I cannot remember a time in my life when I wasn't always dreaming of my next overseas adventure.
Exploring our world was a value instilled in me at a very young age mostly due to the fact that I was born into a family travellers.
Being born in Italy and moving to Australia at age 3, with family in both countries, flights became a place of familiarity to me and to this day airports and economy class cabins are where you will find me at my most peaceful. Crazy right?!
Getting sick with multiple chronic illnesses (more in-depth posts on these diseases will be linked here when posted) meant that everyday life became incredibly hard. It meant that I had limited energy to expend and could flare up at anytime without even a moments notice.
Becoming a chronically ill traveller has meant that I have had to learn a new way to travel. I was not going to give up my thirst to explore the world. I knew that although i couldn't travel exactly like i use to, I would still be able to plan and action those dream trips and make the most out of the life i have.
Since getting ill i have travelled to parts of Europe , North America, Central America and Asia and I don't plan on stopping. In fact this coming May I will be headed to Europe once more to visit family and hopefully explore some new and amazing places.
Here are just some of the tips I have learnt from being a chronically ill traveller. Chronically ill or not maybe you might find some of these helpful.
Be Prepared
The best thing about travelling is the unknown. Getting lost and walking around for hours seeing sights that you would have otherwise missed. Being spontaneous and doing a last minute activity that you wouldn't dare to do at home (bungee jumping anyone?).
Unfortunately for me I realised that spontaneous fun can no longer be a part of my travels and as sad as that has made me it also is a reason why I can travel still at all.
I need to ensure that all accomodation is booked in advance as I cannot risk not having an adequate place to rest and recover.
I need to forward plan my itinerary to make sure that I have enough time to rest and that activities aren't clustered together making a busy schedule. For example if I am visiting a Disney park i will plan to stay on site and add at least an extra day so I can easily get back to the accomodation and rest. It also means I don't feel the pressure to push beyond my limits and can avoid certain times of the day (for example the morning opening backlog or middle of the day heat). It also means that I sometimes I have to prioritise activities that I feel are a once in a lifetime experience and miss out on others that although I think I would enjoy, would leave me completely spent.
Being prepared also means the boring (but important) stuff like making sure you have appropriate travel insurance. This can be particularly tricky when you have pre existing conditions so don't leave it last minute and don't just accept basic insurance add ons offered by travel agents and booking sites. In my experience having a rare and "high risk" condition meant a lot of insurers would flat out refuse toinsure me but with research (and higher than average premiums) we have found a company that will fully insure me and all of my conditions.
Make sure your Doctors and or specialists have given you the okay to travel and consider seeing a Doctor who specialises in travel (I personally use The Travel Doctor 's Sydney location and have found them to be great to deal with). They will keep in mind your medical needs while also considering how you can decrease risk of infection exposure or any other health related issues to the area you are travelling to. I recommend calling them as soon as you know you are travelling as certain vaccines may need to be given over a few months. While you are at your appointments ask your GP to write a letter with a brief medical overview for you stating your conditions and medications. Keep this on your person when you are travelling as it can become very handy when in foreign countries.
Ask for help
I always call the airline in advance (or note on my reservation if I am able to) to let them know that I have a disability which can cause unexpected and sporadic limited mobility and request wheelchair assistance. This allows me to avoid surprise long walks through the terminal that could set off a flare that might see me unfit to fly. It also means that I get through the airport safely while preserving my energy. I get to board the plane first and get off last which means i can rest for longer and not be at risk of injuring myself in the crowds or slowing down antsy travellers.
Keep in mind that in Australia it is illegal for anyone to ask you to prove disability (or even ask you what you have). I always travel with my Drs letter (as mentioned above) and government issued disability card as I find that people are much more helpful as often I can look perfectly healthy. Travelling with evidence also helps in countries that do not have the discrimination laws of Australia. Some airlines will charge for Mobility / Wheelchair assistance but will often refund the fee when seeing government issued proof. Unfortunately this is necessary due to the abuse of such disability services by able-bodied travellers.
Most airports have dedicated people to assist those who need it so its always worth calling in advance to see how they could make your pre and post flight a little easier.
Pack Well
I'll keep this short as I plan to do an in-depth post sharing what I pack for my upcoming trip in May.
Apart from ensuring that all clothing will be weather appropriate for my destination I make sure I have all my medications (enough for duration of trip and some extra) packed in my hand luggage . This is important if i have a flare on the plane or my luggage gets lost or delayed (which happened to me 3 times on one trip alone!) . I also always pack a small pouch full of things that will hopefully make the flight more comfortable even if i do have a flare.
Do you have any tips for travelling with chronic illness or just to make travel easier in general? I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas.