When you travel with someone like me, who has the skill of attracting the “if it could go wrong, it will go wrong” vibe, then without a doubt, you’ll be stopping at a pharmacy or two…or three or four…. ha-ha
I have taken advantage of several quick 24-hour layover trips, in various European cities, on my friend, Amelia’s, work trips as a flight attendant. If you’ve checked out my Travels page on ‘Mobile Minimalist,’ you’ve seen how much I can pack into one day. With extensive research and optimized planning, its wildly impressive how much ground we can cover. Amelia has recommended to others to reach out to me if you’re looking for a 24-hour itinerary for any city, be it far or near, as I’ll be able to hook you up with the “best of,” and Amelia promises you won’t be disappointed. I won’t lie, as much fun as it is, it is exhausting. 🥵 But you only live once, and you can rest on the plane.
However, despite my meticulous attention to detail, I have never once included one very important and seemingly unavoidable point of interest in my travel plans: the pharmacy, ha-ha. From blisters to a bee sting, a UTI, to needing to replace stolen eye drops, you name it, it’s happened. So much so, that now I’m a firm believer that no trip with me is complete without some spurt of ailment and a visit to a pharmacy for relief. 😅 My first pharmacy visit in Europe is where I learned what the universal sign for a pharmacy is…. the green cross.
Blisters, you might ask? Yep. Even a seasoned traveler such as myself, thought it was a grand idea to wear those cute new sandals that I tested out at home, in Massachusetts, with neatly paved roads and sidewalks, and generally smooth walking surfaces; not on the beautiful cobble stone streets of Lisbon that wreak havoc on unsuspecting feet. Since then, I always recommend the “Compeed” bandages, as they are designed specifically for blisters and are meant to leave on as long as possible while they work their magic. If you’re not familiar with them, and you walk, hike, run, travel, go get yourself some. You won’t regret it. I was impressed to find out that the pharmacy we visited in Lisbon had them! Not only that, but they also had a room for consultations, and the pharmacist let me and Amelia in to bandage the carnage that were previously my beautifully manicured feet. When faced with so little time, I slapped the Compeed on as best I could and continued our exploring. Lesson learned: don’t be cute, be comfortable. 😂
A bee sting seems a little less avoidable, but let’s review how that went: The day before flying to the city of love, I was helping my dad with yard work. A little good deed before a luxurious day in Paris, right? Wrong. While performing my good deed, my leg was viscously attacked by an unknown tiny, flying assailant. At first inspection, it didn’t appear to be too concerning. As we flew across the “pond” as the Atlantic is affectionately known, I informed Amelia, who was attending the other flight passengers, that my bee sting was starting to swell and get red and hot…. Uh-oh. This gave Amelia flashbacks to when she dealt with MRSA in college. We monitored it for the remainder of the flight, and decided our first stop in Paris would be the pharmacy to see what they could do for us. Thankfully, the pharmacist was extremely helpful and suggested a few ointments for the pain and swelling. Merci beaucoup! Oh, and it wasn’t MRSA or any other highly infectious disease. Most likely the aftereffects of a bee sting, although not confirmed, and the good news is, I was able to keep my leg. 🤪
UTI. Yup. Could happen to anyone, at any time. When does it happen to me? While traveling to Playa del Carmen for Women’s Travel Fest 2024. A first run at international solo travel, and again, “if it can go wrong, it will go wrong,” for me. Hard to imagine how this always seems to happen, but at least it makes for some great stories for your enjoyment. Haha. My first hotel, aka “Hell Hotel”, was nightmarish – run down, extra loud until 3am, not very clean and no hot water, if any water. #budgettravel, am I right? LOL We’ve all been there. But to compound the less-than-ideal accommodation, I end up with the tell-tale signs of a UTI. Really? Haha. Yup. So, after a few trips to Europe and hunting down the glorious green cross logo, I was a pro and found my way to a pharmacy with much needed relief. Not the solo adventure I was planning, was it? Haha. 🤣
Athens, Athens, Athens. That was a whirlwind and a half. Spoiler alert: I was pickpocketed right in front of the Olympic Stadium. Amelia has “survivors” guilt for not having suffered the same fate, nor realizing that it was a possibility in that moment in time. When traveling, Amelia stays aware of her surroundings, and when in a situation such as a crowded place, she tends to keep her daypack on the front of her body and deploy other evasive measures to protect herself and goods. We had set out early to get a head start on a mega itinerary, so there were very few people around and plenty of space. It never crossed our minds that being pickpocketed would be a possibility at this particular time. (Athens is particularly known for that, but even so, where we were, and the small crowd never set off additional alarm bells). But as we continued our day and stopped at a cafe to try “loukoumades” (Greek donuts), I realized my entire fanny pack was missing from my daypack! The fanny pack carrying all my essentials, including cash, credit cards, license and much needed eye drops was gone! Good thing Amelia’s phone had cell service (T-Mobile for the win!), and I was able to call and cancel my cards. The best the sneaky thieves ended up with was about $100 in cash and a US license. I bet they were pretty bummed when they realized their efforts didn’t amount to a score such as a phone or an unlocked credit card. Anyways, one of the essentials was eye drops, and that was a must-be-replaced item, so away we went, scavenging for yet another pharmacy. On a side note, not only did I get pickpocketed in Athens, but I also got locked in the bathroom at the boarding gate in the Athen's airport and barely made the flight home by getting the last available seat on the plane, the middle seat, aka the "friendship" seat, haha.
Think that’s the end of our stories? Think again, lol.
Solo cruise to Alaska: what do I run out of? Simple pain killers and where do I have to run to when I am at the port in Juneau…drum roll please.… a pharmacy to get some! If you’ve read my packing guides, you’ll know how prepared I am. Well, usually. 🤪 Then of course, Seattle wandering began with a trip to purchase body soap that I would need for my cruise.
While visiting Dublin on a 24-hour layover, with many delicious and famous black gold beers poured straight from the source, I actually managed NOT to have any issues requiring a visit to a pharmacy! Gasp! How is it possible, you might ask? I have no clue, no answer, nothing that seems to make any sense at all. Other than, Guinness is good for you? 😁 To keep with tradition, we did elect to stop at Sweeny’s, the oldest pharmacy in Dublin. 😅Perhaps there was no NEED this time around, but we still…ended up… at a pharmacy. Haha. Sweeny's is famous for their lemon soap, and I couldn’t resist the draw of the fresh scent and the instinct to purchase something at a pharmacy.
Or how about in Edinburgh when I ran out of lotion, and we had to stop at our most frequented destination: the pharmacy! Haha. I’d like to say it was a pub, or a waterfall, or even the airport… but I’m beginning to think if we did the tallying, the number one place I visit is a pharmacy.
It may be a joke at this point, but no trip with me is complete without a trip to the pharmacy. What will the next ailment be? 🤧