About Kathy Keen, Founder of The Keen Insider
Whether you take daily prescriptions, use a CPAP machine, travel with controlled substances, carry injectables, or simply want to avoid surprises at airport security,
The Keen Insider gives you the insider know-how to fly smarter—every step of the way—so you can avoid delays, confiscations, and unnecessary stress.
I’m not a doctor, and I don’t give medical advice or treatment recommendations.
What I do provide is something travelers need but rarely find: Clear, accurate, and practical guidance on how to navigate TSA and customs with medications and medical devices that often trigger extra screening.
I translate the fine print into plain language—so you can pack confidently, stay compliant, and sidestep the delays, confiscations, and confusion that catch so many travelers off guard.
Hi, I’m Kathy Keen
I’m the founder of The Keen Insider—your go-to resource for flying with medications without delays, confiscations, or confusion. For over 30 years, I’ve created health guides and travel resources that make complicated rules easy to understand.
If you’re traveling with prescriptions, controlled substances, injectables, or temperature-sensitive meds, I do the digging directly with primary government sources—contacting embassies by phone and email, consulting the INCB drug database, and reviewing official TSA and customs regulations—so you can pack legally, clear TSA smoothly, and meet international medication rules without unpleasant surprises.
My Background
In the 1990s and early 2000s, I worked with doctors, pharmacists, and occupational therapists to create plain-language health guides for hospitals and corporations—keeping patients informed and insurance costs down.
Later, while collaborating with a luxury British airline at a New York infomercial company, I gained firsthand insight from oxygen vendors, evacuation specialists, and medical equipment manufacturers—learning exactly how to help passengers with complex health needs travel safely and confidently.
In the late 2000s, I launched SeniorBenefitsGuide.com, a trusted resource for New York–area seniors, and spent my days listening to older adults share their worries about navigating health systems and planning travel.
Why I Focus on Air Travel with Medications
During my years with Sansabelt, I kept hearing the same mix of travel worries. Men would joke, “I need pants I can actually wear on a plane,” while their wives would ask, “Do you think I can bring a pill organizer?” Beneath the humor was something serious—anxiety about TSA rules, fear of losing prescriptions abroad, and uncertainty about foreign laws. That’s when I realized there was a real need for trustworthy, step-by-step guidance to help travelers feel prepared and protected.
That’s the gap I’ve been filling ever since—combining insider research with real-world traveler concerns to make sure you know exactly what to do before, during, and after your flight.
What You Can Expect from The Keen Insider
- Up-to-date advice verified with TSA agents, airline staff, and customs officials
- Plain-language guides to help you comply with both U.S. and international rules
- Practical packing tips for prescriptions, injectables, and refrigerated meds
- Peace of mind knowing you can travel prepared, not panicked
Whether you’re visiting family across the country or heading to the Far East with a suitcase full of prescriptions, my goal is simple: To help you travel independently, confidently, and without unpleasant surprises.
Wishing you happy, safe journeys,
— Kathy Keen
Founder, The Keen Insider