Your pump can make good blood glucose control easier when you travel. You can more quickly adjust boluses for meals that come at odd hours, for ones that are bigger or smaller than usual, or for meals that you just don’t want to eat.
You can also adjust for changes in your normal activity level.
How you prepare for your travel and what you need to take is dependent on where you’re going and for how long. What is appropriate for a short domestic flight and holiday within Australia will be different for a long flight over different time zones to an exotic overseas destination. Go wherever your heart leads you; just remember to take your pump too!
Be prepared!!
Supplies needed for safety while travelling
When travelling, you need to consider taking the following supplies;
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Extra pump batteries |
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Insulin (and appropriate storage container) |
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Pump supplies |
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Insulin pen or syringes |
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Ketone strips |
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Glucagon emergency kit |
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Blood sugar testing equipment |
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Carbohydrate for treating hypos and extra food such as nutrition bars which are easy to carry |
Other things to consider:
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Key contact details of your doctor and Diabetes Educator and also diabetes services at your destination |
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Wear or carry medical ID indicating that you have diabetes and that you are on an insulin pump |
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It’s also a good idea to take along medication for diarrhoea and nausea |
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Your pump manual and a list of all your pump settings |
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If you are travelling overseas you may want to have written useful phrases in the language of your destination eg. “I have diabetes, please give me some sugar or something to eat”. |
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Check with your country of destination about taking your supplies
into the country. |
Health Insurance Commission (HIC): http://www.hic.gov.au/
Always carry medications, snacks, pump supplies and the letter from your doctor in your carry on luggage when you fly. This is especially important because your luggage may be lost, or you may have delays for extended periods of time due to bad weather or mechanical problems. Insulin left in checked luggage may be exposed to extreme (often freezing) temperatures.
A good rule of thumb is to pack double the amount of supplies that you think you would normally need, just in case you have any problems.
Pump supplies may be more expensive when buying in another country, or your particular supplies may not be available in every country, so be sure to check with us first by calling the Medtronic Diabetes Customer Service on 1800 668 670, so that you don’t get any unexpected surprises.
Medical care and Medtronic Diabetes support
You should always travel with a letter from your doctor detailing
your medical history, including that you are being treated with
an insulin pump. Make sure that you have all the contact numbers
that you may need whilst you are away, particularly our Pump
Helpline – (in Australia). For contact numbers outside
Australia please contact our Customer Service on 1800 668
670 before you travel to get the contact numbers for your
destination or click
here for a list of international locations.
It is important to advise Medtronic if you are travelling to the USA as you cannot buy pump supplies there unless Medtronic Customer Service in the US have been advised by us that you are on a Medtronic pump or you will need a US doctors prescription.
Medtronic MiniMed has offices worldwide and can assist you in
locating a local Endocrinologist if you move to another country.
Time zones and Multiple Basal rates
There is no “cookbook” approach when it comes to adjusting basal rates for crossing time zones. When planning a trip, consult with your Endocrinologist or Diabetes Educator to discuss the trip itinerary and any adjustments that may be needed for travel.
Don’t forget to always carry a list of your basal rates and other pump settings with you.
Set the pump to the new destination at any time during the flight – most people change their pump when they arrive at their destination. It is very important however, that you do change the time to the correct time of your destination as your basal rate settings may be quite different overnight to during the day. If you don’t change the time you may be get too much insulin when you are sightseeing and then not enough during the night. This can be quite dangerous.
Don’t forget to change your time back when you get back home to your original time zone.
Safety tips
It is a good idea to get up and walk during long flights and drink plenty of water – this helps prevent blood-clotting problems that people with or without diabetes may experience.
Test your blood glucose more often. Blood glucose levels can go too high or low due to stress or changes in activity or eating.
You may want to set your Auto-off feature if you are travelling by yourself. You can program the pump to sound an alarm and stop delivery of insulin after a certain number of hours, usually 8-10 hours, during which the buttons have not been pressed. This is a valuable safety feature because it allows you to feel comfortable knowing that the pump will stop all insulin delivery (and sound an alarm) if no button is pressed for a particular length of time.
Metal detectors and security
Pump users rarely report problems while travelling through airport-security metal detectors. Still, the sensitivity of these sensors varies from airport to airport and from day to day. To help avoid any pump-related hassles during security checks, here are a few tips:
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The metal detector will not harm the pump |
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Leave yourself plenty of time to go through security, particularly when travelling in the US where you may have to go through numerous airport security checkpoints |
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If you wear the pump on your belt, most airport security employees will assume it is a pager and ask you to take it off. You should explain that the pump is a medical device that delivers your insulin and must remain connected. If they query you further, show them the doctors’ letter. |
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If the pump is in your pocket or somewhere out of sight, it usually will not trigger the metal detector. If the security alarm goes off, something other than your pump may have triggered it. |
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Boarding with lancets is allowed as long as the lancets are capped and they are carried along with a glucose meter with the manufacturers name on the meter |
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Insulin is not affected by airport baggage x-ray equipment |
Travelling in the USA
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In the US doctors’ letters are no longer sufficient proof of medical necessity when you are carrying syringes. In order to board an airplane with syringes and other insulin delivery devices, you must produce an insulin vial with a professional, pharmaceutical, pre-printed label that clearly identifies the medication. No exceptions will be made. If the prescription is located on the outside of the insulin box then you should carry that as well. |
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Check-in time in the US even for domestic flights is 2 hours to enable you to clear all the security checks |
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In the US you must notify security screeners that you have diabetes and that you are wearing a pump and are carrying supplies with you |
Safety issues when flying
It is quite safe to use your pump whilst flying on commercial aircraft. If your airline or travel agent wants more information on using a pump on board the plane– please call our Customer Service on 1800 668 670 and we will be happy to speak with them.
It is important however, not to use your pump remote control during a flight as it may interfere with the planes navigation equipment.
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