Flying with Refrigerated Medication: Tips from MediCooler
At MediCooler, we understand how crucial it is to keep your medication properly cool, especially when travelling. We specialise in transporting refrigerated medication safely and offer a wide range of medication cooling bags and cool boxes that keep your medication at the right temperature between 2-8°C or 16-25°C. Below, we share essential tips for flying with refrigerated medication, so that you are well prepared for your trip.
1. Bring Proof from Your Treating Doctor
We strongly recommend carrying an official document from your treating doctor stating which medication you use and why you need it. This document can be useful if customs or airport security have questions and helps to avoid unnecessary delays. In our experience, you are not always asked for it, but if you are, it is essential to have this document to hand.
2. Bring Proof from Your Doctor, Pharmacy and/or Hospital
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Make sure your medication is labelled with your name and the name of the manufacturer.
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Medication cooling bags with frozen gel packs are permitted in hand luggage.
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Syringes and needles are generally accepted if you have the corresponding medication with you.
3. Where Do You Store Your Medication on the Plane?
In general, luggage compartments on an aircraft are kept at a constant temperature of around 5°C, which is suitable for most medication. Even so, we recommend always taking your medication in your hand luggage. That way, you avoid problems with your medication if your checked luggage is lost.
For medication that needs to be kept cool, we recommend our LifeinaBag24 or iCool Medicube medication cooling bags. These keep your medication at the right temperature and are easy to take in your hand luggage.
4. Tips for Air Travel with Medication
- Many airlines offer free extra checked baggage and/or hand luggage for medication cooling bags (
extra medical baggage). You may take this medical baggage free of charge in addition to your regular baggage. Make sure you request this from your airline's customer service at least 48 hours before departure.
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Take time zone differences into account and adjust your medication schedule if necessary.
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Make sure you have enough medication with you for the duration of your trip, plus an extra day.
- Make sure you freeze your gel packs or charge your electric medication cooling bag in good time before you set off.
5. Which Cooling Solution Should You Choose?
For air travel, we recommend a compact medication cooling bag such as the iCool VacPack or the LifeinaBag24 , which keep your medication at 2-8°C. Larger cool boxes such as the iCool Medicube compact or Medicube Ultra are also ideal for travelling if you want to take several injections with you.
Looking for a cooling bag that keeps your medication between 16 and 25°C? Then we recommend the Medactiv range. The Easybag single and Easybag Classic keep your medication at room temperature during your journey or flight.
If you want to use an electric cool box such as the LifeinaBox, you can, but you may need a LifeinaTravel bag and an extra LifeinaPower battery for long journeys. This option is handy in hotels or cars, but less practical on a plane.
Travel Safely and Without Worry
At MediCooler, we are happy to help you with the best solutions for transporting refrigerated medication. Take a look at our range of medication cooling bags and cool boxes and travel with peace of mind!
Have a good trip!