Occasionally one sees a keychain pillbox for sale. The ones I'm familiar with were sold by Wal Mart in the automotive department along with numerous other styles of key fobs several years ago and were red with 'Mobile Meds' printed in white on the front.

These always seemed like a nifty idea, but can you imagine the headache one of those could cause you if the occasion arose for authorities to question you about it somewhere? You might skate by if you had he original container with your name on it and the rest of the *matching* pills inside. I'm not sure just how far a copy of the prescription would get you; that could almost subject you to more scrutiny as that would be relatively easy to forge.

I would say such a device might be okay if you live in a small town where everyone knows you and you seldom stray beyond the edge of town, but on the road or in the air, eh, not so much!

After all this you just might be too tired to go anywhere! Most countries are very able to take care of any medical problems. We've needed medications, had minor ache and pains and all can be addressd very simply. There is a possibility of being OVER prepared!

when traveling abroad eat and drink nothing if you are American as a matter of fact if you really want to stay health don't leave the U.S.

Living in South Texas, I have driven to Mexican border towns and flown to the interior and never incounered any medical problems. In Dec 09, I traveled by bus with a tour group to Vera Cruz MX. On the second night of the tour, we were walking on the market square; I tripped and fell on the sidewalk. I felt a lot of pain in my shoulder. The tour guide and me went to a doctor in the square. He gave me tablets for the pain and gave me directions to the nearest hospital ER. The tour guide's cell phone rang and it was the manager of the hotel we were staying calling that he had heard I had an accident. He came for us drove us to the ER, the x-ray showed I had fractured my upper arm. I had purchased medical travel insurance from the travel agency. Flew back to my home city to get medical attention. The travel agency insurance reimbursted me for the medovac flight, the cost of the trip, and my out of pocket for surgery to my arm. My health insurance covered me here in the US. So if you travel outside the US, purchase international health insurance. I never had to use it, but I am so glad I purchased it on my last trip.

I've traveled all over the world and I've been fortunate to never get sick. I had a friend who was very sick in Egypt and she got great healthcare there. She also, for a period of time when she was uninsured, got all her dental needs taken care of in Bangkok (she has standby flight benefits for life, so the trip cost her nothing) for a fraction of what it is here, and had nothing but great things to say about it there.

I think you should definitely be as prepared as you can when you leave your home country, but I don't think being paranoid is the way to go, either. Just use common sense. Drink bottled water when in countries with water warnings, carry medications in your carry-on (I NEVER check medications - I just don't trust baggage screeners, and some medications are just too tempting) and be aware of what medical care / pharmacies are (or aren't) available at your destination. If you're going to the jungles of Nicaragua on a mission trip, bring your own first aid stuff and medication. If you're going to Europe, they've got hospitals, doctors and pharmacies all over the place, so no need to lug your medicine chest with you.

Before you purchase travel health insurance, etc... check with your own insurance provider. When planning a trip to Europe, I spoke to my insurer, and found that I'm covered while out of the country. Perhaps not every insurance plan will provide that coverage, but you don't know until you ask, and no sense wasting your money on vacation health insurance when you're already paying for it in your premiums!

Common sense goes a long way. Don't let scare-mongering deter you from traveling. It's an awesome world out there! Don't miss it!

It's MURPHY'S LAW, anything that can happen, usually will happen. So....if you go prepared, all your bases are covered. Even if you don't have any particular serious medical issues, you never know when things may pop up. This is great information for me, because I do have several medical issues. I would not have thought to get a 'note' from my doctor, briefly explaining my issues, and my meds. I'm sure this would be most helpful in the event of an accident, or other medical needs that could easily arise when traveling, even in the US.