We love taking road trips. Seeing new sites and getting away from the daily grind are always a welcome relief. However, with a diabetic in the family, traveling always brings it’s own share of challenges.

1) How do we keep the insulin cooled? Depending on how long your trip is and where you’re going, this can be a significant issue. For longer trips, we always use a small ice cooler specifically for the insulin. We try to plan ahead for where we’ll be able to get it back in the fridge or get more ice. Sometimes we leave ourselves a note on the car steering wheel to remember to get the insulin out of the fridge when it’s time to head home.

2) What do you take for emergency carbs? We try to keep some juice boxes always in the car—not just for road trips. If we’re doing a lot of hiking or walking around outside of the car. We like granola bars which can be stuffed in pockets and provide both quick carbs and a little fiber and protein to last.

3) How do you remember all your supplies? There are so many different supplies for diabetes. Especially for those on insulin pumps and/or continuous glucose monitors. If our trip is more than just a one day trip, we find that we have to make a list. We think through the whole routine and then gather all the supplies into one bag/carrying case. If we ever just try to wing it, we inevitably forget something. And if you’ve ever tried to get diabetes supplies in a remote town or when you’re far from home, you know what a pain that is.

4) The tester, the tester, the tester. Whatever you do, don’t forget the glucose meter. And make sure you bring extra test strips. No matter if you’re sure you have enough, grab another canister of test strips. You just can’t be TOO prepared.

Finally, it is often helpful to make sure you have a diabetes ID bracelet or necklace. Whether it’s entering a stadium or a theme park, the last thing you need is someone in security getting all worked up about a needle or a glucose meter. Often, the diabetes ID bracelet or necklace is all they need to see.

Have fun and remember, always always double check.

Here are my tips for getting the most out of your visit to the endocrinologist. First, get your blood sugar records together. Make sure you have a log book or that you have a downloadable meter so that the doc can see how you’re doing.

One common mistake is to forget to set the proper time on your meter, either due to a battery change or a change to Daylight Savings Time. When you do this, you have no way to accurately assess what is causing your highs and lows because it’s too hard to tell if a test was before or after a meal, in the middle of the night, or in the middle of the afternoon. Making sure the time is always set right is key to interpreting your results.

Also, it’s very helpful to do before and after meal testing. Don’t test after every meal. But about 1 to 2 hours after you begin eating one of your meals during the day, test to see how your insulin dosing and carb counting are going.

Second, write down questions you have for the doctor. It’s so hard when you’re in the office to remember what happened in the weeks and months since your last visit. Keep a journal of questions that you want to ask at your next appointment.

Remember that there is usually a whole team there to help you. Specialists with injections, with nutrition, with insulin pumps—whatever. Don’t just think about questions for your doctor. You can even take in your favorite recipes and ask for help in counting the carbohydrates or even in modifying the recipe to be more diabetic friendly.