I’ve been planning this trip for so long, reading books and websites, making lists, and just daydreaming. The real work though, started this past week. Part of traveling successfully with type 1 diabetes is trying to anticipate everything you could face and then prepare for it. I’ll be on the road for 15 days. At home, that means 5 infusion site changes. So, I’m bringing 10. That’s in case every single one fails. I have a whole bottle of glucose tabs and will pick up juice boxes in each city (love trying different things like pear juice). While my dexcom would last the entire trip (I put a new one on before leaving), I brought 2 for backup and extra adhesive coverings. I have ketone strips and regular meds, cold medicine and tamiflu. I brought nuun tablets for dehydration and a fiber mix in for, well you know. I have 3 vials of insulin for my pump, 3 cartridges for my InPen (my new back up) and a pen of long acting. The InPen and long acting are for if my pump fails (which only ever happens if I’m out of the country. The insulin is in a frio bag, handy for travel and if the hotel doesn’t have a fridge. All of it fits nicely in a repurposed cooler that is pictured below. I also have a spare glucometer. Throw in a few snacks and we are all set!

There will always be glitches, but being prepared gives me confidence to handle it. Over the next two weeks, I hope you’ll follow along on my adventure.

It’s day 5 of a 5 day trip and I’m in Philadelphia. It’s also Saturday and that means the Rittenhouse square farmers market is on!! I love farmers markets, so I was off at 8:45 to make the 9:00 start. Rumor had it that to get the best flowers, you need to be there early. One of the many perks of my job is being able to bring home wonderful treats from around the world. Today, I purchased a bouquet of sunflowers, fresh corn on the cob, and some artisan chocolates….all for a celebration for a young friend home from college for the week. I love local markets, both for the goods offered and meeting local people. In this case, mostly because I miss the farmers market where I lived in Maryland for 21 years. I love Philadelphia for the neighborhoods and ease of walking around. When I venture out, I usually carry a tube of glucose tablets and two little bottles of super fast acting glucose liquid. Personally, when out and about , I want something that will work ASAP. I rely on my DEXCOM to see which way I’m trending and I try to catch the lows before they’re a problem. This particular trip, I was doing some highly anticipated Labor day sale shopping. That means I was trying on clothes…….for some reason, I’ve always had issues with going low after trying on clothes, so I was prepared. Anyone else have that issue? The sales were a success and now it’s time for the flight home. Big bonus……in 7 hours, I’m officially on vacation!!! Happy Labor Day weekend !!

Isn’t that how all good stories start? This blog will be my story and I’m Julia. I’m an adventurer of sorts…..I’ve been a flight attendant for the last 31.5 years and for the last 11 of that, I’ve had Type 1 diabetes. Since I developed Type 1 later in life, my independent streak was already firmly implanted in my psyche. I’ve always loved venturing out on my own…but, with T1 things got a bit challenging. This blog is meant to share the things I’ve learned along the way that help with travel and also show where I’ve been. There won’t be any medical advice, you have Doctors and CDE’s for that. I have been greatly helped by the Diabetes Online Community (DOC) and hope you will be as well.

Soon, I will be taking a 2 week trip to a couple of places in Europe that I’ve always wanted to visit. I hope you’ll come along with me on my adventure. Between now and then, I’ll share some other things…..like what it’s like being a flight attendant with Type 1. Or, what it’s like getting back into running after a 6 month hiatus ….in the heat and humidity of a Florida summer. I run with Team JDRF at the Walt Disney World Marathon weekend every year and training must begin soon for January’s race (I do the 10k).

So, Welcome Aboard!

Julia

P.s. Please share!!

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton