When I left for Southeast Asia, keeping my insulin cool was probably one of the things I was most worried about.

I had five months of travel ahead of me. I would be staying in hostels and carrying a whole pharmacy around with me. Insulin, needles, sensors, spares of everything. Then I landed in Bangkok, alone, and walked straight into ridiculous heat and humidity.

Before I left, I’d spent ages worrying about how I was actually going to keep that much insulin safe while moving within and between countries. In reality, my setup was pretty simple: hostel/hotel fridges when I had access to them, and FRIO wallets when I was travelling.

And for the most part, it worked really well.

Across Thailand, Laos and Vietnam, I used hostel fridges for the most part and relied on my FRIO during long travel days. On multi-day hikes, motorbike trips and transfer days, the FRIO was especially useful because it only needed water to activate and keep my insulin cool.

The hostel fridge mistake

By the time I reached northern Vietnam, I’d been travelling for a couple of months without any problems storing my insulin in hostel fridges.

I think that made me a bit too relaxed about it.

Before leaving to do the Ha Giang Loop, I put most of my remaining insulin supply in the hostel fridge and told the staff it was medication and needed to stay there.

I took a handful of pens with me in my FRIO and headed off for the loop.

When I came back a few days later, I opened the fridge.

My insulin wasn’t there.

The staff had moved it into the freezer compartment to make room in the fridge.

For a Fanta.

So yeah. Most of my insulin supply was now frozen.

Luckily, I still had the pens I’d taken on the loop with me, so I wasn’t immediately stranded without insulin. I had enough to carry on to Cao Bang, try several pharmacies there, realise none of them stocked what I needed, and eventually get myself to Hanoi.

In Hanoi, I contacted the 24/7 medical helpline through my travel insurance. They arranged a doctor’s appointment, I was prescribed replacement insulin and I took the prescription to a nearby pharmacy.

The replacement bill was around $500.

Thankfully, my insurance covered it.

That experience completely changed how I think about storing insulin while travelling. A fridge might seem like the safest possible place for it, but a hostel fridge is still a hostel fridge. People move things. Temperatures can be weird. Freezer compartments aren’t always obvious.

I definitely wouldn’t leave my whole supply in one place again.

What I use on travel days

For buses, trains, motorbike trips and anything where I don’t have reliable access to a fridge, I’ve mainly used FRIO cooling wallets.

You soak the inner pouch in water and the crystals inside absorb it. As the water slowly evaporates, it helps keep the insulin cooler than the surrounding temperature.

There’s no electricity, charging or ice packs involved, which is why I found them so useful while backpacking.

I used mine throughout Southeast Asia, including in temperatures above 40°C.

One important thing I learnt is that they need airflow. I wouldn’t bury a wet FRIO pouch at the bottom of a completely sealed bag because the cooling relies on evaporation. They do fit quite well in the side pocket of most backpacks.

I also wouldn’t treat a FRIO as the same thing as a refrigerator. It’s mainly been my solution for the insulin I’m travelling around with or actively using.

What I’d do differently now

If I’m carrying a large supply, I want quite a lot with me and some stored separately so one mistake doesn’t wipe out everything.

I’d also be much more careful with hostel fridges. If possible, I’ll check where the freezer section is, make sure my insulin is clearly labelled and explain properly to staff that it cannot freeze.

And I always keep enough insulin with me to give myself some breathing room if something goes wrong.

Because things do go wrong when you travel.

Sometimes your bus gets cancelled.

Sometimes your bag gets lost.

And sometimes somebody moves five months of insulin into a freezer because they really needed somewhere to put a Fanta.

If you’re planning your own trip with Type 1, I’ve put together my full diabetes travel packing list with the cooling gear, backups and supplies I carry.

It’s free, and it has all the tips and lessons I’ve learnt from travelling.