7 Tips For Traveling With Chronic Illness

I love traveling. I live for exploring new places and crossing things off my bucket list. I also live with a chronic illness.

Traveling with chronic illness is possible. You might have to do some things differently, but there is always a way to do the things you love without breaking your body.

If I’m being honest, my strategy in the past was to travel as if I were completely healthy. I ignored my symptoms and limitations, and just pushed through until I got home. Then I was pretty much bedridden for a week until I felt human again.

It was a pretty brutal cycle, especially as I started traveling more often.

This strategy works if you only travel once in a blue moon and don’t have responsibilities to return to.

Through a whole lot of trial and error, listening to my body, and learning along the way, I figured out that it doesn’t have to be like this.

Being chronically ill doesn’t mean traveling has to break you down and take all your energy from you.

It is possible to travel and do everything you want to do while still taking care of your sick body.

Speak up for yourself and your needs

I have had many moments of pushing myself too far. Sometimes I realize it too late, and sometimes I know full well I’m doing too much and I do it anyway.

Picture this: you’re hiking the Grand Canyon. The trail is surrounded by a sheer drop-off. You look up, and you still have well over a mile to go to get up and out of the canyon.

Your legs shake with every step and as your vision blackens and your brain gets fuzzy you fight with everything you’ve got to not pass out.

Yeah, that was me. I made my sick body hike the Grand Canyon and I was dangerously close to fainting.

The thing is though, that morning when we were sitting at our campsite eating pop tarts and talking about our hiking plan, I knew full well I wouldn’t be able to do it. It was June in Arizona and the sun and heat always make me sick, and I can never keep up with that level of activity.

Instead of sucking up my pride and admitting this, I put myself in a very dangerous situation, which was next-level stupid.

This potentially near-death experience could have been entirely avoided if I had just spoken up for myself. If I were in this situation again, here’s what I would have done differently:

• When talking about our plan I would say, “How about we start early in the morning? The heat makes me feel sick, and I want to be able to enjoy this with you guys. Also, it will be less crowded and everyone will be more comfortable when it’s cooler.”
• Instead of continuing on after I started feeling sick because I was embarrassed to turn around, I would remind myself that no one cares at all. I would turn around long before I started feeling unwell. I would walk back up and hang out on a bench until everyone was done. I would still get to experience the hike, wouldn’t be taking anyone’s fun away, and get some extra rest with a very pretty view while I waited.
• I would also shamelessly wear a big, floppy hat for a little extra sun protection. You know they look really cool.
• I would do all of this with confidence. Feeling guilty about taking care of yourself and worrying about what people will think wastes too much energy.

You live and you learn, and I can tell you honestly that it is just not worth it to push yourself too far. Without failure, every time I have talked myself out of speaking up, it has never worked out.

Remind yourself that no one cares, in the best way possible. Your friends don’t want you to be in pain, and I promise they will respect you for knowing what you need.

Remind yourself of the things you will be able to do later on if you don’t go into energy debt.

Talk to the people you are traveling with ahead of time

Similar to the last one, but it might make it easier to have a talk before your trip.

You should never be embarrassed or ashamed of your illness, disability, or needs, but I know that sometimes it can feel like this.

Make it easy for yourself and talk to the people you’re traveling with beforehand. Talk to them in person or start off with a simple text. Whatever feels right.

If they are people who know you and your illness well, still remind them and layout clearly what this might mean for you on your trip. If you are traveling with new people or get invited on a trip, it might take a little more explaining, and that’s okay. Just take the time to do this to give yourself some peace of mind.

If you’re staying at someone’s house, talk to them ahead of time and tell them about anything you may need.

Take it slow.

Traveling is just as fulfilling at a slower pace. I promise.

Allow yourself to take it slow.

You don’t have to drive 3,000 miles and sleep in 5 different states in 5 nights. I tried this. It landed me in the hospital. Oops.

You don’t have to plan seven and a half activities in a day. Prioritize the things you want to do most, and let yourself rest and move slowly through the rest.

If you’re in a beautiful place, sit down and stare for a while.

Find a bus, train, boat, or something to take you around so you can see a place without spending your energy.

Sit in local parks, coffee shops, restaurants, and cafes.

Added bonus: you will fall in love with the little things and remember all the small details and moments of a place.

Decide what is worth it for you

As you know, there are some things worth spending extra energy on, and some things that are not. This is especially true when traveling.

If you couldn’t care less about hiking and it just feels like a waste of energy, don’t hike. There are so many stunning pull-offs you can drive to, and short, easy walks you can do instead.

On the other hand, if there is a hike on your bucket list, but you’re worried about how you will feel afterward. If you think it will be worth it, then just do it.

The past few summers I have gotten to go to my friend’s lake house in New Hampshire. We spend all day, every day on the boat, and we do not take it easy. Just watch this.

We spend too many hours in the sun, tube too hard, swim too much, and stay up too late swimming under the stars.

You know, all the things I love and my body hates.

I do what I can to take care of myself on these trips, but for the most part, I just say screw it, block out the week afterward to rest, and just live like I’m healthy for a little while.

I eat too much ice cream and feel the sun on my skin as if it didn’t make me sick. I wakeboard on aching, shaking legs and laugh through the pain after we fly off the tube. There are too many pictures of me laying “dead” in the back of the boat, trying to sneak in a little extra rest before the next activity.

When I’m bedridden for a week or so afterward, there are plenty of pictures and videos that put a smile on my face.

For me, these lake trips are well worth every ounce of pain.

Take care of yourself and do what is best for you always, but there will always be some things that are just worth the pain.

Remind yourself that later on, you won’t remember the pain. You will remember the happiness you felt. That happy memory is yours that you experienced, and no amount of pain or sickness can take that from you.

Plan time for rest

If you are someone who likes to thoroughly plan out your itinerary, make sure you include time to rest.

Between activities and planning out what you will do and where you will go each day, set a specific time for napping/resting.

When you set out a time and decide where and when you will rest each day, it ensures you won’t over plan and not have time to rest. You will also be way more likely to remember and follow through with resting.

Don’t be afraid to say, “no”

Picture this: you’re on the trip of a lifetime. It has been non-stop fun and your face hurts in a good way from smiling too much, but your illness is starting to catch up to you.

You get back to your hotel room and flop onto the bed after hours of exploring. You’re letting your body fully rest for the first time all day, when your friend, Becky, excitedly starts talking about a new activity she thought of.

Everyone has already agreed and is staring you down, waiting for your answer.

Now in the past, I personally would’ve faked a smile, tuned out the pain, and said, “heck yeah, let’s do it.”

Most of the time, I end up being miserable, and since I didn’t take the rest I need, I end up in more pain and have to miss out on something later.

Do not be afraid to say no.

Take care of yourself, and do it with confidence.

If you’re not feeling up for something or it isn’t worth your energy, you are allowed to just say no.

Don’t forget the important stuff

It sounds simple, but don’t forget the things you need.

Meds, braces, ice packs, Advil, supplements, all of that. Make a list of everything you need so you don’t forget anything you depend on to keep you comfy.

If you have any dietary restrictions, bring snacks you can eat and consider looking at the restaurants and food options beforehand to give yourself some peace of mind.

Chronic illness sucks, but it is still possible to live a life you love. You can still do the things you love and chase memories, even if you have to do it a little differently.

Take care of yourself. Listen to your body, move slow, always speak up for yourself, and do it all with confidence.

Live the life you dream of.