Travel Tips for HIV+ People

Many of the more recently-approved HIV drugs have fairly easy dosing schedules. Compared to the “old days” when people took handfuls of pills three and four times a day, some people are now fortunate enough to be able to take one or two pills just once or twice a day.
Whether you are taking one pill or many, it’s still important to stick to your assigned dosing schedule at home or away. Traveling with your HIV drugs – and staying on your schedule – can seem a bit daunting at first, but HIV shouldn't "ground" anyone who needs to travel for work or wants to see old friends or new places. And once you get the hang of it, it's really quite easy to manage your meds while you're on the road.
Pack your Pills First
It's one thing if you forget your socks, or your shaving kit, or even your address book. You can replace those items when you reach you destination or you can get along without them. You cannot get along without your medications, not even for a day, so pack them first – and pack them carefully.
Count out your pills for how long you will be away and transfer them to appropriate containers. (It's wise to take a two-day backup supply of your HIV drugs with you.) At home you may use a subdivided seven-day plastic pillbox to hold all your drugs, but for travel it's often more convenient to carry your pills in something smaller, like relabeled film canisters, sturdy, resealable plastic bags, or even a pocket-sized plastic tackle box. However, if you are traveling internationally or anywhere by plane, you should carry your meds in their original bottles clearly marked with the prescribing information so that security or customs will not give you too much trouble.
Pack your pills in a carry-on bag – and nowhere else. There's no guarantee that your flight will depart on time or arrive on time or that checked baggage will be waiting for you at your destination.
If you carry your pills on board, you can take any doses you need while on the plane and you will be prepared to take additional doses later if there is any sort of travel delay. The airline may not be able to keep to its posted schedule, but you will be able to keep to your dosing schedule and that's the important thing.
Food and Water
The HIV drug regimen you are on may impose dietary restrictions: certain pills should be taken on an empty stomach, others must be taken with a meal or snack, and all of them should be taken on schedule.
Not all airlines offer food on flights these days, and even if they do, there is no way of knowing when you will get fed on an airplane, or whether the meal will be anything you want to eat. It’s best to carry food with you if you need to eat when you take your medicine.
The same is true for water. If you are driving or taking a bus or train, you should bring your own. However, with some of the latest airport restrictions you may have to ask for water rather than take it on board with you. Most of the time the flight attendants will help you out by bringing a glass of water right away if you mention that you need to take medicine.
Asking for water as soon as you board the plane is a good plan. If you have ever flown across the country, you may have marveled at the time it takes a pack of flight attendants to get down the aisles of a 747 with a three-ounce beverage for each passenger. By the time your mouth turns to dust and all 32 of your pearly whites have put on their wool socks, you may as well forget trying to swallow even a single pill, unless you've had the good sense to ask for water in advance!
Beyond that, it's good to drink plenty of fluids because flying is dehydrating. To varying degrees, dehydration affects all passengers on long flights, and HIV+ people need to be especially careful that they do not allow themselves to get dehydrated. So take every opportunity to get a beverage and make a point of drinking throughout the flight, not simply when you feel thirsty.
Adjust your Dosing Schedule
Adjust your dosing schedule according to the number of time zones you cross. This sounds tricky, but it's actually quite simple.
West to East
As you travel from west to east, take each successive dose of your HIV drugs one hour earlier than you usually do. If you fly from Los Angeles to New York, for example, you cross three time zones and after three slightly shorter dosing cycles you will be back on your normal schedule.
East to West
When you travel from east to west, you reverse this process – adding an hour between dosing cycles. If you fly from London to Boston, for example, you cross five time zones and after five slightly longer dosing cycles you will be back on your normal schedule.
Taking your doses an hour earlier, or an hour later than usual falls well within the approved range for adherence to any dosing regimen.
North to South or South to North
When you travel north-south (or vice versa), there's no need to make any adjustments. Just stick to your regular dosing schedule, even on an 11-hour flight from the U.S. to Buenos Aires.
Traveling Outside the Country
Do a little research about your destination. If you are going to another country, check if there are restrictions about HIV+ visitors or traveling with medications. You may also want to take a set of written prescriptions.
If you travel to developing countries, you may be at a greater risk of getting cryptosporidiosis (an infection caused by a parasite). Foods and drinks, in particular, raw fruits and vegetables, tap water or ice made from tap water, unpasteurized milk or dairy products, and items purchased from street vendors may be contaminated. It’s best to drink filtered or boiled water.
Talk with your health care provider about other precautions you may want to take when you travel abroad, especially in developing countries (i.e. getting vaccines, bringing antibiotics). Check the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) website for useful information.
Reminders
It's relatively easy to stick to your daily schedule of pill-taking when you're at home. You are in your usual place, your pills are in their usual place, and your routine is a familiar one. It's not so easy to remain fully compliant with your HIV regimen when you travel, especially when you travel to an unfamiliar destination.
To guard against missing any of your doses, or leaving your medications behind, it helps to travel with fluorescent Post-It notes. Stick them on the bathroom mirror, on the dresser top, on your suitcase, on your car keys, on your hotel or motel room key. Those flashes of bright color will remind you to take every dose of every one of your medications every day and they will remind you to take your pills with you when you leave.
Taking Care of Yourself
While planning ahead how to stick to your regimen may seem like a hassle, it will make it easier when you are on the road. Even if you are on vacation, your pills still need to keep working! So, don’t leave home without them!