Almost 1/6 of the U.S population is planning to travel elsewhere for Thanksgiving. In fact, AAA estimates that nearly 55 million travelers are planning to meet a relative or other family during the Thanksgiving rush on 11/27 and 11/28 of 2019. Thanksgiving traffic is a constant year-after-year and planning for your trip can be quite stressful.

Getting all of your food, clothes, and other essentials is a big part of having a successful holiday. Ensuring that your medical needs are covered is another challenge of anyone traveling for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Thanksgiving traffic is bad enough, but having to turn around for a medication or medical device can make a long wait in traffic even longer. The best way to ensure that your family has all their medical needs is to create a simple medical checklist for the holiday:

Make a list of medications your family needs

Lost medications can be a big part in complicating your family’s Thanksgiving trip. Whenever you are planning to visit relatives for T-day make sure you catalog any and all medications. Organize needed medications for any members of your family, label them, and put them in a protected and easy-to-carry travel case.

The types of medications that most families will bring include allergy medications, anti-depressants, asthma inhalers, over-the-counter medications, and similar items.

Ensuring you have any and all medical devices when traveling

Medical devices are crucial to ensuring that your family has a healthy and safe Thanksgiving holiday!

Like the medications, ensure you take a day or two to itemize any medical devices, mobility devices, and similar items. On the day of your travel it helps to also ensure you set some space in your vehicle to store these devices. Taking the time to properly pack your medical devices saves time and ensures that all the devices are safely stored during your trip.

Locate your nearest medical providers at your destination

Sudden illnesses or injuries can happen out of nowhere. That is why it is crucial for traveling families to make a list of nearby medical providers, or locate their nearest ones.

For emergencies, make sure you know the location of the nearest hospital to get treatment ASAP. However, most patients experience minor and non-emergency medical situations on holidays. For any non-emergency event, make sure you visit an urgent care center.

Urgent care centers and walk-in clinics provide immediate treatment for seasonal illness, sudden injuries, and allergies for patients. Knowing where a nearby urgent care center is can help ensure that your family members can get necessary medical help this Thanksgiving!