Pill travel hack

Yes, jewelry and bead storage containers can be good for pills. They also make tiny ziplock bags for beads and jewelry that work well. My sister started using those before it got so easy to find the ones specifically made for meds with places to write the date, medication, etc.

I would hesitate to travel with medications, probably including over the counter, packaged other than in a bottle indicating what they are and a prescription number. Perhaps I'm being overly cautious??

Comments and experiences welcome. Last trip, I had Tylenol, Ibuprofen, aspirin and a prescription in small bottles. I wouldn't mind consolidating if others have found no problems traveling with unidentified or loosely identified pills. (Yes, I do use all the pain meds for different purposes and the trip before had tried to simplify and brought Ibuprofen. This resulted in being without my preferred med when I needed it.)

I’m testing out the pill bags on an upcoming trip. I had my pharmacy reprint labels and folded them into the little bags. For over the counter stuff, I’m writing OTC and the brand name, ie, Immodium.

ORDTraveler, I've been traveling to Europe for decades and have never kept my pills in their original container, although it just occurred to me that I've only been taking meds for about 8 years, so maybe that's not a good analogy, lol!

At any rate, during those 8 years, I have never been asked about the pills. I do take photos of the original pill container and have access to my Rx on my phone too.

That said, I will be bringing the original pill containers when I go to Egypt and Jordan in 18 months, just to be on the safe side.

I like snack bags. I take the label off the pill containers (very slowly & carefully) and put them on the snack bag. I then have a prescription pouch for each one of my daily pills

@Mardee In all of our travels, the only time anyone looked questioningly at our medications was in Jordan. We had our meds in the original labeled containers so no issue. We do this in countries that are not in Europe. Traveling in Europe, we use ziploc bags with the medication label affixed to it.

We’ve been traveling with the pill bags since 2017-absolutely no problems (3 overseas and 1 domestic trip). I only have one prescription as does my husband, but we mix them in with our vits/supplements. I think I’ve read another thread here and it seems to be the consensus that it isn’t as much of a concern as it once was as to packaging.

EDIT: Which of the jewelry books did you get-they actually might prove easier to pack than LOTS of the pill bags?

I put all my vitamins and prescriptions in one bottle counting out what I need. Each have their distinctive shape/size/color. The other otc meds are in a small medical zip bag. Never any questions or problems in over 20 years of world travel. Taking a US trip in 3 days. Hope the winning streak continues. Of course no CBD or heavier drugs that would make the sniffing dogs go crazy! Need to snap a photo of my prescription bottles. Thanks for reminding me.

For OTC drugs I use blister packs. If the pill is crushed you can still lick it out. Many blister packs have the drug information and expiration date printed on the back of the blister.

We’ve been traveling to Europe since 2014. I take two prescriptive meds and various vitamins. Maybe I’m lucky but I haven’t been questioned yet.

ORDTraveler, Instead of taking original bottles, just have your pharmacy print out each Rx label, no need to attach them to anything. Like others, i’ve been traveling in Europe for decades with prescription meds in little baggies, and my labels, and it’s never been an issue.

That is a really helpful tip, thank you.

If you wear contacts and have any spare contact lens cases you aren't using, those are also a great alternate pill container!

I have used those little jewelry ziplock baggies for meds for about 8 years, when I first started taking an rx. I never bring a printout of what it is. If anyone asks, I can pull it up on my phone from my pharmacy. I do take Xanax for flying, so do have to keep that it it's original container.

Another hack for contact lens cases is to put your moisturizer in that. I have been doing this for probably close to 20 years and don't wear contacts;) The room it saves is amazing and it is leakproof.

In addition to putting our meds in zip lock baggies with extra labels attached, we also carry the data sheets that come with the meds. They show what it is, what it is for, and who needs it.

Been traveling to Europe every year since 2014 (except 2020) and no one has ever looked at my meds. I use the labeled tiny Ziplocs. I use the feature in MyChart to print out the prescription list. A month worth of daily pills, printout and a selection of over the counter meds all fit easily in a quart bag. The printout is primarily as a backup in case I need medical care so they know exactly what I take.

This is a similar one on Amazon. At first I didn't like the ring binders, but then I realized that I could take a page out, stick it in my purse and have the days pills with me at breakfast. No having to go back and forth to my room!

I have my pill box labeled, and I copied the various non-prescription boxes so I have everything on 1 piece of paper. I never take the bottles, but I always take the print-out from the pharmacy.

My thrifty parents had me buy Tamoxifen in Mexico to bring home for my mother to use after breast cancer. I probably could have saved myself some grief if I wouldn't have mentioned to the MSP agent that I had it. After that, my mom was on her own:)

The most preferable way to carry meds is in their original container, as that will meet the legal requirements of most any country that you are entering. Having been caught or not having been caught doing someting else isnt the issue for me.

The second most preferable way is how you want but carry the prescriptions. And if the Turkish officer believes that the little white pills in the tiny zip lock bag are the same ones mentioned in the copy of the prescription in your hand, then all will probably be okay.

If they get confiscated its not an issue as you probably didn’t really need them anyway. Right?