Embracing a Love of Travel Despite Chronic Pain

Real-world tips for adventurous globetrotters

For as long as I can remember, I have loved to travel. I grew up in a family that loved to plan grand adventures and seek out new experiences. In school, my best friends would invite me on their family trips. After graduating high school, I spent a summer abroad in Turin, Italy, including a summer semester at the university there. Throughout my teens and early twenties, any time anyone asked if I wanted to travel to a certain place, whether it was a cruise, a ski trip, a cross-continent train journey, a road trip, my answer was yes.

Travel is something that is just in my soul. For others who have the same feeling, you’ll know what I mean. I can’t help but constantly wonder what else is out there. I want to see it all, I want to experience it.

When a fall from a balcony in my early twenties left me with multiple injuries and a long and challenging road to get my life back on track, I had to hit the pause button on my travel plans. It was during this time that I realized just how much travel meant to me. And how the chronic pain I have lived with ever since the accident was not going to railroad me; somewhere buried beneath the layers of my pain, I knew that my desire to see the world was still alive. As I began to heal, I made it my mission to allow myself to resume my daydreaming about the places I wanted to travel to despite my pain, constant fatigue, and other health issues.

Cut to the present day – I think I can describe myself as well-traveled. And the same can be said for my pain. Even though pain has been my constant companion for more than 20 years now, it hasn’t stopped me from traveling. Of course, it’s not always easy. There are always challenges, such as finding accessible accommodation, managing pain medication, and dealing with flare-ups.

Read More

Sign up for our newsletter