to do.

Download now
Continuous glucose monitoring fact sheet

CGM devices are small wearable monitors that measure and show your glucose levels throughout the day and night. They can be programmed to sound alarms and send alerts about your glucose levels.

Download now
Flash glucose monitoring fact sheet

Flash GM devices are small wearable sensors that measure glucose levels throughout the day and night. A reader is scanned over the sensor to see the current glucose level.

Download now

Diabetes Australia acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of this Country. We recognise their connection to land, waters, winds and culture. We pay the upmost respect to them, their cultures and to their Elders, past and present. We are committed to improving health outcomes for all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people affected by diabetes and those at risk.

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