Hi, I’m Ollie.

I travel solo with Type 1 diabetes and severe allergies, which means I pack more needles than socks and have asked far too many hostel receptionists how trustworthy their fridge is.

I’m 25, from the UK, and I document the honest version of travelling with conditions that make every journey slightly less straightforward. You’ll still see the mountains, motorbike loops, street food and people I meet. You’ll also see the insulin storage, allergy conversations, airport nerves, unexpected hypos and the occasional medical disaster.

This isn’t about pretending diabetes and allergies are nothing to worry about. It’s about showing what travel actually looks like when you prepare properly, things still go wrong and you find a way forward anyway.

Ollie smiling beside a river and limestone mountains in Vietnam

A bit about me

Travel was never going to be the easiest option for me. That’s partly why I chose it.

I had wanted to travel the world since I was about twelve. Then COVID arrived, followed not long afterwards by a Type 1 diabetes diagnosis. I already lived with severe peanut and shellfish allergies, so adding insulin, glucose sensors and nighttime hypos made solo travel feel more like an administrative error than freedom.

In early 2026, I left the UK and spent five months backpacking through Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia and Malaysia. Some things went brilliantly. Others did not. My insulin was accidentally frozen in northern Vietnam, but I also completed motorbike loops, trekked through jungles, made friends from around the world and volunteered with Action4Diabetes in Cambodia.

I share the practical guides and honest mistakes I wanted before leaving, alongside stories from places that deserve more than a rushed photo stop.

Read the longer version of my story →

Latest travel stories

First-hand guides, mistakes and lessons from five months of solo travel across Southeast Asia.

Ollie exploring a historic site while backpacking in Southeast Asia

Hostels and insulin

Can You Stay in Hostels With Type 1 Diabetes?

The practical questions I ask before trusting a hostel with my insulin and medical supplies.

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Ollie looking across the mountains of the Ha Giang Loop in Vietnam

A lesson from Vietnam

The Day My Insulin Froze on the Ha Giang Loop

What went wrong in northern Vietnam, what I did next and what I would change now.

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Ollie arriving at Angkor Wat at sunrise with his travel backpack

Airports and hand luggage

Flying With Insulin Pens, Needles and a CGM

My real hand-luggage setup for keeping diabetes supplies safe, organised and accessible.

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Follow the journey

I’m still figuring plenty of this out as I go.

Follow along for the honest travel moments, new guides and whatever comes next.

From the road

Real travel lessons from Southeast Asia, written for people who need practical detail.

Ollie looking across the Ha Giang mountains

Five months across Southeast Asia, with plenty of lessons I didn’t expect.

Travel guides