I was born traveler, since I can remember I have wanted to travel the world. Atlas have a home that I bought when I was 6 years old and this is my great treasure and always has been and always will be my great treasure. A thousand times I’ve watched, I’ve spent their pages, I smelled the leaves, I have walked their maps with my eyes, I imagined their cultures. 

But I am also diabetic, I’m both a traveler and a diabetic and the two can coexist perfectly with me.

Many people ask me why I travel so much alone and that as I dare to do so being diabetic and I say do you know ?, well because I love to travel and my diabetes does not prevent me, encouraged me to do it. And why do I love? Well here’s why:

1.  I go where I want. I am terribly independent and whenever I travel I like to go on my own, in addition to traveling with my diabetes I need some special needs that other travelers do not need. I need to make more pauses in the course of my journey, control my blood sugar levels, controlling my diet, look for good accommodation where you can store insulin in the fridge and where I can cook my food.
2.  I under my own pace. I require my own pace molded to my diabetes. This is very important for me, I can not adapt to the rhythm of anybody, I can adapt myself to the rhythm of my diabetes. I rest when I have to rest, like when I have to eat.
3.  I open to others. When traveling alone, traveling with diabetes need support and help of the people who will find me on the way. I have good control of my illness and I like my freedom but I also love the contact with people and if you are traveling alone much more open to making new friends from different countries. Even if you do not speak your language!
4. “Me espabilo”. And you espabilas at once. You think you are in an unknown country for you, possibly not master their language, their culture is sometimes completely different from yours, you are alone and far from home and friends. And what happens? As a new person in you he appears, with new skills and new challenges to face the unknown and if you have to go over watching your diabetes, imagine everything you’ll learn about you and your disease.
5. I remember things I will never forget. I’ve been so amazing experiences while I’ve traveled that are engraved with blood and fire in my heart and only God can erase those memories. It’s what I’m going to take in this life my travels and everything I’ve learned from them and my oldest school for both myself and for my disease were the lessons I learned while I traveled, back memories indelible that I have saved in my soul …
6.  I lost the fear of the unknown. When I started traveling alone and being diabetic I was always scared, to see if I will give a hypoglycemia, as I will develop in a new country for me, that food will, that person I will meet the climate is right for me diabetes, and if sick and lonely I’m going to happen … In my head countless times insecurities that blocked me to start my adventure, until one day I threw the empty and there was no so crowded. The world was at my feet and my diabetes is happy that it is so because as always I repeat ad nauseam, diabetes is no limit.

And I can only say that diabetics Good trip or backpackers or travelers or definition you please for you! but above all a good trip!

By Carol Diabetic Travel. This piece was originally appeared on Diabetic World Traveler