Traveling and seeing the world has always been a dream of mine, one I put on hold for the past 10+ years as I healed from a bone marrow transplant and most recently, ramsay hunt syndrome. Over the past few months, I have had the opportunity to travel both for work and fun. It is a privilege I don’t take lightly. As someone who lives with chronic illness, I have a set of ground rules whenever I do travel so I can make sure I feel supported when I am not close to home. 

These are my tips for traveling while on a healing journey:

Know your limits & be compassionate with yourself

Whether it is a solo trip or you are with others, acknowledge when you need to rest, take a break, or are exerting too much energy. Don’t let anyone else tell you what you can handle, only you know your body.

Communicate your needs

If/when you do need to rest, let the people around you know. They aren’t in your body with you and won’t know unless you advocate for your needs.

Make a packing list beforehand so you don’t forget any of your essentials

A few of mine include warm socks, snacks, books, kick-ass immune tincture, Four Sigmatic mushrooms, and digestive enzymes to name a few.

Plan ahead but don't overbook your schedule

Plan ahead so you don’t miss out on doing activities that are most important to you but don’t overbook your schedule. Be realistic with what you can do in a day.

Be mindful of what you eat

Be mindful of what you eat that might trigger symptoms or inflammation but don’t drive yourself crazy. This is where the digestive enzymes also help!

Maintain a few daily practices

Stick with a few of your daily practices to maintain consistency, at the very least your meditation practice to support your nervous system while you are away from home.

Pack comfortable clothes

As someone who spends a lot of time in sweatpants, this is a must. I want to feel good in my clothes but being able to move around and not feel constricted is important to me.

Trust

Trust in the divine timing of your life. Know you will experience all you need to and the most important thing is taking care of yourself.

Let me know what your favorite tip is from the list above and if you have one that you would like to add in the comments below! xo