Hoorah, finally we have the flight calculator on our site for travellers with diabetes (http://www.voyagemd.com/). The idea is very simple - simply type in the departure and arrival airports and the date/time of the flight and the journey will be mapped out in terms of when to check blood glucose levels and when to give insulin.
The calculator is mostly geared for people with diabetes using multiple daily injections of insulin but we also provide guidance for those using insulin pumps or drugs such as Byetta (Exenatide) or Victoza (Liraglutide). This extra information is in addition to the regular advice about dealing with airport security, helpful travel phrases, malaria prevention etc etc.
So what next?
Once everyone is happy with the flight planner, we will create an "app" for the smart phone so that people with diabetes can plan their journeys anywhere and at any time. We also want to provide space on VoyageMD.com for travellers with diabetes and their friends and families to post their stories, tweets and photos. We will also be increasing our restaurant and hotel reviews.
Having said all of this, our core aim is still the same. We want to persuade all aspects of the travel industry to do more, nothing very complicated, but just ask them to think about the needs of people with diabetes when they travel. In previous blogs we have listed some very simple and practical things that airlines could and should do.
Finally, our experiences with VoyageMD and diabetes have taught us a huge amount and we will shortly be turning our attention to other situations where travel is not always straightforward for people with medical conditions. Watch this space!!!
Diabetes MD - Everything related to travel and diabetes.
