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Travelling by areoplane

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rspence

rspence

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Parent of person with diabetes
Hello - i'm after some advice, thoughts, hints etc

We have booked a 48hour trip to Germany for my husbands 40th birthday, and it wasn't til we had booked the flight that all the thoughts ran through my head at once....

will JP need different travel insurance?

can we take his kit into the seating area on the plane? and -flip i hope so - how much can we take?

will flying affect his levels ( i know no-one will be able to say for sure but interested in your experiences)

and are there other things i need to consider!!??

thanks
rachel
 
Hi Rachel, you need to carry all your insulin and sufficient needles etc. in your hand luggage. Your DSN should be able to provide a letter to validate why you need to carry these things. Insulin won't survive in hold baggage, it's too cold.
 
I fly very regularly and I use the injectable drug Byetta. You must carry your drugs in your hand luggage as it could get lost in the hold and also you don't know the temperature of the hold.
You need a letter from a doctor or DSN stating that you need to carry neddles, testing equipment and drugs. I have never been asked to show this at a UK airport but have needed to show it at some foreign airports. They are particularly keen to see it and photocopy it at Turkish airports. All check ins ask if you are carrying sharp items and you must tell them about the needles. I have never encountered problems carrying them in my hand luggage.
As for insurance I use All Clear, I haven't needed to claim so don't know how good they are. You must declare all medical details including drugs you take or insurance will be invalid.
Another tip is to take much more than you actually need - just in case. Remember all those people who got held up with the ash.
If you need to keep things cool I find that Frio bags keep things under 25C but not at refrigerated temps.
Hope this helps and have a good trip.
 
Hi im just curious do still need letter from your dsn or doctor if your traveling on a ferry.
 
I recently travelled to Bulgaria , and it was my first time flying after watching all these silly Airport and customs programmes on the telly i had got myself in a right state that i would be pulled over , went equipped with letter from hospital and didnt even get asked for it , (But would always make sure you have one ) , took insulin and blood kit on board no problem . Have a good flight 🙂
 
Hi Caroleann, I haven't travelled by ferry for ages. I think it'll depend on questions asked at check in and if they scan your bags. I don't think they do on ferries. If they ask if you are carrying anything sharp you have to answer yes if you carry needles and then you may need a letter to explain why. My letter covers carrying testing equipment, needles and drugs. It states that my life would be in danger if I was not able to use these things on a journey.
I have only once been asked to produce my letter in UK at Heathrow but am always asked to produce it at Dalaman, Turkey and last week they even had to photocopy it. They kept one copy and gave the other to the cabin crew. I keep the letter in a wallet with my passport. My letter was free from the DSN but GP's usually charge for it. I think its best to have one and then you are ready any time you need to travel.
 
We use Channel ferries very frequently. Most times they don't stop the car, if they do they tend to ask general questions and have a quick look in the boot.
I have a letter and prescription on me whenever I travel because they are with my medical docs but have never thought someone would ask for it. (last time we went to the UK there didn't seem to be anyone, either customs or immigration on either side of the Channel, only the Ferry company saw my passport. Other times there seems to be a blitz and they stop lots of vehicles)

Just don't travel in a white or hired van. They always seem to be searched!


If you are going to Europe don't forget your EHIC otherwise you may end up very much out of pocket. You need an insurance that covers things that aren't covered in full by the country you are going to + repatriation costs.
(You can get insurance policies now that take into account that you have an EHIC. I know that there are some companies that do this type of insurance specifically for France with no medical underwriting or age limits, making it useful for people with preexisitng medical conditions.
 
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Assuming you're going to Germany in the next few weeks, weather won't be hot enough to need to get a Frio wallet, just keep any injectable or oral medication away from radiators, hot air grills etc.

GPs can charge for letters to explain why you need to carry sharps (lancets and / or needles), so better to ask hospital clinic for a non specific letter ie not just for one trip, but can be used in future. Usually, no need to show letter at security, but good to have it in case it is needed.

Germany is one hour ahead of UK, but that's only like dealing with change from GMT to BST (which next happens spring 2011; BST to GMT early hours of Sun 31 Oct, by the way).

Insurance - need to declare diabetes as a pre-existing medical condition, but it shouldn't cost more than for someone without diabetes. If a company tries to charge me more, then I go to an alternative company and tell the original one why they have lost my business, in the hope they might modify their policies. Also, get EHIC cards for everyone - and don't use any websites that charge you, as they are available free.
 
Interesting about the insurance. I had a devil of a job getting an annual policy at all. You must declare all conditions and so things like high blood pressure must be declared if you take medication for it. You also need to declare if you take statins. In addition to diabetes and high blood pressure I had a benign kidney cyst that for 18 months was watched and it was that I think that was the final straw. Diabetes UK wouldn't cover me at all or most other companies. There were a couple who wanted hundreds of pounds for a single trip. Anyway eventually I called All Clear who cover me with no exclusions for under ?100 a year. I seem to remember they were the company who charged a reasonable amount to cover a friend with incurable cancer. I have been discharged from the hospital for the kidney cyst for a couple of years so I think I'd be ok with that one now but I'll stick with All Clear as they were straight forward to deal with.
I always travel with my frio bag, it can get quite warm in the aircraft and some european hotels are a bit too warm but as has been said you are probably ok at this time of the year if you haven't already got one.
 
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Insurance - I should have made it clear that uncomplicated diabetes shouldn't mean extra premium cost, but other problems, as Lizzie point out, can make a big difference. Getting an anual policy can be more difficult than getting a single trip policy. For the amount of travelling I do, it's always better to get single trip policies, as either I don't spend long enough overseas for an anual policy to be cheaper, or my trips are too long (30 days is a common limit).
So, I don't think RSpence will have trouble finding suitable insurance for 48 hours in Germany.
 
My insurance didn't cost any extra because ive got the one condition with no complications.

You can take as much insulin as you want on board, I took over a year's worth!
 
We buy an annual europe family insurance. Carol was diagnosed half way through our policy. So we phoned them to let them know and they said ok, it's noted down at no extra cost. The following years (we stayed with same insurance company) they charged ?10 extra for the diabetes and it was optional (we did pay it though, you never know). I don't think that's bad for an annual insurance.
 
BIG thanks to you all

thank you for taking time to help me out - really really appreciate it every comment is useful and been read and digested.

rachel
 
rspence said:
thank you for taking time to help me out - really really appreciate it every comment is useful and been read and digested.

rachel
Click to expand...

me too as im flying to tobago in November ...11hrs 😱 last time i flew was to Inverness in 2001 😱
 
AM - I guess you'll notice a difference between a couple of hours domestic flight to Inverness and 11 hours internernational flight across time zones to Tobago, and temperature difference at either end 🙂
 
i flew to germany last year, just make sure he has eaten before hand, tested his sugars and make sure everything is in the hand luggage and you have a note.
don't take hypo drinks in your hand luggage cause they will take them off you :/
i had the glucotabs with me (Y)
flying didnt affect my sugar levels and the flight is only an hour and half depending where you coming from and landing at.
 
successful trip thanks

Hi all i just thought i'd let you know our trip to germany was mostly successful.

JP did however spend the time away with escalating blood sugar levels and on our return i realised the cartridge of levemir had cracked (i think it had been in a cold cold fridge before travelling and had weakened and probably then cracked under pressure but the poor kid just kept going up and up and we kept chasing the levels with novorapid but didn't know what was happening til we got home)

but very grateful for all your ideas beforehand,

Rachel and JP
 
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