We decided it would probably be really useful for all of our readers if we put together a page dedicated to all of the most useful resources you could need when planning a trip abroad.

This list is based off our own experience and all products or services come tried and tested.

Click to skip to the section you need:

Products to help with diabetes abroad:

Frio logo

Frio bags

This had to go at the top of the list. For those of you who have been keeping up with the blog you will know how much we love Frio and how essential it is for keeping your insulin alive. They aren’t even very expensive and if you’ve never heard of them head straight over to their site and check them out.

myabetic logo

Myabetic

Myabetic sell a variety of cases for you to hold all your diabetic supplies but without compromising on style. One of the best products they have (in my opinion) is their Thompson travel carry-on, which is PERFECT for travelling and has compartments for all  your various diabetic supplies which mean you will breeze through security. It also has an insulated layer for your Frio packs!

FreeStyle Libre logo

FreeStyle Libre

The FreeStyle Libre is a device that allows you to “scan” your blood sugars as many times a day you want, and indicates whether your blood sugar is going high or low, and lets you know how they have been the previous 8 hours. This is extremely useful for travelling and adventurous diabetics, not having to stop and take out your blood sugar kit to test, you can scan in less than 10 seconds and can settle your bloods depending on activity. I would be lost without this device and I will never go without it! Granted it is expensive for each sensor, but I think it is absolutely worth the money.

Diabetic ID

Diabetic ID

There isn’t a massive range of these available online, or at least ones that look even slightly stylish. However I did find a solution, so check out my blog post (link is in the title).

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Travel Bra/Handee Bra

This bra is something that wasn’t intentionally made for diabetics in mind—but it absolutely is useful to us! The travel bra has a patch incorporated into it that fits your insulin pump or diabetic monitor so that you can carry it on you safely all day. Because it is not close to your skin it will also help your insulin pump from not over heating or the insulin dying. I found it super useful on my travels and for exercise, and it’s worth the investment. You can also get 10% off with discount code CAZZY.

Apps you can’t travel without:

maps.me logo

Maps.Me

This is a mobile app that means you can find out exactly where you are and how to get no nearby places without needing a GPS connection. Just download the areas you will be travelling in when you have WiFi and then find your way to hotels, restaurants, petrol stations, ATM’s and much more without using any data at all! We found it much more useful than Google Maps.

Uber logo

Uber

If you don’t have Uber then you need it! It’s the future of taxi services all over the world and saved us a tonne of money in South America! Prices are usually about half of that of a normal taxi, and cars are nearly always much nicer than a taxi. Payments also come straight from your bank account so great when you don’t have local currencies. Sign up using the code “bradleyw1092ue” link to get £3 of free credit!

Google Translate logo

Google Translate

If you’re heading to a place where you don’t speak the local language then this is a must. It does require WiFi but comes in handy and is much more efficient than a book! Plus the phrase “Google Translate” is now universally understood! 

Equipment for backpackers:

Osprey New Farpoint 70

Osprey New Farpoint 70

We found that this rucksack offers everything you could need abroad! I bought it after reading reviews looking for the best bag around and was not let down. It’s strong, comfortable and can store everything you need. It has a slot for a padlock adding an extra level of security. We also found that it was by far the most popular bag abroad! Loads of fellow backpackers seemed to have it. So to make mine stand out I sewed some patches of each country we visited (hasn’t weakened the bag at all yet it would seem!) 

Reef Flip Flops

Reef flip flops 

This one comes from Brad. Being diabetic it isn’t a great idea for Cazzy to wear shoes that don’t offer full protection. But if you do need a pair of flip flops that are great quality, will last and are incredibly comfy to walk in you can’t go wrong with these. They are a little more expensive than standard flip slops but well worth the price. Possibly my favourite piece of travel equipment, and even better is that they come with a bottle opener on the soles!

Osprey Dry Bag

Dry bags

These are great for storing important things in your bag that you really don’t want to get wet.They are also a fantastic way to separate your rucksack up into different compartments. Also, if you have a heavy duty one then you can use it for day trips.

Theodora women's walking shoes

Theodora women’s walking shoes by Trespass. 

If you plan on doing any reasonable amount of walking then you must take some high quality walking shoes. For a diabetic, shoes are a massively important item to have and do not cut corners on quality. Cazzy went for the ones listed here and they suited her extremely well and she had no problems. We would recommend heading to your local outdoors store and trying on a few pairs yourself to find ones that suit you best. Oh and before you go, be sure to wear them in properly!

In terms of guys shoes, we don't really have much of a recommendation here, but again it's best to head to a store and try a few pairs on and get a feel for what might suit you best.

