Travel Medical Kit: 10 Essential Medicines to Pack for Any International Trip (Australian Guide)
You've sorted your flights, packed your bags, and downloaded your maps. But there's one thing a surprising number of travellers forget until they're sitting in a hotel room in Bali at midnight with a raging headache and no idea where the nearest pharmacy is: a travel medical kit.
Getting sick overseas is rarely serious, but it's almost always inconvenient — and the difference between a minor blip and a ruined day often comes down to whether you've got the right thing in your bag. A pharmacist you can't communicate with, unfamiliar brand names on the shelves, or simply no pharmacy open at all can turn a mild stomach upset into a real problem.
This list covers the 10 medicines Australian travellers should pack before any international trip. All of these are available over the counter at Chemist Warehouse or Priceline before you fly, and all are worth their small weight in your carry-on.
Important: This is general travel health information, not medical advice. If you have existing health conditions or are travelling to regions with specific health risks (malaria zones, for example), consult your GP or a travel medicine clinic before you depart.
1. Kwells or Naustil — Motion Sickness
Ferry crossings, winding mountain roads, small propeller planes, overnight buses through Southeast Asia. Motion sickness doesn't care how seasoned a traveller you are — it can hit anyone, and it hits at the worst possible moments.
Kwells (hyoscine hydrobromide) is the gold standard for motion sickness prevention and treatment. Take it 30 minutes before your journey for best results. Naustil (dimenhydrinate) is the alternative if you prefer a different formulation, though it can cause more drowsiness.
Pack it if: You're doing any boat travel, long winding drives, or you're prone to motion sickness on flights.
2. Panadol and Nurofen — Pain Relief and Fever
These two are non-negotiable. Between them, they cover almost every common pain scenario — headaches from long flights or altitude, muscle aches from a day of hiking, fever from a minor infection, sunburn soreness, dental pain.
Panadol (paracetamol) handles general pain and fever gently. Nurofen (ibuprofen) adds anti-inflammatory action, making it the better choice for muscle soreness, sprains, and inflammation. Carrying both gives you flexibility to choose the right option for the situation, and they can be alternated for more sustained pain relief.
Pack it if: Always. This one is non-negotiable for every trip.
3. Imodium — Traveller's Diarrhoea
Traveller's diarrhoea is the most common health issue Australians experience overseas. It's usually caused by consuming food or water contaminated with bacteria your gut isn't used to — and it tends to strike at the most inconvenient possible moment (a long bus journey, a day at a theme park, the morning of a flight).
Imodium (loperamide) slows gut movement to reduce frequency and urgency, buying you time to get somewhere comfortable and stay hydrated. It doesn't treat the underlying infection, but it manages symptoms effectively while your body deals with the rest.
Pair it with Hydralyte (see below) to replace lost fluids and electrolytes.
Pack it if: You're travelling anywhere in Southeast Asia, South Asia, Central America, Africa, or the Middle East — essentially anywhere with different food hygiene standards to Australia.
4. Telfast — Allergies
New environments mean new allergens — different pollens, different dust, different foods, different animal dander. Even if you don't have diagnosed allergies at home, an unexpected allergic reaction overseas is more common than you'd think.
Telfast (fexofenadine) is a non-drowsy antihistamine that treats allergic rhinitis (sneezing, runny nose, itchy eyes), hives, and skin rashes. Unlike older antihistamines like Phenergan, it won't knock you out — which matters when you're trying to explore a new city.
Pack it if: You have known allergies, or you're travelling to high-pollen environments like rural Japan in spring or Europe in summer.
5. Gaviscon or Mylanta — Heartburn and Indigestion
One of the genuine joys of international travel is eating things you'd never encounter at home. The less joyful consequence is that rich, unfamiliar, or heavily spiced food can trigger heartburn and indigestion, especially combined with irregular meal timing and more alcohol than usual.
Gaviscon creates a physical barrier over stomach contents to prevent acid reflux. Mylanta neutralises stomach acid directly. Both provide fast relief and are compact enough to toss in your day bag.
Pack it if: You're prone to reflux or heartburn, or you're planning to eat adventurously (which you should — that's the whole point of travel).
6. Difflam Lozenges — Sore Throat
Air conditioning, climate changes, talking more than usual, dry aeroplane cabins — travel creates the perfect conditions for a sore throat. A packet of Difflam lozenges takes up almost no space and can make a miserable morning considerably more manageable.
