Travel

Your IBD Travel Checklist

Medication, letters, vaccines, insurance and toilet access sorted before you go, practical prep for flying and holidays with Crohn's or colitis.

Your IBD Travel Checklist

A flare doesn’t care that you’re on holiday, and most of what makes travel stressful with IBD comes down to two habits: carry more than you think you’ll need, and get the paperwork sorted before you leave, not at the airport.

What the Full Guide Covers

  • Packing and carrying medication (including cold-chain biologics) through airport security
  • What a doctor’s letter should cover, and why it smooths almost every step abroad
  • Which travel vaccines are safe on a biologic or steroids, and which need checking first
  • Declaring your condition for travel insurance, and applying for a free GHIC
  • The Can’t Wait Card and RADAR key for faster toilet access away from home

The full PDF has the complete before-you-go checklist and a short glossary. Download it below.

Download the full PDF

About the Author

Team Vance

Team Vance is the editorial team at Vance Medical, the medical foods company behind this hub. Vance Medical has spent more than thirty years in gastrointestinal medicine, developing nutritional products under the same regulatory frameworks that govern prescription medicines. The Hub exists to make that ground accessible, to people living with Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, IBS and related conditions, and to the clinicians treating them. Articles are written and edited in-house, and clinical claims are referenced to published research, with each study linked to its DOI so you can read the source rather than take our word for it. We publish primarily for a UK audience. Nothing here replaces advice from your own GP, gastroenterologist or dietitian.

For general information only. This article is for general information and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. It reflects the best available evidence at the time of writing and may not capture the most recent developments. Always talk to your GP, pharmacist or healthcare team before acting on anything you read here, and never disregard professional advice or delay seeking it because of something on this site. Where we mention products from Vance Medical Foods Ltd we identify this clearly.
Last updated 4 September 2026
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