Google Translate logo

First aid kit

This one goes without saying and take a bit of time to make sure you have everything you think you will possibly need. Hopefully you will never need to use it for anything serious, but it’s nice to know it’s tucked away. As a tip, be sure that if you’re travelling with someone else, they have some first aid equipment in their bag too just in case one of your bags goes missing.

Lonely planet guide book

Lonely Planet Guide Book

We never bought one ourselves but many hostels seem to have them and we made good use of them. Definitely handy to have and nice to read on long journeys.

Travel Tech:

GoPro Hero 4 Silver

GoPro – Hero 4 Silver

We split the cost for one of these between us before heading to South America. Arguably one of the best things we bought! The camera quality they have now is out of this world and it can be used as a camera in many cases. We captured some fantastic moments using the GoPro that we wouldn’t have been able to otherwise. Check out us paragliding at 4000 metres in La Paz.

Adobe Premier Elements and Photoshop

Video editing software

This is worth getting if you intend to make decent videos using the footage you take. If you use Mac then from our experience, it’s best to use iMovie seeing as its free and incredibly easy to use. For us we purchased Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Premier Elements. They are easy to set up and not too hard to get your head around. A pretty decent standard in the world of video editing software.

HP Envy 13.3 inch laptop

Laptop – HP Envy 13.3 inch

This will depend completely on your own circumstances, but for us we needed a means to blog whilst we were abroad. We decided to go for our laptop because it’s small, light and also extremely powerful so is great for video editing. It’s also extremely useful for long bus journeys where we were able to watch movies and play Candy Crush!

Useful guide: Best laptops for travel
Samsung Galaxy S6 Smartphone

Camera – Samsung Galaxy S6

We decided not to take a real DSLR camera to South America because we were worried about its size. However in the future we will make room as we feel we missed out on tonnes of opportunities to take some incredible photos. I provided a link to my phone because this is where the vast majority of photos were taken from. The Galaxy S6 has a superb camera and we got some great shots. We are by no means experts on proper photography and we will be practicing our photography skills on our DSLR before our next trip. But for now if you have any tips or advice then let us know!

Samsung Galaxy S6 Smartphone

Phone

Same as above. I love the S6, because the camera is just so good, and great for keeping your friends and followers up to date on Snapchat (oh and if you don’t have that then get it right now and add us: dreambigtf).  If you aren’t fussed on any of that then I’d say big up a cheap phone from the store and buy a PAYG Sim while you’re abroad.

Health and safety:

Injections, tablets and sprays

This depends completely on which area you are travelling to. Regardless it is best to book an appointment at your local travel clinic well in advance and they will sort you out. Check out our guide for South America, but still see your doctor, and don’t rely on our non-professional advice.

World Nomads logo

World Nomads

Use World Nomads to get a quick personalised travel insurance quote. They offer competitive rates and are well trusted in the market for travel insurance.

insurance

Diabetic Insurance

Being such an important topic, we have a whole post on this on the blog (the link is in the title).

Useful sites:

Skyscanner logo

Skyscanner

Regardless of your budget or where in the world you are flying to, Skyscanner has time and time again proved to us to be the number one flight comparison sight. We love their feature to search by any destination to fly to. That way you can find some bargain flights at short notice.

Booking.com logo

Booking.com

Far and away the best site to use when trying to find any sort of accommodation anywhere in the world. It’s rare you will find a better deal on another site. Plus you can download the app which makes managing your bookings even easier and with genius perks such as extra 2 hours to check in, or check out, free bike rental, or a free drink on arrival- it really is the best site around!

couchsurfing.com logo

Couchsurfing.com

Like most people who are new to the idea of couch surfing, the idea of just rocking up to someone’s home that you’ve never met before can seem daunting. However one of the biggest highlights of our 4 months in South America was our experience of staying with our hosts Carlos and Gabriella in Santiago, Chile. By staying with locals you get a much better feel for the place you are in and get to be much more a part of the local culture. People will surprise you with what they have to offer!

Airbnb logo

Airbnb

This site can be a bit hit and miss at times. Sometimes there is very little on offer, but we find that if we are going to be staying somewhere for a week or more, then you can get much more for your money on here than what you’d get through a normal booking site. What is good though, is that if you sign up through this link then you will get £25 of free travel credit and we will get £15!

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Rome2Rio

This is a really useful tool when you literally have no idea of how to get from one place to another. Simply put in the details of your route, and the site will give you all of the different travel options available and the different costs. However, sometimes the prices it shows are not completely different in reality so be sure to check around before buying.

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BusBud

We used this site a lot in South America, however it is still expanding so not yet available in some of the less developed countries. Again, a really useful tool to have and use in conjunction with Rome2Rio.

Please note, some products do contain affiliate links where if you purchase we get a small commission. However we have only listed products that we truly believe in, that we’ve used and we think would benefit you abroad.