Difflam contains benzydamine, a local anaesthetic and anti-inflammatory that numbs and soothes simultaneously. They work quickly and are easy to use anywhere.
Pack it if: You're a frequent flyer, you're travelling in winter, or you're heading anywhere with heavy air conditioning (which is most of Southeast Asia).
7. Codral Day & Night — Cold and Flu
A full-blown cold or flu mid-trip is genuinely awful — the kind of thing that can mean missing a day or two of activities you've been planning for months. You can't always prevent it, but you can manage it.
Codral Day & Night covers both ends: the Day tablets contain a decongestant and pain reliever to keep you functional, while the Night tablets add an antihistamine to help you actually sleep and recover. The combination format means you only need one product for round-the-clock symptom management.
Pack it if: You're travelling in winter, on long-haul flights, or during peak cold and flu season at your destination.
8. Hydralyte — Rehydration
Dehydration overseas can come from multiple directions — stomach illness, heat, humidity, a big night out, or simply not drinking enough water during a long travel day. Plain water often isn't enough to rehydrate properly when you've lost significant fluids, because you also lose electrolytes that water alone doesn't replace.
Hydralyte sachets or tablets provide a clinically formulated balance of electrolytes and glucose that rehydrates you significantly faster than water. They're compact, lightweight, and effective — both for illness recovery and for the morning after a festival or a late night.
Pack it if: You're travelling somewhere hot and humid (Bali, Thailand, Vietnam, India), you're doing physical activities, or you like a drink.
9. Hydrocortisone Cream — Insect Bites and Rashes
A mosquito bite that gets scratched becomes inflamed. An inflamed bite gets infected. An infected bite in a tropical environment becomes a problem that can take weeks to resolve. This is a well-worn path that many travellers discover the hard way.
Hydrocortisone cream (1%) reduces the inflammation and itch that causes you to scratch in the first place. It's also effective on contact dermatitis, heat rash, and minor allergic skin reactions. A small tube covers a lot of scenarios.
Pair it with a DEET-based insect repellent and long sleeves in the evenings if you're travelling anywhere with significant mosquito activity — particularly in dengue or malaria-risk areas.
Pack it if: You're heading anywhere tropical or subtropical — Bali, Southeast Asia, the Pacific Islands, northern Queensland.
10. Betadine — Wound Care
Minor cuts, blisters, scrapes, and abrasions are a normal part of active travel. In tropical environments especially, even a small wound can become infected more quickly than it would at home, because heat and humidity accelerate bacterial growth.
Betadine (povidone-iodine) is an antiseptic solution that cleans wounds and reduces infection risk. Apply it before covering with a plaster or bandage. A small bottle plus a few adhesive bandages rounds out a basic first aid kit that covers the vast majority of minor injuries.
Pack it if: You're doing any outdoor activities — hiking, snorkelling, cycling, or just navigating cobblestones in sandals.
Packing and Airport Tips
A few practical notes on carrying your travel medical kit:
Keep it in your carry-on, not your checked luggage. If your bags are delayed or lost, you want your medicines with you, not sitting in a baggage holding area somewhere.
Liquids and gels (including creams) must comply with the 100ml rule in your carry-on for international flights. Tubes of Betadine and hydrocortisone cream are typically well under this limit, but double-check before you pack.
Check customs restrictions for your destination. Some countries have rules around importing certain medications — codeine-containing products in particular are restricted in Japan, the UAE, and several other countries. If you're carrying prescription medication, bring a copy of the prescription and keep it in the original packaging.
Consider a travel medical consultation with your GP before any long trip, particularly if you're visiting malaria-risk areas, remote regions, or travelling with children. They can advise on destination-specific risks and prescribe items like antimalarials or stronger antibiotics that aren't available over the counter.
Your Full Pre-Trip Checklist
Beyond the medical kit, the other key things to sort before any international trip:
- Travel eSIM — get connected from the moment you land with a travel eSIM from eSIM4u, covering destinations across Asia, Europe, Japan, New Zealand, and more
- Travel insurance — don't skip this; a single overseas hospital visit can cost more than the entire trip
- Copies of prescriptions for any regular medication
- GP or travel medicine visit if heading to higher-risk regions
- DEET insect repellent — buy before you leave; quality varies significantly at tourist shops
Heading somewhere specific? Our destination guides cover the health and connectivity essentials for China, Bali, and New Zealand.