Traveling With Medications
People sometimes ask how I became so intentional about traveling with my son after his epilepsy diagnosis. Well, first off, he was traveling before his diagnosis. The truth is, our biggest trip almost never happened. I had planned an ambitious three-week journey through Spain, Morocco, Portugal, and England during one of the most difficult periods of my life. Travel gave me something hopeful to focus on. It anchored me to reality and gave me a future to look forward to when I felt like I was drowning in a deep pool of depression.
Then, just weeks before our departure, my son began having what I now know were seizures. He would stop breathing in his sleep. After one of those terrifying episodes left him blue and shaking, a trip to the emergency room at our local children’s hospital turned into a week in the hospital with a diagnosis and medications to be given.
My son was diagnosed with epilepsy about three weeks before we were scheduled to leave. Instead of researching museums, train routes, and restaurants, I was suddenly learning medication names, rescue protocols, dosage schedules, and seizure precautions. This was my 14 month old. How could he have epilepsy? That was what I would ask myself between tears in the beginning. While I sat beside him in the hospital, people pressured me to cancel the trip. But how could I? The trip had become my lifeline. Everything was paid for, and I have never been one to cancel easily. Most importantly, I spoke with his neurologist and received medical clearance to travel.
So, we went, and man, I am so glad we did. That journey made me a stronger, a more confident, and a more determined mom. Now I want to share what I have learned about traveling with a kiddo who takes medication, along with the tips and tricks that have helped me do it with more preparation and confidence.
Traveling with epilepsy—or any condition that requires medication—is not impossible. It simply requires a different kind of preparation. Our trips now involve more than choosing flights and creating itineraries. I must manage medication, protect Titian’s sleep schedule, plan travel days that are as calm and unhurried as possible, prepare for emergencies, identify nearby hospitals, and leave room in our schedule for rest—not just for him, but for me too. Over time, I have developed a system that helps me feel more prepared and less afraid. Here is what has helped us most.
1. Speak With Your Child’s Doctor Before Traveling
Before a major trip or even a long travel day via car or train, schedule an appointment with your child’s neurologist, epileptologist, or other specialist. Discuss whether your child is medically stable enough to travel and review the seizure or your child’s medical action plan together. Ask when rescue medication should be given, when emergency services should be called, and when a trip to the emergency room is necessary. Talk about flights, long travel days, disrupted sleep, heat, dehydration, illness, missed meals, and any other possible triggers. These are things to look out for. When we were in the Desert in Morocco or on the beach in Tortola, British Virgin Islands. Paying attention to heat and keeping my little-one hydrated was very important.
If you are crossing time zones, ask the doctor to create a written medication schedule for both the departure and return trips. Do not guess or independently change dosing times. Also, ask for enough medication to cover the entire trip plus possible delays, along with an adequate supply of rescue medication. Insurance and destination rules may limit how much you can carry, so begin this conversation early. Your doctor can write a prescription for a two month supply, especially if your kiddo’s refill is due during the time of your trip.
Finally, request a letter that briefly explains your child’s condition, lists the prescribed medications and their generic names, and confirms that the medication and any supplies are medically necessary. Ask for the letter in plain English because there is no telling who may need to read it.
2. Bring More Medicine Than the Trip Requires
Never pack only the exact number of doses needed for your scheduled travel dates. Flights are delayed, trips are extended, bottles spill, and life happens. Bring enough medication for the entire trip, the return journey, and a reasonable cushion for unexpected delays. Check refill dates well before departure instead of discovering two days before your flight that the pharmacy cannot fill the prescription yet.
Ask your pharmacist how to transport the medication safely. If it comes in a glass bottle, ask whether an approved plastic bottle is available and if they can transfer it into it for you. If liquid medication does not have a syringe adapter, ask the pharmacist whether one can safely be added so you can measure each dose without spilling half the bottle across an airport seat—which is exactly the kind of excitement no parent needs. If the pharmacy doesn’t have them, you can order them online. Note of advice. Order a multi-size pack. You have a higher chance of finding one that fits in the neck of the bottle.
For doses needed during the travel day, if it is not refrigerated medication, it can be measured in advance into syringe doses. Check with the pharmacist how long they remain stable in an oral syringe. Some medications should stay in their original containers until use, so do not prefill syringes without professional guidance. Bring extra, clearly marked oral syringes or measuring tools in case they fall, get lost, or damaged.
