This is less of a travel tale than a random and hopefully useful piece of info that I thought I’d pass on. Around 2002, I became lactose intolerant (no, that’s not the useful piece of info). I have no idea what caused it, but it started more or less overnight, although it took me a few weeks to figure out what was wrong. In order for me to be able to enjoy dairy products without any ill effects, I got in the habit of carrying Lactaid with me, in case I found myself at a pizza joint or craving a milkshake. Well over a decade later, the condition seems to have disappeared, since I can eat whatever I want with no major issues. But the habit of carrying pills in my pocket continues, with some minor changes. When you’re traveling, having Immodium in your pocket could be the difference between enjoying a leisurely day of sightseeing and an uncomfortable day of seeing the inside of different bathroom stalls.
I somehow lost my pills a few days ago, and I figured that it would be a good opportunity to share how I stay prepared when I’m out and about.
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First, get a stick of lip balm. I’ve done this with Chap-Stik and Burt’s Bees. Since the latter sells for $11 here in Bangkok, I found a local version in a similar tube. |
| Unscrew the stick and remove the wax lip balm. |
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Remove the piece of plastic that holds the wax in place (it may have come out with the wax), and remove the plunger from the bottom. This is the hardest part and will require a screwdriver or something similar. |
| Break the screw near the bottom. A pair of scissors will do the trick, or you can just bend it and wiggle back and forth until it snaps. |
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Put the plunger back into the bottom and put the cap back on. The stem of the screw, the wax, and the plastic base for the wax are trash. Now you can fill the tube with whatever pills you think you you may need while you’re out and about. |
There’s quite a bit of space in there. Here’s what mine carries:
2 Immodium, 2 Benadryl, 2 Zyrtec, 4 Advil, 2 Aleve, and 3 Asprin, and there’s still room to spare.
I then stuff a little piece of toilet paper in the cap to help minimize rattling, and I’m good to go. |
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It takes less than 5 minutes to put this together, and it could save your butt (literally).
