What “first aid” do I need for holiday in Spain ? What do you take when going away?

[yellowcupofhappy]

I haven’t been abroad in ages but last time we needed something over there it was €€€
what do you take?

We are sitting waiting for our airport pick up 😪
I always bring paracetamol, ibuprofen, plasters, compede, savlon, bonjella (DS has a brace not for teething) tweezers, nail scissors. Only used 4 paracetamol as I had a headache one day.

Oh and antihistamines and 1% hydrocortisone as I get bitten to death abd react really badly. Plus prescription meds for me and DH.

I always take a tube of Oragel - my biggest fear is getting that rampant excruciating toothache- it just numbs the pain til you can get sorted.

I take Anadin extra as you can never get it elsewhere, but I’d take that if I was going to the local caravan park. It’s never occurred to me to take any first aid.

Depends on who’s going and what you are doing surely?

Camping or hotel?
If a hotel near civilisation then nothing, Spanish pharmacies are great.
If in a tent in the middle of nowhere then be prepared.

If young children then take Calpol.
If like me you are prone to an upset stomach then something for that.
If you are clumsy a shit tonne of plasters.

You can only buy stuff like ibuforeno in pharmacies which aren’t open all the time so it pays to remember this. Ibuprofeno is usually sold in 400mg capsules rather than 200 in the UK and isn’t that expensive if you ask for the generic ones. Nurofen is expensive. Take mosquito repellent, and most sunscreen is cheaper in the UK. I don’t find pharmacies here any more expensive than UK ones.

In Spain the farmacias are good and cheap - if you’re by a town. We get the prescription meds that oh has to pay prescription prices for in the uk, over the counter for a few pounds and a bigger amount.

Barely travel with anything except platers and bug repellant. At home we're incredibly lucky to not have much in the way of illness/accident.

Just been to Spain with a fuck-tonne of prescription medication for a new health issue (including 2 controlled drugs) plus plasters. Completely forgot mozzie spray and got bitten to death.

I take everything I can think of! Kit for this holiday is plasters of lots of different sizes including wound pads, sudocreme, antiseptic wipes, bite cream, antihistamines, paracetamol, ibuprofen, calpol (both bottles and sachets) child nurofen, rehydration sachets, anti diarrhoea tablets, deet spray, sun cream (sooo much suncream), after sun, athletes foot spray…there’s probably other things in the bag as well 😂

Steri strips as well! And yes, we have used them. I have a small first aid kit with all the stuff above. Ulcer gel has come in handy before too, but not so ‘urgent’.

Plasters, antiseptic cream (Mr Monkey has bad reactions to bites), vaseline, sun cream, nail scissors, bug spray and hydrocortisone cream is my general package of "medical " things on holiday.

Recently I have added - a small bottle of Corsydl mouthwash after getting inflamed gums around my wisdom tooth one year and the French pharmacy sold me some evil bright orange liquid that was like gargling with meths.

I may add immodium after last year when some cheese at a festival in France not agree with me in a rather spectacular way and I had to purchase some emergency immodium in order to make a train journey with some sort of confidence. I wish to avoid a repeat of then excrutiating moment in a crowded pharmacy when, exhausted and ill, I lost most of my French vocab and ended up asking for "some medications on account of being ill of the behind".

Paracetamol, ibuprofen, plasters, teri strips, immodium, antiseptic cream, Rennies (if going all inclusive), tweezers and anti histamine.

But they're a fortune. £20 for their equivalent of lemsip when DD had suspected covid.

Calpol, antihistamine, which is prescribed for my child, paracetamol and immodium.

Most of the things people have listed above plus I always take a tube of acyclovir. Had a particularly bad cold sore once in Majorca and the pharmacy only had blistex which did nothing and as a result my lip ballooned in size in the bright sunshine.

Tell us more. Is it actually mosquito repellent written on the bottle . Or just a perfume they dislike?

Paracetamol
Ibuprofen
cold and flu
strepsils
Savlon
bite cream
hydrocortisone
cold sore cream
plasters
blister plaster
imoddium
ORS
Antihistimines
burn gel dressing
pin
alcohol wipes
gaviscon
eyedrops / eyewash
large adhesive plaster
Confirming bandage
melolin pad.

We do a lot of cruises and cannot always get to a pharmacy for days.

Alsays use cold and flu tablets!

it all fits in a tiny pack. I always carry comped and paracetamol.

Not first aid, but semi related: packet tomato soup. For when you feel rough and need to feel like you're at home

Avon Skin So Soft.

Plasters, painkillers, Antisan. Mosquito repellant, Gaviscon

I’m going to Italy in a few weeks and this is what I’ve purchased as “first aid”

paracetamol & ibuprofen
diarrhoea relief
antiseptic cream
antihistamine cream
antihistamines
plasters
eye drops

I donr usually take anything.
I go to a nearby pharmacy if I need anything.

Painkillers , antihistamine , plasters and bite cream . Anything else I would go to a local pharmacy and buy .

Some destinations I’d take Imodium and rehydration sachets but not for a standard European holiday

Paracetamol
Ibuprofen
cold and flu
strepsils
Savlon
bite cream
hydrocortisone
cold sore cream
plasters
blister plaster
imoddium
ORS
Antihistimines
burn gel dressing
pin
alcohol wipes
gaviscon
eyedrops / eyewash
large adhesive plaster
Confirming bandage
melolin pad.
I dont think ive used half of those things in my life ,never mind take them on holiday!!
I get why with the cruise ship thing though.

Maybe it’s just me, but I like to have the things I know work for me.

I remember once I was in Cyprus and they gave me what was supposed to be their version of a night nurse style medication.

It was sleeping pills! They assured us it was exactly the same. Take two and it’ll help you drift off. I was out for 15 hours!