For international trips, check the medication laws for every destination and any country where you will clear customs during a layover. A medication that is legal and commonly prescribed in the United States may be restricted somewhere else. Keep medications in their original, labeled containers and carry copies of the prescriptions. This is an important step that many parents forget. For example, TCH or CBD medications may be legal in the United States of America but can be a prison sentence in another country. You might want to look into what countries your kid can travel to or find alternative medications with your kids doctor that work for international travel.
3. Keep Every Medication in Your Carry-On
Never place essential medication in checked luggage. Ever! There is no telling when, or where you will be reunited with your bags. Checked luggage can be delayed, lost, damaged, or sent to the wrong destination. Do not put your child’s health at the mercy of the airline. Keep daily medication and rescue medication with you and within easy reach. Also, keep all liquids in individual Ziplock bags, just incase they spill. Cabin pressure can affect how liquids come out of the container.
Whenever possible, keep medication in its original pharmacy-labeled container with your child’s full name, the medication name, and the dosage clearly visible. Make sure the name on the prescription matches the name on your child’s travel documents. Medically necessary liquid medication may be carried through TSA security in quantities greater than 3.4 ounces, but it must still be screened. Tell the TSA officer about the medication in advance and remove it from your bag for separate screening when directed.
I keep medications together in a clear bag so they are easy to see and remove. I also keep the doctor’s letter, prescriptions, and pharmacy information nearby—not buried beneath diapers, snacks, spare clothes, and the twelve other things we moms somehow manage to fit into one bag.
4. Carry Medical Documentation
Your travel medical file may include:
A complete medication list
Current dosages and dosing times
A doctor’s letter
Copies of prescriptions, including generic medication names
Your child’s seizure or medical action plan
Allergy information
Contact information for your child’s doctors
Health and travel insurance information
A list of emergency contacts
Keep paper copies in your carry-on and digital copies on your phone. Email it to yourself. I also recommend leaving copies with a trusted person at home. If your phone dies, your internet disappears, or your bag decides to take its own vacation, you still need a way to access that information.
5. Keep Medication Accessible During Security and Transit
Your medication bag should be easy to remove—not buried underneath diapers, clothing, toys, and snacks. Pack it near the top of your carry-on or personal item. In one organized bag, keep:
Daily medication
Rescue medication
Oral syringes or other measuring tools
Medical paperwork
Extra doses
Emergency instructions
When boarding a plane or train, keep this bag with you rather than placing it somewhere you cannot quickly reach. Rescue medication is not helpful if it is trapped in an overhead bin three rows behind you while the seatbelt sign is on.
6. Set Alarms for Every Dose
Travel days can become chaotic. Time changes, delayed flights, naps, meals, sightseeing, and pure exhaustion make it easy to lose track of time. Set medication alarms before leaving home and label each one with the medication name and dosage. Do not rely on memory when you are tired, crossing borders, or trying to remember which train platform you need.
Crossing time zones requires more planning than simply switching every dose to the local clock. Ask your child’s doctor or pharmacist how to safely adjust the schedule based on the medication and the time since the last dose. Write the plan down for both directions of travel, and check whether your phone automatically changes to local time after you land.
I also try to avoid red-eye flights and extremely early departures when possible. A child may not sleep when you expect them to, and one sleepless travel night can throw off the entire schedule. Sometimes the cheapest flight is not the best flight when medication timing, sleep, and seizure triggers are part of the equation.
7. Protect Sleep and Avoid Unnecessary Exhaustion
Sleep disruption can be especially concerning for someone with epilepsy, so I no longer schedule every vacation day from sunrise until bedtime. Build rest periods into the itinerary. Be cautious with overnight flights, very early departures, long travel days, extreme heat, dehydration, illness, and missed meals.
Most importantly, accept that plans may need to change. A museum, tour, or dinner reservation is never more important than your child’s health. Resting for an afternoon does not mean the vacation is ruined. Sometimes the most responsible travel decision is closing the curtains, ordering food, and letting everybody take a nap.
8. Give Yourself Breathing Room
Mamas, medical preparation can reduce fear, but it cannot eliminate every risk. Avoid overly rigid itineraries, leave extra time for airports and train stations, and pay attention when your kiddo, or you needs rest. Change plans without treating the change as a travel failure. Trust your preparation while remaining alert.
And please celebrate yourself. Traveling with a child is already a lot. Traveling with a child who has medical needs adds another invisible suitcase full of responsibility. If everyone is safe, medicated, fed, and still speaking to one another at the end of the day, I call that a win.
