Lost your medication while travelling? Here's what you can do.

Losing your prescription medicine abroad can disrupt your routine. If you can’t find your medication, you may be able to get support from your GP or healthcare professionals at your destination.

If you live in England, your GP will help you with the necessary steps you need to take to get your prescription from a local pharmacy. They can send you a copy of your prescription or direct you to local medical centres for help.¹

You should save your GP surgery’s number before you travel.

If you can’t contact your GP, talk to your tour operator or airline. Local holiday reps should be able to help you get medical care if you have booked a package holiday.

If you haven’t booked a package holiday, they may still be able to help you find a pharmacy, but you may also have to speak to your insurance company instead.²

Once you have spoken to a medical professional and sought advice for your condition, access a local pharmacy that can fulfil your prescription. You may have to answer some questions from the pharmacist before they can provide your medication. You may also have to pay the local cost for your prescription.¹

Sometimes, the pharmacy may not have the medicine you need or cannot supply the medicine without a prescription. They may be able to signpost you to a prescriber, like doctor, who can help.

If you are in an EU country, you may be able to use your Global Health Insurance Card  (GHIC card) to access emergency medical care or treatment for a preexisting medical condition. You may still need to pay for prescriptions. Your GHIC only applies to public healthcare while abroad. It does not cover the cost of private treatment.³

If you have to pay for some upfront costs for your medical care when you are abroad, your GHIC will allow you to reclaim the costs when you return home. You will need to provide any receipts that show that you have bought prescription items as proof.³

GOV.UK has a full list of English-speaking doctors and healthcare providers across the globe.

If you need emergency care, you should go to the nearest hospital or phone local emergency services. This information can be found using GOV.UK’s foreign travel advice.

It’s not unusual for personal items to go missing while you’re travelling. But staying cautious and mindful can help avoid mishaps, especially when it comes to your medicines.

Want to avoid losing your medication while abroad? We’ve put together some tips to help.

• Pack most of your medication in your hand luggage and have some spare medication in your hold baggage. This means that you’ll have some medicine if one of your bags goes missing.¹
• You must keep your medicine in its original packaging when travelling through an airport.¹
• Keep your medicines close by. If they don’t need to be kept cool, you could have them by your bed or your passport to increase your chances of remembering them. If your room is above 25°C, store your medicines in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight.
• For items that need special storage or need to be kept in a fridge, write sticky notes and stick them around your room or set reminders on your phone to help you remember to check you have packed them when it is time to leave.