Posted: Tue 16 Nov 2010 @ 19:05 by

Greetings...am just back from my travels in Brazil. I have found my experiences with security (and my pump) at different airports to be quite \'interesting\'! I wondered if any of you have any stories to share?

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Posted: Thu 18 Nov 2010 @ 09:48 by

I haven\'t done any air travel since I got my pump (went for puppy instead of holiday) but your experiences sound interesting. Would love to hear so can be prepared.

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Posted: Sat 20 Nov 2010 @ 23:52 by

HI Gillian. So far, I\'ve flown to France, Portugal, Amsterdam and Brazil with my pump. The first piece of advice I would give is to have a small typed paragraph (in the language of the country you are visitng) explaining that you wear an insulin pump, it is connected to you subcutaneously and that it is not able to go through the x-ray machines. Unfortunatley Medtronic only offer a travel card in French, so unless you speak many languages of have a knowlegeable friend then \'google translate\' will help. This has got me out of a tricky situation in Brazil. Show your \'info paragraph\' to security as soon as you approach them and be prepared to be \'patted down\' and perhaps flash them your infusion site. Don\'t hide the pump in your bra etc...keep it obvious in its pump wallet and don\'t cover up your infusion site with guaze . I have been taken aside into private rooms to be patted down, but most of the time security have been polite. In countries that do not have many people on the pump, expect more curiosity. I also found my little \'info paragraph\' to be a security life saver when we were stopped by the military police in Brazil, on a motorway and I had to empty my suitcase whilst they looked for \'drugs\'! Being a little bit prepared makes it all go smoothly.

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Posted: Thu 20 Jan 2011 @ 13:00 by

Glad the travelling on a pump issue has come up - I have been to Egypt, Jordan, etc. as a needle carrier, but have not been abroad yet with a pump. Due to go away in summer to the USA and Canada for 6 weeks. The language issue should not be a problem - what concerns me is the quantity of kit I will have to take to cover that time period and allow extras/spares for problems and also needles/syringes to cover pump failure!  (I hope to post a new topic - Problems on pumps). Any advice on allowance and insulin storage gratefully received!

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Posted: Tue 3 May 2011 @ 15:00 by Richard Connell-Smith

I have had an Animas pump since November 2010.

In February I flew from Heathrow to Johannesburg, from Jo\'burg to George and from Cape Town to Heathrow.

I took with me my Novopen and Optipen and enough Novorapid and Lantus insulin to cover any problem with my pump.  The pump was fine and they all had a wasted journey, but I was glad I took them.

Before I went I was aware that the pump must not go through the hand luggage scanner.  With regard to the pump, my advice is simply to walk through the scanner and not make any comment about wearing a pump.  When I did this I had no problem.  The scanner did not react to the pump.  The only mistake I made, which I shall never repeat, was to tell security staff at Heathrow that I had a pump.  They were immediately very suspicious!  Fortunately I had my letter from Helen at York Hospital explaining that I had a pump.  Despite this, they treated me with extreme suspicion.  Never again.  Although obviously having a pump does mean carting around quite a lot of supplies, no one should worry about going abroad or through airports, in my opinion.
Richard Connell-Smith

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Posted: Fri 23 May 2014 @ 15:28 by Steven Bowles

Had and enjoyable holiday to Turkey recently and was a little tense about travelling with my pump for the first time.  At English Customs I had three officers reading my medical letter, looking at the pump and supplies, trying to x-ray it ("Please don't"), then needing to scan the sealed bottle of Lucozade I (stupidly) took.  A second scan, the first being 'inconclusive', confirmed it was containing Lucozade. It went OK and I smiled my way along.

The Turkish Customs seemed happy with the word "insulin" and waved me through in seconds. One single word. Didn't know I was multilingual!

Last edited by Steven Bowles on 23 May 2014 - edited 1 time total

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Posted: Thu 29 May 2014 @ 10:41 by Chris Bartlett

Lol, X-ray lucozade, hehe. Yes customs checks just completely vary for pumps. Instead of x-rays, they would usually 'swab' it I think. As you imply here, I think the key is having written back up from your clinical team, as well as your pump manufacturer. And if possible, translated into the language of the destination. Should make the process a whole lot easier.

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Posted: Thu 29 May 2014 @ 13:49 by Lauren Miles

Hi, 
Ive flown to America with mine and mostly it has been ok. I had a couple of airport security staff have to go and check with each other what to do but touch wood not had an issues.  

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