Extra Tools That Can Make Travel Easier
Take an Infant and Child CPR and Basic First-Aid Class
Before traveling with a special-needs child, take an infant and child CPR and basic first-aid class. Hopefully, you will never need to use those skills—but parenting has taught me that children rarely schedule emergencies at convenient times. Training can help you respond to choking, breathing problems, seizures, allergic reactions, falls, or injuries until medical help arrives. Infant and child techniques are different from adult CPR, so proper instruction matters.
And here is something to make the class less intimidating: Bad Bunny’s “Tití Me Preguntó” has about the right tempo for chest compressions. Yes, Bad Bunny may actually help you stay on beat! The goal is not to make you afraid to travel, but to help you feel prepared, capable, and confident.
Look Into TSA Cares
TSA Cares is a free program that assists travelers with disabilities, medical conditions, or other special needs through airport security. At least 72 hours before your flight, submit a request online or call 1-855-787-2227 to ask for a Passenger Support Specialist. Explain your child’s needs, including autism, epilepsy, sensory sensitivities, difficulty following directions, and any daily or rescue medications you carry.
The specialist can guide your family through screening, communicate your concerns to officers, and help make the process less overwhelming. TSA Cares does not allow you to skip security or guarantee a shorter line—you need a program such as TSA PreCheck for expedited screening—but having someone who understands your situation can make a tremendous difference when you are juggling a child, medication, luggage, and your own nerves.
Consider TSA PreCheck and Global Entry
TSA PreCheck and Global Entry are two different programs, but both can make traveling with a medicated child much easier. TSA PreCheck helps when departing from participating U.S. airports by providing access to a usually shorter line and a simpler screening process. You generally keep on your shoes and light jacket and leave electronics and travel-size liquids inside your bag. That means less unpacking and repacking while juggling a child, stroller, medication, and everything else we moms somehow carry.
Global Entry helps when returning to the United States by speeding up immigration and customs, and it includes TSA PreCheck benefits. However, every traveler—even an infant—needs an individual Global Entry membership to use the Global Entry lane. Children under 18 may apply without a fee when an eligible parent or legal guardian is enrolled or applying.
For me, spending less time standing in crowded lines means less stress, fewer disruptions to medication schedules, and getting home, or to your next adventure a little faster.
Try the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Lanyard
The Hidden Disabilities Sunflower program is a voluntary way for travelers with non-visible disabilities—such as autism, epilepsy, anxiety, hearing loss, or chronic illness—to discreetly signal that they may need extra time, patience, understanding, or assistance. The traveler wears a green lanyard decorated with yellow sunflowers, which trained employees at participating locations are taught to recognize.
The Sunflower began in the United Kingdom and is now recognized by participating airports, airlines, transportation systems, and businesses around the world. Some airports provide lanyards free at information desks or mail them in advance, and they can also be purchased online. Availability, recognition, and staff training vary, so check with each airport before traveling.
The lanyard does not let you skip security, guarantee priority service, or replace TSA Cares or airline assistance. It simply communicates without requiring you to repeatedly explain your child’s diagnosis, or simply that your family may need a little extra support.
In Closing
Traveling with medication initially felt overwhelming because it was a constant reminder that our lives had changed. I could no longer simply pack our clothes, grab our passports, and head to the airport. Every trip now required calculations, updated paperwork, alarms on my phone, backup doses, and clear emergency plans. There was always another question sitting quietly in the back of my mind: What if something happens while we are far from home?
But those preparations did not take travel away from us. They gave it back to us.
For me, epilepsy changed how Titian and I travel, but it did not mean we had to stop seeing the world. Now, his medication is simply part of our journey, packed alongside the passports, snacks, diapers, toys, and everything else we need for an adventure. When the alarm goes off, I stop what we are doing and give him his medicine. I do not care if we are sitting inside an airport, riding on a train, walking through a museum, or eating at a crowded restaurant. His health comes first. Once he has what he needs, we return to exploring, laughing, taking pictures, and making memories together.
I am sharing these tips and pieces of advice because I want other parents to know that traveling with a medicated or medically complex kiddo is possible. Your trips may require more planning, more paperwork, and a little more luggage, but your family still deserves opportunities to explore and experience the world together. Take what is helpful from my experience, speak with your child’s medical team, and create a travel system that works for your family.
To every parent who feels nervous about traveling with a child who has medical needs: being afraid does not mean you are incapable. It means you understand the responsibility you are carrying. Give yourself time to learn, prepare, ask questions, get answers, and build your confidence. You do not have to travel exactly as you did before. You simply have to discover a new way that works for you and your kiddo.
The preparation did not take travel away from us; it gave us the confidence to keep going. I hope these tips help give you that confidence too.
