Preparing for Work or Travel With Migraine

Why preparation matters

Most of the difficulty in a bad day away from home is logistical. You are somewhere unfamiliar, the lighting is not yours, and the things you need are in a drawer at home. Deciding what travels with you, once, means you are not deciding it while you feel unwell.

Creating a portable migraine-ready kit

A small pouch that lives in a bag rather than being packed each time is the version that actually works. The Migraine Hub has a migraine-ready kit section with a tickable list you can use as a starting point.

• 01Whatever medication you have been prescribed or advised to use, in its original packaging
• 02Water, and a refillable bottle
• 03A plain snack that does not need preparation
• 04Sunglasses
• 05Earplugs or over ear defenders
• 06An eye mask or a scarf that can serve as one
• 07A written note of your medication and any relevant history
• 08Phone charger or power bank

Keeping medication accessible

Keep it where you can reach it without unpacking a bag, and in hand luggage rather than a hold case. Take enough for delays. If you are travelling abroad, check the rules for the country you are visiting before you go.

This article does not cover which medicines to use or how much to take. Doses, timing and how often acute treatments can safely be used are decisions for your GP or pharmacist, and NICE guidance notes that frequent use of acute painkillers can itself contribute to more frequent headaches, which is a conversation worth having with a clinician.

Planning food and water

Skipped meals and dehydration are among the most commonly reported triggers. Long meetings and long journeys make both more likely.

• 01Eat something before you leave, even if it is small
• 02Carry a snack rather than relying on what will be available
• 03Refill water at every opportunity
• 04Keep caffeine roughly steady rather than doubling it on a hard day

Managing screens and lighting

On the move, screens are usually held closer, in worse light, for longer. Raise the text size, turn brightness down in dark carriages and cabins, and put the phone away for stretches of a journey rather than filling every minute.

In an office, ask to sit away from direct glare and use a desk lamp instead of working under a bright overhead light where that is possible.

Allowing extra time

Rushing adds tension to the neck and shoulders and removes every option you might otherwise have. Booking a slightly earlier train, or leaving twenty minutes of slack in a schedule, is a small cost for a much calmer journey.

Identifying quiet spaces

Knowing where you can go, before you need it, is worth more than almost anything else on this list.

• 01At work: a first aid room, an unbooked meeting room, a quiet stairwell
• 02In stations and airports: a chapel, a quiet zone, an assistance point
• 03In a hotel: ask on arrival for a quiet floor away from lifts
• 04On a train: a quiet coach, or a window seat facing away from the sun

Telling someone you trust

One colleague, one travel companion, one person at the other end who knows what is going on. It shortens every difficult conversation and means someone can help without being asked twice.

Air travel and long journeys

Long journeys combine dry air, disturbed sleep, irregular meals and hours of noise. There is little you can do about the cabin, and quite a lot you can do about the rest.

• 01Keep your kit in the bag that stays with you
• 02Drink water steadily rather than in one go on landing
• 03Ask about assistance in advance if you think you may need it
• 04Aim for your usual sleep and meal timings where the schedule allows
• 05Build a slower first day into the plan rather than a full one

What to include in a personal plan

Written down once, on a card or a note on your phone, so you are not composing it under pressure:

• 01Your usual early signs
• 02What you take, and when you were advised to take it
• 03Where your quiet space is, at work and away
• 04Who you will tell
• 05What can be dropped from the day, and who needs to know
• 06Your GP details and any relevant history

Stephanie's experience

Personal note rather than guidance: the single thing that changed travel for me was giving up on packing a kit each time. The pouch lives in my bag, so on the mornings I feel least capable of thinking ahead, the thinking has already been done.

About Not My Grain

Not My Grain is a cosmetic cooling botanical roll-on created with migraine sufferers in mind. It is not a medicine and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent migraine.