I Thought Diabetes Would Stop Me Travelling. It Didn’t.

When I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at twenty, travel suddenly looked less like freedom and more like stock management.

Insulin had to stay within safe temperatures. Every journey needed needles, sensors, glucose and backups. Other people could book a flight and pack clothes. I seemed to need a small pharmacy and a risk assessment.

Diabetes made the world feel smaller

I imagined unreliable fridges, long buses, airport security and medical emergencies in places where I did not speak the language. Because every fear was technically possible, staying home began to feel like the responsible choice.

The dream did not disappear dramatically. It just became something I kept moving into the future.

My first trips were not confident

I did not start travelling because I suddenly stopped worrying. I prepared obsessively: extra insulin, spare sensors, glucose, medical documents and several cooling wallets.

Some of that was sensible. Some was fear negotiating for one final guarantee before allowing me to leave.

Then, in early 2026, I flew to Bangkok and spent five months backpacking through Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia and Malaysia.

Travel became real rather than theoretical

I stayed in hostels, took overnight transport, crossed borders and carried insulin through extreme heat. I also had food poisoning, lost a bank card and discovered that a hostel had frozen most of my insulin in northern Vietnam.

Travel did not become tidy simply because I wanted an uplifting ending.

The difficult moments taught me something more useful than “anything is possible.” A serious problem did not automatically mean the journey was over. I could contact people, change plans, find medical help and admit when I needed support.

Independence was not doing everything alone. It was knowing when not to.

Diabetes changed how I travel, not whether I travel

I still plan more than many backpackers. I choose accommodation partly around fridges, carry medical letters and keep insulin close. I have glucose in every pocket, including pockets I do not remember owning.

That is not a lesser version of travel. It is how I make travel work with the body I have.

Type 1 did not disappear and I did not become fearless. My life simply grew beyond the limits I imagined at diagnosis. If you are planning your first trip, my free packing list shows what I actually carry and the backups that have saved me from more than one deeply unpleasant day.