Travel Essentials When Chronically Ill

Travelling with a chronic illness and/or as a disabled person can be so stressful, making sure you have everything you could possibly need plus the things you want without overloading yourself is a task that fills me with dread each time I have to go anywhere outside of Birmingham. I spend a great deal of the day before packing, repacking and generally panicking because those 'what ifs' fill my head.

The first thing I think to pack is a charger, keeping my phone, earphones, tablet etc charged is a key priority. My phone keeps me in contact with loved ones which helps keep me calm on journeys to unfamiliar places and if I'm having a flare up or feeling generally unwell it is some relief to know my parents are on the other end of the phone.

I prefer a charger thats easiest to pack away like this one, it comes apart and can be used for multiple things and plugged into my laptop so I can work too while charging my phone or using its internet connection. 

It seems like such a simple thing but this is definitely a lifeline for me with my chronic illness.

When travelling I also find it really handy to have one of these little foldable phone/tablet stands in my bag. Sometimes I have difficulties with my hands, and this is so handy to pull out of the front pocket of my bag and stand my phone on it so I can watch a movie, send a text, use social media etc without causing further pain by holding my phone. These little stands can be found easily on Amazon and are one of the best little devices I've ever received. 

Phone stand, similar here: Amazon link

Since becoming ill my immune system has declined a great deal so its always important to have hand sanitiser in my bag, this one's a Soap and Glory gel - it smells lovely and not 'sterile' like a lot of these kind's of things. It's a reasonable price in Boots and a bottle lasts me a while. Also due to my immune system I carry a pack of tissues, I buy a big pack and keep them at home and one small pack in my bag. I also carry a hair brush, I suppose this is more around my self esteem - I feel better if I physically look better and given I often wear hats it's not comfortable to have knots all day!

Another hair related item, I carry dry shampoo when I'm going on a long journey because I can't control my temperature, this stuff is my go to - it's Aldi's own brand and is just as good as the Batiste dry shampoo. When I'm having a difficult day maintaining my self esteem is important to me, and keeping myself feeling like I look good gives me some control. 

Aldi Lacura brand. £2 a can.

On journeys I like to distract myself as much as I can, a good book does this to some extent for me, once I'm into a book time flies and pain doesn't get to take over (given that I've remembered to take my medication), these books are on the shelves in ASDA and HMV right now and there's a little range of them that I'm collecting - you know I love a good Disney tale!

Inhalers: As an asthmatic I always ensure to have my inhalers on hand just in case I get caught off guard, I have two kinds right now but the pink is meaning Ii need the blue less and less so that helps!

Snacks: with my illness and many like mine, fatigue comes hand in hand with it. I often feel so tired and struggle to keep my energy levels up. Keeping snacks in my bag helps a lot, I try to go healthy where I can but a sugar fix definitely gets me over some of the hardest parts of travel. This doesn't always help but often just keeps me going long enough to get to somewhere I can rest.

A tablet tub: there are so many different kinds of tablet caddys you can get, I have a massive morning, lunch, evening and night pack made up for me but always carry a small amount of spares of my pills in this little pot just in case I'm out and don't have my main medipack. I also keep painkillers in here, its a really handy little thing which doesn't look like a tablet holder and it was only £1!

A portable charger, because let's face it there's not always somewhere to plug in your charger when you're travelling, busses in and around Birmingham don't have plug sockets and trains only do when you're at a table (unless you can afford first class!). This charger also doubles up as a mirror which is great for me because carrying extra things unnecessarily is a big no no. This charger and mirror is a Soap and Glory one that I found for £3 in the sales last year.  The great thing about having a charger (above) that comes in two parts is that the wire doubles up for other devices such as this one so I'm not carrying extra wires either. 

Last but not least, my new favourite little device, a portable fan. this little baby plugs straight into your phone and is surprisingly strong for its size. As I said before, controlling my own temperature isn't the easiest so having this on a warm bus/train is the best. I wouldn't be without this little gadget now. It's cute, small, convenient and a total life saver.

Similar here: Plug in phone fan

Below: all my bits and pieces that I travel with, including chill out hings such as a face mask for once the travel is over, earphones for music, a small nail kit, hand cream, my diary so I can remember things easier, and all of the things I mentioned above.

This is just a few little things that help me travel with my chronic illness. Do you have any suggestions of little things that make day to day travel easier? If so let me know in the comments!