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Travelling & Flying with Diabetes Technology (Singapore)

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Travelling and flying with diabetes technology
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Written & reviewed by the BestDoctors.sg editorial team · Last updated 28 Aug 2026 · General information, not medical advice

Travelling with an insulin pump and CGM is very doable, and with some planning you can go almost anywhere. The main things to get right are carrying enough supplies in the right bag, keeping insulin safe, handling airport security, and adjusting for time zones. This guide walks through each, so your devices support your trip rather than complicating it. Discuss any big journey with your diabetes team in advance.

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In a medical emergency, or for severe or sudden symptoms such as breathing difficulty, chest pain, fainting or stroke signs, call 995 immediately.

This is general information; plan travel with your diabetes team ahead of time. Carry backup insulin pens and ketone testing, since device failure still risks DKA. Check your device manufacturer’s airport-security guidance before you fly. Call 995 (or local emergency services abroad) for a severe hypo or signs of DKA.

Planning and supplies

The golden rule is to take more than you think you will need, roughly double your usual supplies, to cover delays. That means spare pump infusion sets and reservoirs, spare CGM sensors and any transmitter, batteries and chargers, backup insulin pens with both rapid and long-acting insulin, ketone testing, a glucose meter and strips, and fast-acting carbohydrate for hypos. Split your supplies across more than one bag, so a single lost or stolen bag does not leave you without essentials. It is easy to underestimate how much you use over a long trip, so counting out your sets, sensors and insulin against the number of days, then adding extra, is time well spent before you pack.

Hand luggage and keeping insulin cool

Keep all your diabetes supplies, and especially insulin, in your hand luggage, never in the aircraft hold. The hold can get cold enough to freeze insulin, which ruins it, and hold bags can be lost. Insulin should also be protected from heat and direct sun, so in a warm climate a cool wallet or pouch that activates with water, needing no fridge, is useful. Keeping insulin cool but not frozen matters wherever you travel, and especially in Singapore’s heat and at hot destinations. Never leave insulin or devices in a parked car or in direct sun, where temperatures can climb quickly and damage both the insulin and the electronics.

A doctor’s letter

Carry a letter or travel certificate from your doctor or diabetes team listing your condition, your insulin, and your devices and supplies, including needles, pens, the pump and the CGM. This helps at airport security and if you need medical help away from home. It is worth arranging this well before you travel. Keeping the letter with your supplies, ready to show, smooths your way through security and customs. Some people also carry a card or note explaining that they wear an insulin pump and sensor, which is helpful if they are ever unwell abroad and cannot explain it themselves.

Airport scanners

This is the point that most often causes confusion. Many pump and CGM manufacturers advise that their devices should not go through airport full-body scanners or the carry-on X-ray belt, and this can include spare sensors and transmitters. The advice varies by device, so check your manufacturer’s travel guidance before you fly. You can tell security that you wear a medical device and request a hand search or pat-down and a visual inspection instead. Walk-through metal detectors are usually fine, but again follow your device’s guidance, and if a device has been scanned, cross-check its readings with a fingerstick.

Time zones

Crossing time zones changes the timing of your background insulin and your pump clock, which can be confusing on long trips. Plan any pump clock changes and insulin timing with your diabetes team before you travel, so you have a clear plan for the outbound and return journeys. Getting this sorted in advance avoids guesswork in an unfamiliar airport, and your team can tailor it to your route and the size of the time difference. On long flights it can help to write down a simple plan in advance for when to change the pump clock and when to check your glucose, so you are not doing sums while tired at the end of a long journey across several time zones.

At your destination, insurance and support

Think ahead about your destination too. Keep insulin and devices out of extreme heat, cold and direct sun, carry your device manufacturer’s international support contacts, and know how you would get supplies or help if needed. Make sure your travel insurance declares your diabetes and your devices, or it may not be valid. With these in place, travelling with diabetes technology becomes routine rather than something to dread, and many people with a pump and CGM travel widely and adventurously. With these in place, travelling becomes far less stressful. In Singapore, your diabetes team can help you prepare, and Diabetes Singapore offers practical guidance for people living with diabetes.

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General information only. This guide supports, but does not replace, the advice of your diabetes team (your endocrinologist and diabetes nurse educator), who set your insulin and settings and train you on your devices. Never make big changes to your settings alone, and always keep backup insulin pens and ketone testing. An insulin pump uses only rapid-acting insulin, so if delivery stops, glucose and ketones can rise fast: unexplained high glucose means check the site, change the set and give insulin by pen. Call 995 for signs of diabetic ketoacidosis (high glucose with ketones, vomiting, tummy pain, deep or rapid breathing, drowsiness) or for a severe hypo (unable to treat yourself, fitting or unconscious). If you are struggling emotionally, you are not alone: the Samaritans of Singapore (SOS) are on 1767 and mindline.sg on 1771.

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Frequently asked questions

Where should I pack my insulin and devices when flying?

In your hand luggage, never the hold, which can freeze and ruin insulin and can be lost. Take about double your usual supplies to cover delays, and split them across more than one bag so a single lost bag does not leave you without essentials.

Can my pump and CGM go through airport scanners?

Many manufacturers advise devices should not go through full-body scanners or the carry-on X-ray belt, sometimes including spare sensors. Advice varies by device, so check your manufacturer’s guidance. Tell security you wear a medical device and request a hand search instead.

How do I keep insulin cool when travelling?

Keep it in hand luggage out of the hold, and protect it from heat and direct sun. In a warm climate a cool wallet or pouch that activates with water and needs no fridge is useful. Insulin must be kept cool but not frozen.

What about crossing time zones?

Crossing time zones changes the timing of your background insulin and pump clock. Plan any clock changes and insulin timing with your diabetes team before you travel, so you have a clear plan for both journeys and are not guessing in an unfamiliar airport.

What documents should I carry?

A letter or travel certificate from your doctor or team listing your condition, insulin, and devices and supplies, plus your device manufacturer’s international support contacts. Make sure your travel insurance declares your diabetes and devices, or it may not be valid.