Do You Have Refrigerated Medication? Here's The Secret To Keep It Cool When Staying At A Hotel With No Fridge

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One of the top travel tips we've learned from Rick Steves is to take steps to stay healthy when you're traveling. Nobody wants to get sick while away from home, and one part of that is ensuring you stick to your prescription medication routine. Beyond taking medication routinely in the days leading up to your trip, you'll need to make sure you bring enough for the duration of your vacation — and pack it correctly. The best way to pack your medicines for a flight is by putting them in your carry-on bag so you're not without them if your checked bag gets delayed or lost. And if you take medication that needs to be refrigerated, verify that your hotel room has a fridge so your medicine doesn't go bad once you arrive.

But what if it doesn't have an in-room fridge? When a traveler ran into this problem and took this question to r/askhotels, one Redditor said, "I would suggest asking the front desk. Every hotel I have worked for would be willing to store it for you." Many hotels are happy to keep your medication in their refrigerator – you just have to ask the hotel's staff. There are a variety of medications that could require refrigeration, including insulin, blood thinners, and hormonal medications. Some antibiotics need to be kept cold as well. If you're taking any prescriptions, make sure you store them correctly while away from home. If a refrigerated medication isn't kept cold, it could affect how potent it is — and that could negatively affect your health.

Even if the hotel staff is willing to help you out and keep your medication in their refrigerator, you'll still need to keep it cool on your way there. If you have an insulated lunch bag, you can just throw in a couple of freezer packs to keep the medication cold. If you're flying, you may even want to look into a TSA-approved vessel such as the 4ALLFAMILY Explorer Insulin Cooler Travel Case. If your cooling case is battery-powered, make sure it's charged. You'll also want to keep the labels on your medications so there are no questions from the TSA agents.

In addition to medications, there could be other things you need to keep cold. After hearing from multiple guests that they needed a way to keep breast milk chilled, Kimpton Hotels started an On-Demand Family Fridge Program. These portable refrigerators are small enough to sit on a countertop. These are complimentary and available upon request.

There's actually a lot of free things you can ask your hotel for. Even the most seasoned travelers can forget things when they're rushing and throwing things into a suitcase — the most common thing being a toothbrush. That's not an excuse to forgo brushing your teeth for the entirety of your trip, though — so just ask the front desk, and there's a good chance they'll have a spare for you. Some even have things like phone chargers, sewing kits, and hair straighteners.