Summer is a great time for ice cream, water parks, and road trips.
If you are planning a fun, summer road trip, you should also be preparing an essential first aid kit for those unexpected emergencies.
Don’t go on a road trip without these essentials in your first aid kit!
Medicines
Anti-Diarrhea: During a summer road trip, you may stop to enjoy an exotic restaurant that features many spicy dishes. Even if you have a stomach made of steel, you’ll want to pack some anti-diarrheal medicine in your first aid kit. The DIY first aid kit can also include some natural diarrhea supplements that just requires water.
Antacids: When you are eating spicy foods at an exotic restaurant, you better have some antacids on hand. To ensure that you are always prepared for heartburn or acid reflux, make sure to include antacids in the first aid kit.
Sore Throat: A sore throat shouldn’t stop you from enjoying delicious food on your road trip. Don’t forget to throw in some cough drops in your first aid kit to ensure that you’ll not only be able to eat your heart out but also talk.
Pain Relief: Do you suffer from chronic pain? Are you prone to occasional headaches? If you have answered “yes” to one of these questions, you can’t go on a summer road trip without Tylenol or Aleve. Even if you don’t suffer from any chronic or reoccurring conditions, you’ll want to have these essential medications nearby for muscle cramps and sunburns.
Headaches: Speaking of pain relief, if you normally get headaches or migraines, you may want to consider packing can’t-live-without medicine that includes acetaminophen and/or aspirin. A small Advil bottle is the perfect headache medication for summer road trips. Some mini bottles can be kept in your first aid kit and purse/beach bag for emergencies.
Allergy: If you suffer from watery eyes and sneezing, you probably have an allergy problem. Don’t worry. Many people deal with allergies on road trips, but fortunately, there is a solution. Just think allergy relief medications with cetirizine or loratadine. These types of medications can definitely provide allergy relief, but cetirizine-based meds may cause sleepiness. As a result, you shouldn’t operate a motor vehicle after taking allergy medicine with cetirizine.
Cough: When you have a cold, you’ll probably have a cough too. One of the best ways to bring relief to a cough and stuffy nose is with over-the-counter decongestant medications. There are also several natural options available for cold relief.
Dental: No one wants to deal with dental pain during a summer road trip. Pack some medicine for temporary dental pain relief.
Eye Drops: When it comes to dry eyes, pocket-sized eye drops are truly the best. Don’t embark on your road trip without including these convenient eye drops in the first aide kit.
Electrolytes: Several years ago, electrolytes wasn’t even considered an important first aid medication. But if you can’t stop the vomit or diarrhea from occurring, oral electrolytes may be just the medicine you need to stay hydrated throughout your trip. Many oral electrolytes are available in powered form, so you’ll just need water to make the magic happen.
Wound Care
Band Aides/ Bandages: A first aid kit is definitely not complete without band aides and bandages. If you are traveling with young kids, you may want to consider packing the pain-free bandages and band aides.
Gloves: A first aid kit must have gloves. These gloves will definitely come in handy for medical emergencies such as treating accidents with lots of blood. Regardless of the medical emergency, gloves should always be used to reduce the risk of infection.
Alcohol Swabs: Make sure to also include some alcohol swabs in your DIY first aid kit. These simple items are great for disinfecting hands, scratches, wounds, and surfaces.
Miscellaneous
Tweezers: During a summer road trip, you will probably be doing a lot of outdoor activities. Tweezers will definitely be useful for removing those annoying ticks and small splinters from wounds.
Safety Pins: When you’re planning an outdoor trip, you can’t go wrong with packing some safety pins. These essential items can be used to create arm slings. They are also great for removing splinters.
Thermometer: A digital thermometer will definitely be useful when someone becomes ill unexpectedly. Just remember to sanitize the device with those alcohol swabs after each use.
Other
Non-Perishable Foods: Let’s face it: While you are on your road trip, your car might break down at some point. Will you be prepared? To ensure that you’ll never starve to death, remember to pack non-perishable food in your first aid kit. Always staying nourished during emergency situations should definitely be a priority.
Bottled Water: Staying hydrated is also extremely important throughout a road trip. There should be enough water in the car to properly hydrate every passenger.
Extra Clothes: As a general rule of thumb, you should expect the unexpected during a summer road trip. In other words: pack extra clothes. Whether you are traveling to the beach, mountains, or anywhere in between, you’ll never know when a situation will call for a change of clothes.
Visit Integra Urgent Care For Immediate Medical Assistance
If your medical situation requires more than just a first aid kit, don’t hesitate to visit Integra Urgent Care in Weatherford, Las Colinas, or Grand Prairie Texas.
Our excellent urgent care centers can successfully treat a wide variety of medical emergencies, from severe dehydration to a poison ivy allergic reaction.
At Integra Urgent Care, our patients are the primary focus. Give us a a call today to determine how we can help you!
We can’t wait to talk with you soon about your medical problem.