Join now

Already a member? Sign in

Welcome to Inspire!

What - Inspire is a place where you can connect with people who share your health concerns and find information and advice in groups sponsored by organizations you know and trust.

Why - As a member you can use Inspire to let friends and family know how you're doing, contact others who share your health concerns, receive personalized updates and information about participating in surveys and clinical trials, and more.

How - Joining Inspire is completely free and usually takes less than a minute. Join now!

corner corner corner

International Travel

0 Recommendations

I'm doing my first international travel since getting a feeding tube so I'm asking for any advice that might make the trip a bit easier. My biggest concern at the moment is how to best get the Jevity that I need to my destination - Italy. I ask the distributor in Italy if there was somewhere I could buy the product after arriving in Italy but did not get a response so I assume I'll either ship it Fedex or UPS or take it as baggage. I'm sure I'm not the first with the issue so if you've got a suggestion please let me know. Thanks for helping.

Explore topics in this discussion:

Pain Tube feeding

8 replies

I have done two trips to Europe since getting my tube. (france and Portugal)

1) take 1-2 days of formula as a carry-on. You don't want to deal with lost luggage.

2) take 2 22" suitcases to check. I put one case in each suitcase. I use 8 cans a day when travelling. so i may through a few extra cans in each case. wEIGH THE CASES SO THAT NEITHER IS OVER 50 LBS. I own a boyt and swiss gear bags. Look for strong softsided bags as you are hauling a lot of weight

3) have a backpack and take a full days of formula with you in the morning. I never wanted to go back to the room. Also keep a couple of 500 ml bottles in your pack. I find the bigger bottles a pain

4) If you want to ship stuff give yoursrlf plenty of time.

5) have fun explaining the formula to Italian airport security. I had to show my tube to the French security and was only delayed because they did not know how to fill out the exception form.

6) put any formula you will carry on board in a bag that you can pull out prior to the x-ray machine to make it easier for security. This will make your delay at security less and makes US security a breeze.

7) Enjoy

Thank you. I had not thought about what I was going to do when I was out being a tourist and the suggestion to expedite getting through airport security is much appreciated.

the biggest problem I had was with suitcase weight. I do not have a scale at home. So I guessed. I had to move some stuff around to make it even. Shoes are heavy as are books. Enjoy your trip. Where are you going?

Traveling in the US, Mexico and Canada, I have found it to make things easier to carry letter--or just script from my PCP to enable me to get thru security with tpn/supplies, to drink liquids not sold at establishments including theaters, theme parks, etc. My husband keeps one copy in his wallet and i in my purse and another in my carry- on luggage.

As for getting TPN to the place i'm traveling, i have used my supply company to ship to our hotel, TPN requires refrigeration --so the supply company contacts the hotel (s) to let them know the product is coming and will need special handling.

Sure hope your travel to Italy is a great time!

I suggest reading the information posted on the Travel Tips page of the Oley Foundation Web site: http://www.oley.org/traveltips.html.

For specific questions, you might try emailing Terry Edwards -- his contact information is posted on the Travel Tips page. He travels constantly and is on tube feeding.

Also, I suggest talking to your homecare company. They may have suggestions on getting the formula to Italy for you.

We're doing a Mediterranian tour starting in Rome visiting Sicily, Athens, Mykonos, Kusadasi, Rhodes, Santorini, and Naples. First time on a large cruise ship and first time with the feeding tube. I appreciate your assistance.
Jim

Thanks. I use Jevity which does not require refrigeration so that's one problem I don't have. I have a letter for my doctor to sign but had not thought of making copies. I will do that.
Jim

Thank you. I've read some of the tips and I've talked to the home care folks but they won't ship internationally. I'm getting good suggestions from my post.
Jim

Add to the discussion

Don't have an Inspire account? Join now!

Forgot password?

Helpful links from the Oley Foundation

Group leaders

You