Traveling with T1D empowers me & makes me feel alive!

When I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 11, my mom wrote a list of topics to discuss with our first endocrinologist, Dr. Gottschalk. “Traveling with T1D” was the 11th topic on that list. Four and a half months later, Dr. Gottschalk wrote my first “doctor’s note to travel.” 

Before diabetes and even elementary school, my mom had me tracing maps and flags of countries all around the world. My dad brought home college sweatshirts, matryoshka dolls, and other souvenirs for me and my sister when he traveled for work. Needless to say, my parents fueled the flame for my curiosity in adventure + travel from a young age. 

Why Travel?

Even though my parents were the ones that introduced me to travel, they were of course filled with worry every time I announced that I was going on another trip, but their fears subsided over time, while the trust I had in myself grew exponentially. 

Letting go of control is a practice for most people, but as humans or loved ones of humans that exist in bodies that aren’t able to survive on their own, the courage it takes for us to feel safe enough to let go is scaled to a level that is incomprehensible for most people unaffected by diabetes. 

This is WHY they call us “warriors,” people living with diabetes + the people that love us. Because we ARE warriors! We are strong-willed and we are courageous every day in living with type 1 diabetes. 

Feeling safe to let go of control and be open to the unknown continues to be a lifelong practice for me. I often find myself over-analyzing + future-thinking, but every time I travel I am reminded of how incredibly capable I am to trust in myself to live presently. 

When I prepare to travel, I feel safe to let go of control and allow myself to wander. When I wander and let go of control...I feel free!…liberated from worry, fully present, free to be completely and authentically me. This is why I travel with type 1 diabetes. 

I remember sitting in my 6th grade history class, shortly after being diagnosed with T1D, seeing a picture of the Great Wall of China, thinking to myself, “I’m going to go there one day.” 

My family and I traveled and also moved often, 13 times before I was 11 to be exact. After I was diagnosed with T1D, we continued to travel and we learned many lessons along the way. 

For example, always check the temperature of the hotel refrigerator before placing all of your insulin in it. There’s nothing quite like opening the fridge to hundreds of dollars worth of frozen insulin while vacationing in the Bahamas.

Traveling with diabetes can keep you on your toes! It can be cumbersome from time to time - taking extra preparation, time, and additional baggage (quite literally)…but it is possible and totally worth it!! 

In 2015, I flew to India and backpacked through Sri Lanka. The following year, I went to Thailand. 

In 2018, I fulfilled the dream of my 11 year old self that was newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. I went on my first solo backpacking trip to Asia, where I stood proudly on the Great Wall of China, just like I imagined I would. On that same trip, I backpacked through the Philippines where I jumped off of waterfalls and swam with whale sharks in the same day! It was the most nostalgic and empowering international experience of them all.