Please don't fall into that black hole of worry. Instead, take that budding idea in the back of your heart and mind, which may have been there for 5, 10, 20 years, and make it happen!! You CAN do it!!
As I prepare for my next trip overseas, I have been fondly reminiscing on some of my favorite travel moments throughout my life. I wanted to share to plant the vision that you can travel with Crohn's/IBD.
These are in no particular order:
Swimming with scores of dolphins in the wild, trying to decide whether to watch their curious approaches underwater or take in their acrobatics above the water!
Kaikoura, New Zealand
Paragliding in the Swiss Alps
The fairy chimneys of Cappadocia
Turkey
Seeing blue whales in the wild, sensing their enormity under the surface and watching that famous whale tail as they dive back under
Kaikoura, New Zealand
Observing koala bears in the wild. Cuteness overload. Cuteness explosion!!
Kangaroo Island, Australia
Walking the Great Wall of China, then tending to a group member who fell on the Great Wall of China. Watching strangers unite to help
Swimming the Great Barrier Reef, the silent mystery of the deep
Australia
A magical day on the fairy-tale land of the Isle of Skye, Scotland
The first moment I stepped outside my lodge in Santorini and take in the vista of the island, and later that night watching the sunset in Oia, as hundreds climbed on buildings and relics to watch one of the most famous sunsets in the world
Greece
Cinque Terre, oh everything about the charming tangle of little villages by the sea
Italy
Seeing my bestest dearest friend in London and exploring her new world with her.
England
Falling in love in Ireland
Wells Cathedral, my favorite cathedral of them all
San Gimignano, the food and wine and sunflower fields of Tuscany
Italy
Kangaroo Island, a remote southern island off the coast of Australia
Staying with a host family in Wales and realizing teenagers across the globe are the same :)
Walking the parks of England with a professor as guide, and realizing I wanted my career in preserving this beautiful world and its people
A leisurely canal tour of Brugges
Belgium
Seeing Mont St. Michel pop up on the horizon and feeling as giggly as a schoolgirl
France
Enjoying an island hopping day off the coast of Turkey the day after my birthday, despite waking up with strep throat! That sense of satisfaction at being so pleased I decided to move forward and enjoy the day, how much I would have missed otherwise!
For each of these, I could have shared the behind the scenes incidents, large and small, that negatively affected the journey. I bled my way through Europe one summer, even the Prednisone quit working. I battled nasty train station food filled with preservatives. I faced language barriers and ordered the wrong food, having to go hungry. I ate little more than scraps of rice in China the ENTIRE trip. I even blogged about the dolphin swim scare, which was one of the best/scariest experiences of my life. I had flares after a very scary incident in Mexico and picking up something along the way in China.
In the end, what you remember are the moments of joy and glory, not the low and scary moments. I guarantee it is worth facing your fears and concerns and trying to move in the direction of pulling that dream trip together. I guarantee even if you get sick along the way or after, you will feel stronger for having gone.
Tell your doctor your goals. Get their opinions. Get second opinions.
Research, research, research
Contact me with specific questions!
Crohnies unite!