Travacalm: Original, HO and Ginger are three different medicines

Educational summary · drug class: Australian travel sickness range: antihistamine plus anticholinergic combination, hyoscine-only, and ginger tablets · last reviewed 2026-06-29

Travacalm is an Australian travel sickness range from Key Pharmaceuticals, and the three products on the shelf are genuinely different medicines. Travacalm Original combines three actives in one tablet: dimenhydrinate 50 mg, hyoscine hydrobromide 200 micrograms and caffeine 20 mg, with directions from age 4. Travacalm HO is a single-ingredient chewable with more hyoscine (300 micrograms) and nothing else, and is not for children under 8. Travacalm Ginger is a ginger tablet positioned as non-drowsy, with directions from age 6. All three are taken about 30 minutes before departure. Which one, if any, suits you is a pharmacist question.

Not medical advice. This page is for general educational and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not a substitute for the advice of a qualified healthcare professional. Dizzout is not a medical provider: we are not doctors or pharmacists. The information here is a general summary drawn from sources such as the FDA-approved label and other public health resources, and it may not reflect the most current changes; the official product label is the authoritative source. Whether any medicine is right for you, and how much to take, are individual decisions that depend on your health, age, and other medicines. We do not provide dosing instructions: always read the product label and follow its directions. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping, or changing any medication, and never disregard or delay professional medical advice because of something you read here. If you think you may have a medical emergency, contact a doctor or your local emergency number immediately.

What it is

The Travacalm name covers a family rather than a formula. Original is the combination product: the sedating antihistamine dimenhydrinate (the same active as US Dramamine and Canadian Gravol), the anticholinergic hyoscine hydrobromide, and caffeine, a stimulant, in one tablet; it has been on the Australian register since 1991 and contains lactose and wheat starch among its excipients. HO is hyoscine-only at 300 micrograms, the same strength as the UK's Kwells tablet, in chewable form. Ginger drops the pharmaceuticals entirely: concentrated ginger root extract with dried ginger root powder. Original and HO are Schedule 2 pharmacy medicines in Australia.

Availability: Australia: Travacalm Original and Travacalm HO are Schedule 2 pharmacy medicines; Travacalm Ginger is sold alongside them. Availability outside Australia varies. Legal status, brand names, and availability vary by country: check what applies where you live.

How it may help with motion sickness

The medicated variants work through the two classic anti-motion-sickness pathways: dimenhydrinate damps histamine signalling in the brain's vomiting and balance circuits, and hyoscine blocks acetylcholine from the inner ear's balance organs. Original stacks both mechanisms and adds caffeine; HO relies on hyoscine alone. Ginger is a traditional nausea remedy rather than a registered medicine in the same sense, and the honest summary of its evidence lives on our ginger verdict page. All three carry the same 30-minutes-before-departure direction, so none needs the 2-hour lead of cinnarizine products.

General timing

All three products direct taking a dose about 30 minutes before departure. Repeat intervals and daily maximums then differ by product and age: the labels give Original 4-to-6-hourly repeats for adults with age-banded amounts from 4, HO repeats for adults and children 8 to 12, and Ginger its own schedule from age 6. This is general label timing only. We do not provide dosing instructions: follow the pack for the specific variant, and ask the pharmacist, which Schedule 2 medicines in Australia are sold through anyway.

We don't provide dosing instructions. The exact amount, schedule, and whether it suits you are individual decisions: read the product label and follow its directions, and ask a doctor or pharmacist.

Common side effects

Sources such as the product label commonly list:

Original and HO: drowsiness (both carry a may-cause-drowsiness warning)
Original and HO: dry mouth and blurred vision (antihistamine and anticholinergic class effects)
Original: caffeine 20 mg per tablet is a stimulant, which matters if you are sensitive to caffeine or taking it late in the day
Ginger: positioned as non-drowsy; ginger is generally well tolerated

Who should check with a doctor or pharmacist first

The age floors differ per variant and are easy to mix up at the shelf: Original from 4, Ginger from 6, HO not under 8. Match the box to the child, not the brand to the family.
Original and HO: if affected by drowsiness do not drive or operate machinery, and avoid alcohol.
The hyoscine in Original and HO carries the anticholinergic cautions: glaucoma, prostate and urinary problems, and heart conditions are reasons to ask a pharmacist first (full list on our hyoscine page).
Pregnancy or breastfeeding: check with your doctor or pharmacist before using any of the three.
Original contains lactose and wheat starch, relevant for allergies and intolerances.
These are Australian products; if you are reading from elsewhere, the equivalents under other names differ (see our names-by-country guide).

Related situation guides

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Travacalm Original and Travacalm HO?

Original is a three-active combination: dimenhydrinate 50 mg, hyoscine hydrobromide 200 micrograms and caffeine 20 mg. HO is hyoscine only, at a higher 300 micrograms, chewable, with no antihistamine and no caffeine. The age floors also differ: Original carries directions from age 4, HO is not for children under 8.

Which Travacalm can children take?

By label age floor: Original from 4, Ginger from 6, HO from 8, each with its own age-banded amounts. That inversion surprises people, the gentler-sounding single-ingredient HO has the highest age floor. A pharmacist can match the product to the child.

Does Travacalm make you drowsy?

Original and HO can: both carry drowsiness warnings, and their actives are a sedating antihistamine and an anticholinergic. Original also contains 20 mg of caffeine, a stimulant, alongside them. Ginger is the variant positioned as non-drowsy.

When should Travacalm be taken?

About 30 minutes before departure, for all three variants, with product-specific repeat schedules after that. That short lead time is closer to hyoscine timing than to cinnarizine products, which need about 2 hours.

Can I buy Travacalm outside Australia?

It is an Australian range, sold there as Schedule 2 pharmacy medicines. The same actives appear under different names elsewhere: dimenhydrinate is Dramamine in the US and Gravol in Canada, and 300 microgram hyoscine tablets are Kwells in the UK. Our names-by-country guide maps the shelf equivalents.

Sources

This page is for general educational and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not a substitute for the advice of a qualified healthcare professional. Dizzout is not a medical provider: we are not doctors or pharmacists. The information here is a general summary drawn from sources such as the FDA-approved label and other public health resources, and it may not reflect the most current changes; the official product label is the authoritative source. Whether any medicine is right for you, and how much to take, are individual decisions that depend on your health, age, and other medicines. We do not provide dosing instructions: always read the product label and follow its directions. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping, or changing any medication, and never disregard or delay professional medical advice because of something you read here. If you think you may have a medical emergency, contact a doctor or your local emergency number immediately.