What are alternatives to keeping medications cold on a long flight???

Question

I didn't know where to post this in "Travel" section or here since its primarily a safety aircraft issue(I think its paranoia though lol).

With all this airport safety/security these days I don't know what to do. I will be needing to travel over 6 hours and will need to take my insulin while I'm on the plane. Normally I use cold packs to keep my insulin cool but theyre all made out of gels which these days are no longer allowed and won't pass customs.

I cannot keep this in my checked luggage.
Cant use ice either.
What are my choices?
Please help.

I was thinking about what you said about asking the flight crew to refridgerate my meds. That might be a good idea but i can imagine how many other people might ask for the same thing overwhelming the flight crew and filling up their fridge..lol.

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I've seen the Frio packets that you put in water for 15 minutes and supposed to keep things cool. I think they barely do anything at all.

Answer 1

Orthodox Teds is a great idea, keep it cool on the way to the airport, bring a bag of ice and dump that just before you go through security, and have a couple of good zip-lock bags with you and as soon as you get on the plane ask the flight attendant for some ice explaining your situation, they wont mind a bit. You might even be able to get some ice from a food place when at the gate, but you cant bring that on board, the ban on liquids in some of its restrictions is just plain silly.
Put the ice in the bag and you have a instant cool pack.

Hope this helps.

Answer 2

I fly with my three kids alone a lot and I'm a former Flight Attendant. Since I got so many questions on the subject, I wrote an article for a local newsletter a few years back. Now I've put it on a blog and pass it on to help other parents. It's entirely non-commercial (unlike most other sites on the internet). It's far too long to copy and paste but you can skim though to the parts that are relevent to you. If he's recently potty-trained, I cover that subject as well! For one child and that long of a flight, I would get a portable DVD player and some new movies. If you're flying internationally, don't buy them at your destination because they wont be compatable. I talk about what toys to bring onboard. Have him carry his own backpack with them. Bring your own sippy cup and have the F/A's fill that instead of an normal cup which can spill. Some friends bring those "take & toss" kind instead. Make sure to bring a change of clothes for both of you. No, it doesn't take up much room. Something old that rolls up small and put rubber bands around it and put it in a plastic bag. Since the "children's meals" are often greasy, we order Kosher (since we don't eat pork, we're covered). We also all have the same meal-a plus. Ask about other types of meals you can order onboard. Unfortunately, a lot of airlines no longer hand out those "kiddie packs" due to budget cuts. I still use a backpack for my 3 year old when flying. I opted for that over a stroller. Read up more in the article and decide which will work for you. I had two other kids and had a connection. Talk to him ahead of time and tell him that it will be long and that he might get bored. Tell him that there will be a moment when he has to make the effort to sleep, even if he's not that tired. Otherwise, later on after landing, he wont have the chance and it could be tough. Make sure he's realistic about the trip. They're often so excited and then after a few hours, they want it to be over. Good luck and have a good trip!

Answer 3

You CAN bring insulin and things necessary to keep it safe on board an airplane. Bring documentation of your condition with you to the security checkpoint. A letter from your doctor or something similar. Allow a little extra time to get through security as there may be a little discussion, but for all the dumb things the NTSB has done recently, they were actually smart enough to allow passengers to bring required medications on board an airplane so they don't die. And yes, there is a specific exemption for insuolin written into the rules. You'll be fine.

You may want to get a thermos though. you could chill it over night and store your insulin inside it. It would be a temporary solution, but I bet it would last 6 hours at least.

Answer 4

Ask for cups of ice on the plane and keep the medication chilled that way. The flight attendants can manage this because they can manage asking you for another drink and peanuts over and over again.

Answer 5

The flight attendents will do it if you ask nice and mention it when you check in.

Answer 6

will they refrigerate your medication while in flight? i would think the flight attendents would do this for you considering the situation is a must! call the airline and see what their new policy is for your medication.

Answer 7

Why do you need to keep it cool? My brother has insulin and he doesn't need to keep it cool.

Answer 8

try staying at home!!!