Ask the Readers: Any Advice for Diabetic Travelers?

Posted by Mike Richard on March 13, 2008
Filed under: Health, Sidelines

Like what you see? Subscribe to the full RSS feed.

Every once in a while, I receive an e-mail from a wayward traveler looking for a bit of advice. A kind, young chap e-mailed me this morning:

Hey! I love your website after just having discovered it a couple of weeks ago. It epitomizes the life I’d like to live for a few years once I’m done my schooling.

However, I was wondering if you can offer any advice to a type I (juvenile) diabetic person who wants to live the vagabond lifestyle. It’s a dream of mine, but I feel held back considerably, like I’m stuck being chained down.

Thanks for taking the time to read my message!

Cheers!

I’ll admit to complete ignorance on this topic. So I thought it only appropriate to ask you, the readers, for your sage advice. Any diabetics out there or travelers familiar with the nuances of traveling as a diabetic? Please share your thoughts in the comments below!

If you liked this post, subscribe to our full feed RSS. You can also subscribe by email and have new posts delivered directly to your inbox daily.

Vagabondish editor Mike Richard lives in Rhode Island - a small patch of land in the northeastern U.S. He is a professional web designer and travel junkie with an unhealthy addiction to backpacking, camping, hiking and seeing the world. He enjoys knit hats and speaking in the third person.



Like This Post? You Might Also Like:

Our Sponsors

Comments

Bianca
March 18th, 2008 - 9:17 pm

A friend of mine sent me the site and posting here, as I’ve had Type I Diabetes for the past 20 years. My family has traveled extensively and I still LOVE to travel, but I don’t let diabetes stand in the way. If you use an insulin pump, it makes traveling that much easier and more flexible, so if you don’t have one, GET ONE. If you have one, I would just recommend testing your blood sugars regularly to figure out what’s going on in your body and be mindful of time changes, etc. There will likely be a rocky period, especially while you’re adjusting to the time zone and the culture, but it’s not completely unmanageable and you’d be giving up A LOT of amazing experiences if you let diabetes stand in the way of your travels! Also, it’s best to travel with someone who has a fundamental understanding of diabetes in case of troubles.