Just when I thought I had enough checklists covering my needs for various day-long and months-long travel, I discovered something new! Count out your prescription meds to know you’ll have enough while on the road.

If you are traveling within the country you live, then you may have access to your prescription being refilled elsewhere in your country. Be sure you do know of possible pharmacies before you leave home. USA pharmacies will only refill a prescription if 80% consumed and with doctor’s authorization. This is important if it is your health insurance company covering the cost of the medicine. Otherwise, you’ll pay out of pocket … that cost is always more!

What I recently learned is health insurance companies will only do one vacation override per year. For example, if you do not have access to a pharmacy when you need the refill … let’s say you are on a Pacific Crest Trail hiking from Mexico to Canada, then you can get your refill now with the vacation override. But if later in the year you are on 2 month long, international trip where your pharmacy is not located, you cannot get your refill ahead of the trip because you already used your vacation override! Okay, maybe they are extreme examples, but I hope you caught my point.

So, as I said to my local pharmacist, let me count my pills, look at my trip dates and solve this math problem to know when I want to use my vacation override this year. It’s all fascinating to me because I can only recall one other time in my life needing a vacation override. And I think I thought it was available more than once a year. It strikes me strange if your prescription allows a certain number of refills then maybe give them all to me so I don’t even have to keep coming back for a refill! Not the way the pharmaceutical world works.

My point … be aware of this detail regarding prescription refills. Do what you need to do … then be on your way! 

PS. Always carry your meds in their original container or with a refill label. Unlabeled pills are not the way to travel.