When you’re preparing for a trip in Zimbabwe, you probably think about what clothes to pack, where you’ll stay, fuel, food, money and everything else you’ll need when you arrive.
But what happens if someone gets injured along the way?
A cut while stopping for lunch. A fall while exploring somewhere new. A minor burn at a braai. A bleeding injury after a road accident.
If you don’t have your own first aid supplies with you, you immediately become dependent on what happens to be available around you.
You Can’t Always Assume Someone Else Will Have a First Aid Kit
When travelling in someone else’s vehicle, using public transport or joining friends or family on a trip, it can be easy to assume that first aid preparedness is someone else’s responsibility.
The driver might have a First Aid Kit.
The lodge might have one.
Someone else in the group might have brought supplies.
Or you might be able to buy what you need nearby.
But until an injury actually happens, you may have no idea whether any of those things are true.
And even if a First Aid Kit is available, you don’t necessarily know what is inside it, whether it has been restocked or whether it contains the supplies needed for the situation you’re dealing with.
Travelling Can Take You Further Away From Immediate Help
Zimbabwe has plenty of destinations that involve travelling considerable distances between towns, through rural areas or to places where shops, pharmacies and medical facilities aren’t immediately accessible.
Even on routes you know well, an injury doesn’t necessarily happen somewhere convenient.
Having your own basic first aid supplies means you have something available to assist with an injury while arranging further medical assistance where necessary.
A Vehicle/Travel First Aid Kit Doesn’t Have to Belong to the Vehicle
This is where the way we think about Vehicle First Aid Kits can be limiting.
A Vehicle/Travel First Aid Kit doesn’t only have to sit permanently inside your own car.
It can be part of your personal travel preparations.
If you’re travelling in your own vehicle, keep it in the vehicle.
If you’re getting into someone else’s car, put it in your travel bag.
If you’re travelling by bus or another form of transport, take it with your luggage.
When you arrive at your destination, it can stay with your belongings and be available during your trip.
The important part isn’t whose vehicle you’re travelling in.
It’s knowing that you have access to your own first aid supplies if they’re needed.
What Kind of Injuries Can First Aid Supplies Help You Prepare For?
Depending on the contents of your kit, basic first aid supplies can help you respond initially to common situations such as cuts, grazes, minor burns, sprains and bleeding injuries.
They don’t replace professional medical treatment when it is required.
Their purpose is to give you supplies you can use immediately while you determine what further assistance is needed.
Because when someone gets injured, that’s not the ideal time to start asking:
“Does anyone have a bandage?”
“Is there a First Aid Kit in the car?”
“Where’s the nearest place we can buy one?”
Make First Aid Part of Your Zimbabwe Travel Packing List
You already pack the things you expect to need during your trip.
First aid supplies are for the things you hope you won’t need.
Before your next trip in Zimbabwe, add one more item to your packing list:
Your own Vehicle/Travel First Aid Kit.
Empowered Travel’s Vehicle/Travel First Aid Kit is designed to give motorists and travellers access to essential first aid supplies while on the road or away from home. Each kit also includes an items list guide explaining what is inside the kit and what the different items are used for.
A First Aid Handbook ($10) can also be added for additional guidance on responding to common first aid situations.
Vehicle/Travel First Aid Kit – US$35
Available from Empowered Travel Zw in Harare, Zimbabwe.
Empowered Travel Zw – Your Emergency Preparedness Partner.
Call/WhatsApp 0784887595 | Open Monday – Friday | 8am – 4pm
