Long-term travel (looking for advice from fellow diabetics with travel experience)

[longchampdemimi]

Hey everyone! I'm a recent graduate who has had diabetes for a long time. I'm very active and love to travel and climb mountains. I'd say I'm fairly experienced at travelling with my diabetes for shorter periods. In the past, I've quite easily been able to keep myself healthy in areas of the world with less solid access to healthcare and different climates etc. However, from Feb 2024 I will be living abroad in China for a minimum of 5 months and I'm hoping to travel around Asia for a few months after that too. I've calculated I would be able to take about 6 months of supplies with me on my trip (insulin/pump supplies/sensors etc) but I wanted to know if anyone has had experience having supplies sent to them abroad while they travel. Or just generally how do people get around the supply issues when travelling for long periods? Do any fellow diabetics have other long-term travel advice for a youngster?

 

[LennBuck]

Your adventurous spirit is inspiring! I totally get the concerns about managing diabetes while traveling long-term. When I spent a year backpacking through Southeast Asia, I faced similar worries about my supplies. One lifesaver for me was discovering a reliable supplier, Risen Medical, which ensured my insulin deliveries reached me wherever I was. Plus, their customer service was top-notch, which eased my worries immensely. My tip: always carry a backup plan and connect with local diabetic communities for extra support.

 

[helli]

I admire your adventurous spirit.
However, the NHS is a residency-based benefit. I believe, if you are outside of the UK for longer than 3 months (90 days) you are no longer entitled to NHS funded prescriptions, pump supplies, etc.
I know some people "get around" this by not telling their GP and diabetes team that they are travelling and get their supplies collected by a friend or family member who can send or bring them out to the traveller.

Given the usual advice for shorter travel is to take at least twice as much diabetes kit as you think you may need, for 6 months, you would need to take a year's worth of supplies which you will probably struggle to get without explaining to a sympathetic doctor why you need it.

Another approach maybe to get in touch with ex-pat communities in China and ask their advice.

 

[Maz2]

I believe there is an issue in Japan with some painkillers but not sure about insulin. A doctor's letter is the answer to the Japanese authorities. I have no idea about the rest of Asia though.