AMK’S NEW TRAVEL SERIES HELPS TRAVELERS TRAVEL SAFE AND HEALTHY

Use of Recycled Materials, ‘Product is Package’ Innovation Reduces Waste

(OAKLAND, CA – WINTER 2009) – Adventure^® Medical Kits, the leading developer of safety and survival gear for outdoor adventurers, today unveiled The Travel Series, a new line of medical kits designed to help adventure travelers travel safe and healthy. The new series completely revamps the first iteration of the line, released in 1999, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continues to recommend for travelers.

“In re-imagining the Travel Series, we wanted to create kits that not only addressed the most common needs of today’s travelers, but went further to include components that would help them in situations they’re likely not to have anticipated, but could very well face,” says AMK marketing director Frank Meyer.

STOMACH SICKNESS #1 AILMENT OF TRAVELERS

“According to the Centers For Disease Control (CDC), 20% - 50% of all travelers visiting international destinations experience traveler’s diarrhea and other stomach ailments. As such, diarrhea meds, rehydration solutions and stomach medications became the focus of the kits, rather than band-aids and other low-cost wound care items, which competitor kits put a premium on,” says Meyer.

The Travel Series is comprised of four kits – the World Travel (MSRP$70), the Smart Travel (MSRP$40), the Suture Syringe Medic (MSRP$22) and the Travel Medic (MSRP$10).

The largest kit in the series, the World Travel, is designed for 1 to 4 people for multiple days. Ideal for trekking in Nepal, climbing Kilimanjaro or leading a group of students or colleagues on a humanitarian trip to a developing country, the World Travel is stocked with medications to treat diarrhea, dehydration, pain, and allergic reactions as well as wound care materials for blisters, burns, and cuts and scrapes. The World Travel also comes with a visual communication card featuring illustrations that enable travelers to point to pictures to indicate the illnesses or injuries from which they’re suffering.

“According to the most recent U.S. Department of Commerce data on international travel, the biggest increase in travel has been to Asia and other non-European destinations where English is not the first language spoken. For those trips, the visual communication cards are a potential lifesaver that will help those who are hurt or injured to overcome any language barrier and get the proper care they need,” says Meyer.

Like many of AMK’s existing kits, the World Travel comes with the illustrated first aid reference A Comprehensive Guide to Wilderness & Travel Medicine. Penned by Eric A. Weiss, M.D., associate director of trauma at Stanford University Medical Center, the guide covers recommended vaccinations, traveler’s health insurance resources, and prescription medications travelers should add to their kits. The World Travel also features the EasyCare™ system, which organizes hospital quality components into injury-specific compartments; a personal storage section with pockets to stow prescription pill vials and toiletries; and a TSA-approved liquid storage bag that contains vials for shampoos, lotions and gels. As such, the World Travel enables light packers to eliminate the need for toiletry kits altogether. 

The Smart Travel, the next largest kit in the line, also features the EasyCare™ system and A Comprehensive Guide to Wilderness & Travel Medicine. Suited for 1 to 2 people for multiple days, the Smart Travel Kit comes with many of the same hospital quality meds and materials as the World Travel, but in smaller quantities.

AMK designed the Smart Travel Kit for those 40% of international travelers who travel solo,”¹ says Meyer, adding, “Whether the destination is Europe, Africa, or Nepal, the Smart Travel Kit will be the perfect travel companion.”

The Travel Medic ($10), the smallest kit in the series, meanwhile, contains enough meds and wound care items for one person for multiple days. The TM is an ideal kit if your travels are taking you across the U.S., to Europe, the Caribbean or the sunny beaches of Mexico.

CLEAN NEEDLES CRITICALTO TRAVELER HEALTH

CDC statistics cite that over 10 million people per year contract Hepatitis or HIV from the re-use of needles. In developing countries where the resources and funding of local health care providers may be limited, the re-use of needles is more common and the sterilization techniques used are suspect. If your trip takes you to developing countries, a prudent addition to your pack is the Suture Syringe Medic. At only $22, the Suture Syringe Medic may be the cheapest and most useful form of life insurance you can buy. Used for everything from administering anesthetics for a tooth procedure, suturing a wound close or starting an IV, the Suture Syringe Medic provides peace of mind in a time of need.

ENVIRONMENTALLY RESPONSIBLE DESIGN

 Both of AMK’s Travel Medic and SSM bags are certified carbon neutral.² Made of recycled craft paper laminated onto a woven polypropylene, the two Medic bags are durable and refillable so travelers can continually reuse their kits when they run out of supplies. To emphasize the refillable feature, Adventure Medical Kits will be offering 25% off refill supplies at adventuremedicalkits.com for anyone who registers their kit online.

 AMK is always striving to find ways to reduce unnecessary material from its products. To that end, the Travel Medic and Suture Syringe Medic bags both feature product information printed on the bag, which in the past would have required additional paper hangtags.  “The ‘Product is Package’ innovation that we used on the Travel Medic and SSM bags is a first for us and something we’ll be incorporating into future lines as we try to minimize our products’ impact on the earth,” says Meyer.

 Along with being environmentally responsible, AMK designed the kits so they would appear more stylish looking than your typical travel kit. 

 “We wanted to skirt the drab ‘black suitcase’ conventions of what travel gear should look like,” said Meyer, adding, “This line of kits has a look that international and adventure travelers will naturally gravitate towards and, with its comprehensive list of components and detailed instructional material, want to make sure that they pack on their next trip.”

  Whether you’re eco-touring in Costa Rica, on safari in Africa, or backpacking through Europe, AMK’s NEW Travel Series of kits will have you covered.

 AMK’s Travel Series is slated for retail release in Q1 2009.

¹U.S. Department of Commerce data on international travel

² JP Morgan ClimateCare

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