You already know that when you're on the go, your health insurance travels with you. But, if you're traveling with a chronic disease, such as diabetes, heart disease or asthma, you may need to take extra precautions.
- Talk to your personal doctor before you go about any special considerations you may need to take prior to your trip, en route to, or at your destination. Your itinerary can help your provider make sure you get any vaccines and medicines required to travel to specific destinations.
- Locate pharmacies and clinics close to where you’re staying. Some chronic illnesses and medicines can weaken your immune system, so it's best to prepare for the unexpected.
- Pack a travel health kit External Site with your prescriptions and over-the-counter medicines (enough to last your whole trip, plus a little extra), first aid supplies, and your health insurance card. If you left your health insurance card at home, no worries. You can always access your digital health insurance card by logging in to or registering for myWellmark® Opens New Window.
- Pack your travel health kit in your carry-on luggage, in case your suitcase gets lost. Pack medicines in their original prescription bottles and carry copies of your original prescriptions, if possible.
- Be aware of your food and activity options for the trip. Depending on your circumstances and travel plans, you may need to pack healthy snacks or make plans to get out of the car and walk around frequently.
- Know your health insurance benefits with the help of myWellmark. You can download the easy-to-use Wellmark mobile app to access your health plan on-the-go and get health answers with the tap of a finger.
For more information about traveling with a chronic illness, visit the CDC website External Site.
