How to put together a first aid kit for travel: Everything you need. Just in case.

Do you have a travel first aid kit to take along on all of your summer trips? As I type these words, I realized…I don’t have one! And I should.

Luckily, we have the internet, online shopping, and 24-hour drugstores that make it easy for me to put a travel first aid kit together.

One easy trick: Start with an affordable, ready-made first aid travel kit (Target, Walmart) that includes travel-sized essentials like bandages and basic OTC medications, then add specific items that you and your family need. Because who needs more work right before you’re going to leave on a trip?

Here are some suggestions for what you should consider including in your own travel first aid kit, from basics to items you might not have thought of yet.

Happy trails! And I hope you won’t actually need this kit at all this summer.

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Bandages and Wound Care Suggestions for a First Aid Travel Kit

• Adhesive bandages in various sizes
• Liquid bandage
• Gauze pads in various sizes
• Non-stick sterile pads
• Butterfly closures
• Medical adhesive tape
• Wound wipes
• Antibacterial ointment
• Moleskin padding for blisters
• Pre-made finger splint
• Ace bandage
• Instant cold compress
• Burn spray

 

Medication Ideas for a First Aid Travel Kit

• Any prescription medications or EpiPens you or your family needs, along with prescription details
• Ibuprofen or other pain-relief medication
• Antihistamine (for allergic reactions)
• Antacids
• Motion-sickness prevention
• Insect sting and bite treatment or itch relief stickers for kids

 

Tool Ideas for a Travel First Aid Kit

Note that if you’re flying, some of these must go in your checked luggage

• Medical shears
• Tweezers
• Small flashlight
• Thermometer
• Small magnifying glass
• Nitrile gloves

Other Essentials to Consider

• Saline solution or eye wash
• Clean medium-sized towel (Because a clean surface is required while dressing a wound or removing a splinter)
• Emergency blanket
• Tick removal kit and tick repellent stickers
• Feminine hygiene supplies (Besides their obvious use, they’re perfect for controlling bleeding wounds)
• The Complete First-Aid Pocket Guide; or download this app from The American Red Cross