How to travel with a chronic illness

Dizzy and I are so excited to have our second ever guest blogger, the wonderful Jenny from The Chronic Traveller, who has written all about travelling with chronic illness for us. 🙂  

How to travel with a chronic illness

When I had the first flare of my Ulcerative Colitis, travel was the last thing on my mind. Other than “how will I travel from my house to the hospital”. But, obviously, I didn’t give the thought of holidays, or travelling internationally any of my limited brain space at all. It was only later, when the reality of having a chronic illness had begun to sink in that I began to think about it.

I love to travel. I’ve had itchy feet ever since I went on a gap year before university. Before my diagnosis I had travelled in 30 countries, and lived in 8, across 5 continents. I’ve been incredibly lucky and privileged. But, after my diagnosis I was filled with doubt about the new reality I found myself living in. I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to travel again, or if my body would continue to betray me. I was fortunate in that, as my immediate health problems began to level out, I found that I could indeed continue to indulge in my love of travel. It does have new challenges, but it is possible.

Travelling when you have a chronic illness can sometimes feel impossible. Travelling takes you right out of your comfort zone. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by worries and doubts:

What if I flare? What are the hospitals like abroad? What if no doctors there understand me? Will I be able to get the medicine I need? Will I even be able to enjoy myself?

But, you shouldn’t let these worries stop you from travelling, if this is what you want. Travelling with a chronic illness is a bit more of a challenge than travelling without one, but it’s not an impossible one. In fact, you’re probably going to be an amazing travel planner – honing in on the things that are most important to you.

I’ve been actively travelling with my Ulcerative Colitis for over a year now. In February I moved to Spain (from my native U.K.), and started my blog The Chronic Traveller.

Here are some of my top tips for travelling with a chronic illness:

1. Research

Carefully research the country that you’re thinking of going to. Think about your health requirements. Does this country have things that you need to be extra careful about?

What is the health system like in the country you’re going to? Are there hospitals where you’ll be going?

An excellent resource for travel if you have IBD is the IBD passport. It has country-specific information, including the names and contact details of doctors who specialise in IBD.

A great resource for finding English speaking doctors and pharmacies world-wide is the International Association of Medical Assistance to Travelers.

It’s a good idea to write down the names and addresses of hospitals in the areas that you’ll be going to. Then, if you need to you can just wave this at a taxi driver.

2. Insurance

Buy travel insurance! Make sure that it covers you for your chronic illnesses. You don’t want to be worrying about having to pay hefty hospital fees if the worst happens.

3. Bring medical information

Get a summary of your conditions from your doctor before you leave. If you can put it through Google Translate and get a translation in the local language of where you’re going, even better. Bring both with you.

Bring a copy of the prescription of any medicine that you’re taking. This will be helpful if you need to get more. It’s also helpful in case you have to explain to customs why you’re carrying so many drugs with you.

Make sure that you double check that your medication is legal in the country that you’re planning on going to. Lots of countries have strict rules against opioids and other medication.

Put all your medicine into your carry-on in case your luggage gets lost. It’s also a good idea to bring more than you need with you just in case something happens and you can’t find more where you are.

4. Rest when you need to

You might want to push yourself to go and explore the new exciting place that you’re in. Remember that it’s okay to rest when you need to.

When I’m walking around exploring a new city, or even when hiking in the countryside, I take regular stops, where I’ll sit down somewhere and rest. I’m a little bit slower now than I used to be. And that’s okay.

Sometimes I feel like I get a deeper sense of the place I’m in than I used to because of this. I stop when I need to, and I people watch for a bit. It’s great fun. Even hanging out in a hotel can be fun, it gives you a change to use all the facilities and luxuriate in sheets that you don’t have to wash. 

5. Make a list of priorities

You might not be able to do everything that you want to on your trip. Before you go make a list of all the things that you “must see” and things that your would just “like to do”. This will help you prioritise when you’re there. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t manage everything on your lists. Remember this happens to perfectly healthy people too!

6. Splash out when you need to

We all like saving money, but sometimes you have to think carefully and balance your health needs with your wallet.

When I was younger and much, much healthier I would usually jam myself into dorms in hostels because they were the cheapest option. Now, I really struggle with this. I’m a much lighter sleeper than I used to be, so shared rooms tend to keep me awake. Also, dorms in hostels always have bunk beds, and for some reason I always seem to get stuck with top bunks. I used to LOVE the top bunk, but now I have joint problems that mean I really struggle to climb a ladder. Also, I NEED to have a toilet that’s within dashing distance. Often dorms have shared toilets in the corridor, and this is not good for me right now.

I will still sometimes stay in a dorm, but only for one night, max. Hostels often have very nice private rooms, so for me it’s worth paying a little extra to get one.

Being willing to spend a little extra to get a taxi when you’re exploring is also a great idea. Add a little extra to your budget when you’re planning so you know you can treat yourself to things like this if you need to. Or, even so you can treat yourself to something frivolous like extra ice-cream, or room service, or a massage. Comfort is a great thing when you’re not feeling at your best.

7. Have fun

Ultimately the most important thing is to not let your chronic illness completely take over your holiday. Remember to have fun and see the things that are on the top of your lists.

Travelling with a chronic illness takes a little more planning, but it’s definitely worth it.

Don’t forget to check out Jenny’s wonderful blog here, and you can also follow her on twitter here. 🙂

What are your top tips for travelling with a chronic illness? Dizzy and I would love to know. 🙂 xxx