I made the decision to become a digital nomad after an emotional burnout. But unlike many of my 35 million nomadic peers, my journey on the Odyssey was accompanied by a series of chronic illnesses that rendered me incapacitated.
I have a complex set of conditions, but the headlines are fibromyalgia, endometriosis, and localized scleroderma, an autoimmune disease. Like many other people who work 9 to 5, I dreamed of traveling the world as a remote worker, but never aspired to it because I thought that chronic diseases were an obstacle. To my knowledge, there were no digital nomads with chronic diseases or disabilities, so the concept seemed ridiculous.
In October 2021, I underwent surgery to remove endometriosis foci, which significantly improved my quality of life. Six months later, I took a leap of faith and boarded a one-way flight to Bangkok. Since then, I have not returned home.
I have traveled extensively in Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Indonesia and am currently in Montreal. I plan to travel south to Central and South America later this year.
It didn’t take long for me to realize that I wasn’t the only chronically ill traveler to adopt a lifestyle of travel. Amanda Nystrom, who has been touring the United States regularly with her partner Joshua on a school bus since early 2018, has made the trip a priority as her condition worsened due to fibromyalgia, joint hypermobility syndrome and mast cell activation syndrome.
“As my body deteriorated, my ability to engage in outdoor activities like hiking also deteriorated,” Nystrom shared. I. “I wanted to have as many adventures as possible that led us to a digital nomadic life. My chronic diseases certainly make it thinner, but still it brings more pleasure than sitting on the couch watching TV.
“There are many things to do or organize on the go that you don’t have at home. Yes, it’s hard and requires a lot of adaptation, but once you do it and it becomes a habit, you’ll start using the adaptive and creative parts of your brain more. I grow more, feel more and experience more. On difficult days, I remember these things to move on.
After falling down the digital nomad-style YouTube rabbit hole, artist and writer Meredith Wells, who developed orthostatic tachycardia in college and now uses a wheelchair, initially thought a nomadic lifestyle was impossible. The revision of her financial position changed that.
“While going through a sneaky, broken engagement, I came across a video of a digital nomad talking about her living expenses. I realized it was closer than I thought,” they said. “The breakup was a major turning point in my life and ultimately acted as a catalyst for me to quit my job and immerse myself in a digital nomadic life.”
My own departure was met with well-intentioned concern from family members who questioned the compatibility of this lifestyle with disability. While I find it difficult to balance my health with constant travel, I have learned to tailor my travel plans to the needs of my body, just like Wells did.
“There were a lot of stops in Cleveland on my itinerary because my doctors are there—I scheduled my appointments,” they explained.
I have found that the key to digital nomadism is traveling on my own schedule, which I don’t adjust, no matter how much I want to have the same experience as healthy friends. Sometimes I miss big adventures, but my health doesn’t suffer.
I alternate travel-style accommodations, hostels, and Airbnb rentals. I slow down to avoid flashes; a lesson that took me too long to learn. In the first few months of the journey, the thrill of adventure replaced any intelligence or sense of self-preservation. Then, during my stay in Hanoi, I experienced severe pain that left me bedridden for almost a week. I didn’t make the same mistake again.
With this recipe, I have mastered adventures that I never thought possible for a disabled, chronically ill person. I have flown over Vang Vieng in Laos, traveled over 300 km through the mountains of North Vietnam, jumped off an island in Indonesia and climbed waterfalls all over Thailand.
Kindness also plays a critical role in making this lifestyle work along with long-term illness or disability, Nystrom shared. I: “Key to [managing my conditions] is self-compassion and acceptance that every day is different,” she explained. “Knowing and regularly checking in on what my body needs helps me stay productive even when my symptoms are severe or the stress of travel starts to overwhelm me.
“In general, life as a digital nomad has had a positive impact on my health. When the weather doesn’t suit me, I can better respond to the needs of my body. It’s also easier to prioritize my health because it can’t be ignored.”
My health has also improved significantly due to the fact that I live on the road. By letting go of my previous hectic lifestyle and cutting back on work hours, I minimized stress and then pain. I am the healthiest in the last decade, both physically and mentally.
However, there are difficult days. Long days on the road and intense adventures cause pain attacks, so it is necessary to regularly analyze whether a day trip is worth the possible consequences.
However, the biggest sacrifice I make is the recognition that there will be no consistent medical care. I have an emergency fund to cover a possible hospitalization for endometriosis, since comprehensive travel insurance for this disease is more expensive.
When I arrive in a new country, I study health standards and try to stay close to the hospital in case of an emergency. I am fortunate that none of my illnesses currently require regular check-ups in the hospital, allowing me to consider occasional visits to more distant locations.
While this lifestyle is more accessible than I imagined, it is not always sustainable and sometimes the adventure cannot continue.
“Initially, it was extremely positive for my mental health,” Wells shared. I. “I joked that this was my Eat Pray Love adventure. Eventually, the constant traveling alone and the lack of community became very lonely, which is why my trip came to an end.
Accessibility is also neglected in some popular digital nomad travel destinations such as Bangkok and Jakarta, which ranked 44th and 46th out of 60 in the 2022 Urban Mobility Readiness Index. Accessibility is not standard in any of the cities, and several areas in hotspots such as Koh Phangan, Thailand or Bali have accommodation suitable for people with disabilities.
Coping with a bout of pain while traveling alone was more difficult than I expected. When it first happened, I spent almost two weeks alone in a hotel room in Hanoi, Vietnam. I spent hours searching for tickets home before I realized that this brief period of isolation amidst a year of triumph was a fair price to pay to make my dream come true.
It’s a lifestyle that requires resilience, strong health insurance, and a solid support network, but there’s one key ingredient: confidence. As Wells points out, you need to know when it’s time to go home.
Despite the risks and upheavals it entails, traveling the world with a chronic illness or disability is not impossible. It’s certainly more difficult than for healthy people and may require a partial nomadic lifestyle like Nystrom’s, but it’s definitely within reach if that’s what you want.
Source: I News
I’m Raymond Molina, a professional writer and journalist with over 5 years of experience in the media industry. I currently work for 24 News Reporters, where I write for the health section of their news website. In my role, I am responsible for researching and writing stories on current health trends and issues. My articles are often seen as thought-provoking pieces that provide valuable insight into the state of society’s wellbeing.