Traveling to Greece? These first-aid items are worth the weight.
Difficulty: Easy
Time Required: 30 minutes
Here's How:
- Find a small, clear plastic zippered pouch. For the kit to be most useful to you, it should be small enough to go wherever you do.
- This is also a great place to keep your tiny sewing kit - I like the flat ones that are just pre-threaded needles in different colors.
- Fill the pouch with the following items listed below.
Tips:
- You don't need a massive amount of anything - take the half-ounce tube of ointment, just half the card of decongestants unless you will be in very remote areas for an extended period. Otherwise, if it turns out you need to refill anything, your local Greek pharmacy in the nearest town (not village) will be ready to help.
- Most antibiotics are available over the counter in Greece but they may differ from ones back home. While I don't recommend self-prescribing, many doctors back will give you a prescription to have some with you for travel, just in case there is a gastrointestinal bug out there with your name on it. Reluctant doctor? Point out that the U.S. national Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommends all travelers going outside the U.S. carry a preventive course of antibiotics with them.
- Think about what you're likely to need, but also consider what the people traveling with you may want - or may forget on their own. You don't want to weigh yourself down, but it's nice to be prepared, too.
- Alternative Medicine: I take lavender or Zagara (lemon-leaf) essential oil with me. Both of these I've found seem to help ward off colds after exposure and even after that first ominous tickle in the throat. If I've been sitting near someone coughing or sneezing on the plane, I'll slip into the bathroom to take a subtle sniff without scenting the entire plane.
- Optional Items: mini eyeglass-repair kit. At the very least, tighten the screws on all of your eyeglasses and sunglasses before traveling.Optional: camping-style tiny roll of duct tape, great for bad blisters and shoe repairs.
What You Need:
- Clear plastic zippered pouch
- A small roll of hand-tearable medical tape
- Some gauze pads and a few waterproof bandaids
- Aspirin - ( it could save someone's life during a heart attack)
- A card of cold medicine/allergy tablets
- A tube of antibiotic ointment.
- Cortisone cream or equivalent
- Ambesol tooth-pain gel or equivalent
- Immodium or equivalent
- Travel-sized alcohol-gel hand sanitizer
