My life as a disabled digital nomad

I am a disabled digital nomad travelling the world on a full-time and (hopefully) permanent basis. 

After the combined power of a mental health crisis and the coronavirus pandemic decimated my income, I worked seven-day weeks in an effort to achieve a career milestone of becoming a full-time editor before turning 30. 

Then, when an opportunity arose to fulfil that dream, I realised that signing up for a 9 to 5 and a stable income had become my worst nightmare. The concept felt confining instead of freeing. So, I turned my attention to another one that I shelved long ago: being a digital nomad. 

Thanks to a myriad of complicated and disabling chronic illnesses, I locked up the dream a long, long time ago. Over the years, naysayers had transformed the goal from a tricky possibility into an absolute impossibility. 

I never thought that I would revive it. But, in 2021, I was diagnosed with endometriosis after living with the symptoms for 15 years. The following surgery drastically reduced the amount of pain I live with and made my symptoms more manageable than they had been since age 14. 

Chronic pain and occasional mobility struggles are still a daily reality but the surgery cracked the lock on that box and out came the dream. Battling the fear was difficult, though. I could not shake the voices telling me that a disabled person could not be a digital nomad.

I never eradicated the fear entirely but I did take a leap into the unknown to relinquish its control over my life. 10 months ago, I packed my bags and boarded a one-way flight to South East Asia. It has been the hardest and most rewarding experience of my life. Somehow the terrifying unknown has become a trusted friend.  

Freeing myself from the belief that chronic illness makes travel impossible opened up my mind to endless possibilities. There are, of course, always barriers for disabled travellers. 

Accessibility is limited across South East Asia and I am privileged to be mobile enough to visit remote regions in spite of this. 

While countless disabled people sit on street corners selling whatever they can or asking for donations, accessibility is largely ignored in the infrastructure. 

That definitely took some getting used to and I still struggle with the overwhelming sadness I feel for disabled people living without support or access in some of the places I have visited.

Finding reliable medical support and securing comprehensive insurance is also difficult because doctors are scarcer and pre-existing conditions trigger a markup in prices. 

Starting in Bangkok, I have spent the last six months circling between my favourite places in Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia. I keep falling in love with every place and feel a magnetic pull connecting me to South East Asia whenever I consider leaving. 

In Thailand, I hiked to the top of my favourite island Koh Phangnan, swam for hours off the coast, and spent hours navigating Bangkok’s winding streets. While visiting the North, I learned how to ride a moped and spent hours exploring the winding hills of Pai, and sampled the unbelievably tasty food in Chiang Mai. 

During my month in Cambodia, I ticked a major item off of my bucket list by clambering around the temples of the Angkor Wat complex. 

Even in the baking heat, my body withstood the strain and chronic fatigue held off to allow me to soak up every second. And, because I am slow travelling, meaning I prioritise building meaningful connections with places and the people rather than jumping to a new place after hitting the tourist sites, I took several rest days afterwards to recover. 

Travelling around Vietnam, I took on hikes to mindblowing viewpoints, went ziplining, explored caves in Phong Nha, and spent hours exploring remote regions in Ninh Binh on a tiny boat rowed by an ancient woman with powerful arms.  

I never thought my chronically ill body would be capable of doing these things. But here I am, living a dream that I thought would never see the light of day. 

When I first set off, my anxious brain was convinced that I would be back on a return flight within a few months. Now, I have no intention of returning to England before the end of 2023 and, even then, it will be for a short visit before I set off to explore a new continent. 

Starting out, I feared that the lifestyle would compromise my health and worsen my symptoms. Incredibly, it has done the opposite. Although I still deal with high levels of pain and occasionally reduced mobility, my overall health is better than its been since I was a small child and I experience far fewer flare-ups. 

My mobility is better because I am more dedicated to regular physiotherapy, exercise consistently and eat a healthier diet than I ever did at home. I drink less and sleep more too. 

Modifying my work schedule has had the biggest impact. I was working myself into a constant state of burnout at home because I needed to make more money to cover the UK’s higher cost of living. On the road, with savings as a safety net, I work a maximum of three to four days per week and my health is benefiting greatly from it. 

Of course, there are still challenges involved. I am often travelling with people who are non-disabled and it’s hard to take a rest day when your friends are off exploring.

It’s a slow process but I am getting better and prioritising my health over new adventures by opening up to new people about my chronic illnesses and unashamedly taking rest days when necessary. 

Managing flare-ups solo is also daunting. The first time I got severely ill, I caught Covid in Hanoi, Vietnam and I spent hours looking at flights home so I could be with family. But I persevered, navigated the Vietnamese hospital system and got the treatment I needed. 

While spending just under two weeks alone in an Airbnb sucked, I am proud of myself for sticking it out and continuing the digital nomad adventure. 

I’ve visited so many amazing places and who knows where this year will take me.

All I know is that I do not want to live in England again and I am completely at peace with my life. My illnesses may be incurable but so is my passion for travel.

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