Volunteer Global

Ok -- now back to the regular blog posts, after uploading that zombie one yesterday for the writing contest.

Today's topic: How do you get your prescriptions or other medications while traveling?

If you know you're going to be traveling abroad, especially to a developing country, the first thing to do is to visit your general practitioner or a travel clinic. The second option is what I prefer, as oftentimes GPs don't stock the vaccines you might need, and might only be able to write a referral for another clinic. The CDC website offers a searchable database of travel clinics nationwide. You also can check out their travel advisories and recommended vaccinations from country to country.

It's best to schedule your appointment six to eight weeks before you begin your travels, due to the fact that many vaccinations must be started early for you to build up your immunity. For example, I traveled to Costa Rica and had to start a malaria medication four weeks prior to my start date.

Now on to the topic of your regular prescriptions. If possible, you should try to bring a backup prescription on your trip. This is something that should be discussed with you and your doctor -- though I'm going to assume for the sake of argument that the medicine you're bringing is extremely important to your health and well-being.

You have a couple of options here. The first is to have your doctor write a note to pick up all prescriptions you'll need for the entire duration of your trip. This would mean that, if you're heading abroad for three months and you have a prescription that you renew each month, you'll bring all three months' worth with you from the get-go. That way, you won't have to worry about whether a local pharmacy in your host community carries what you need, and you won't scramble for a refill later. Make sure you budget for the three months though -- insurance companies often don't cover medications if you're purchasing more than the standard, allotted amount.

The second option is to have someone pick up the prescription for you and mail it to wherever you're staying. This is a popular option for those studying abroad or staying in one spot for several months. You'll likely save money with this option, but you'll have to check on the postal system where you're staying. It's not uncommon for a package to take a month or longer to travel across the world.

Another option is to take what you need for the time being, and check local pharmacies for whether they carry your prescription. If you know someone where you're staying, or if you're traveling on an organized volunteer project or similar, always check with the coordinator or your contact about what that person recommends.

This brings me to another topic: What about day-to-day issues like headaches or upset stomachs? Or what about feminine hygiene products? It should be simple to find headache or nausea medications. You can take some with you from the start, or find any pharmacy and they should carry what you need.

As for the girly stuff -- you'll be very hard pressed to find tampons in some areas. Pads abound, but tampons are a no-no in some areas. My best advice is to read up on where you're going before bringing an extra backpack full of reserves. Fortunately, there are ittty-bitty travel packs that can fit right into your purse if you need them.

And finally, please remember these four things:

• Don't bring anything illegal with you
• Always have a doctor's note on hand for your prescription
• Label your prescriptions correctly, and don't mix them in the same bottle
• Try to bring your medication in your carry-on. Check with your doctor for whether getting through airport security with it may be a problem -- and go back to point #2 above!

If you'd like some more information on medicine and travel as well as the common vaccines issued by travel clinics, check out Molly McCahan's article, International Travel 101: What vaccinations do I need? via the Examiner.

Here as well is a report on volunteer travel and medicine, via the San Francisco Chronicle.

And that wraps up today's post! If you have anything you'd like to add (argument, advice, etc.) please leave a comment below!

Don't forget to join the Volunteering Global Facebook group -- and follow me on Twitter for travel and volunteer updates!