Diabetes Health Center

Traveling Safely With Diabetes

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Yutzy and Bell both advise wearing a medical alert bracelet and carrying extra supplies: Those glass bottles of insulin can drop and break. And travelers who are flying should be sure to carry supplies on the plane; checking them with baggage can be a big mistake. "You don't want to be in Portland, Oregon, when your baggage and your supplies are in Portland, Maine," Yutzy says.

Traveling overseas may involve an entirely different level of preparation and planning, particularly if people with diabetes are traveling to Third World countries. Yutzy advises checking with the U.S. State Department to find English-speaking doctors at any travel destination.

Yutzy and Bell also stress that needles and syringes can raise the eyebrows of customs officials in some countries. Documentation that the supplies are necessary to treat diabetes can save a lot of grief. "People need a signed letter from their doctor, on letterhead," Bell advises.

Also, traveling across time zones can complicate things for patients who are on a regular insulin schedule. "What I usually advise people is to treat their diabetes as if they were on American time until they get to Europe [or wherever they're going]," Bell tells WebMD. "Once they get there, they can change over to European time. And when they come back, stay on European time until they get home."

But Bell says that in the "nitty gritty" of travel, people are not apt to eat regularly. "So I tell them they have to check their glucose multiple times," he cautions. "If they are running low they need to take some sugar, and if they are running high they need to take some insulin to stay on schedule."

What else do you need to know about when the car or plane ride is over and you've reached your destination?

Experts say patients experiencing neuropathy -- like the patient described by Weinberg -- need to be cautious about ambitious adventures, especially hiking. And Bell says a walk across the blazing sands of a summertime beach can be hazardous for patients who have lost feeling in their feet.

Similarly, patients who have eye complications stemming from diabetes should think twice about scuba diving. And any water sports can be made safer by using the "buddy system," Yutzy and Bell say.

For the traveler whose diabetes is well controlled and without complications, vacations can be as adventurous or relaxing as the next person's. "People with diabetes climb mountains and hike the Appalachian Trail," Yutzy tells WebMD. "The key is making sure you know how to take care of yourself."