Holiday Posts- Coping With Travelling With Fibromyalgia

So I am a little worried about travelling with my new illness, but I have been doing a lot of research and preparing for going away. For any 'normal' person, travelling can be very tiring and can take a lot of effort even though you aren't doing much. So I thought I would share some of my tips with you

• Take Your Time. I know that sometimes airports can be busy and you can do a lot of rushing around, so my plan is to arrive about 3 hours earlier than my flight. So I will get there for about 5am. When you are in the airport don't rush. You will end up feeling so exhausted, so make sure you slow it down. If you need to take a break and sit down, do so. Get a coffee or something to eat. If you are with someone, make sure the people you are travelling with understand everything you are going through.
• If You Need Help, Ask.I know that Fibro can be tiring, and you can feel so drained just by standing for 10 minutes, so if you feel like you can't walk to your gate or get onto the plane, let your airline/airport know, and they may be able to give you a wheelchair or take you on one of those little 'busses' to take you from place to place. Also this might help you get through the busy security section a little quicker
• Pack and Plan A While Before You Go.Normally I would pack a few days before I would leave. But now I am going to take my time and pack a week before I leave. I will make sure that I have done everything a few days before so I can relax before I leave, because stress can cause flare ups. 
• Take Vitamin C About A Week Before.Planes harbour major germs, and having fibro, your immune system is low, so make sure that you take vitamin C tablets about a week before so your chances of catching any bugs are lower. You really don't want to get a cold or a sick bug when you are on holiday. 
• Make ListsMake sure you make some lists of places you want to go and things you want to see while you are on holiday. You might not always have good days, but when you do you don't want to be spending ages thinking about what to do. I have already done this, and I have spoken to Shane to make sure that everything he wants to do too. 
• Be RealisticI know you want to have an amazing time on holiday, but you need to be honest with yourself and know that not every day you are going to feel good. Some days you might not be able to get out of the hotel/apartment, but you have to stop beating yourself up, If you are on holiday with someone else, again make sure they understand. I have told my husband that if I am feeling too rubbish to get out of the apartment, he is okay to go out and enjoy himself. i don't want his holiday to be ruined because I can't go out. He also knows that I might have to get taxis to places instead of walking, especially if we need to go up hills or down steps. Just don't make yourself feel bad about your illness. You can't help it. 
• Bring Creature Comforts With You You want to make sure you are as relaxed as possible while you are on holiday and I have found that when I have things that I love, I feel a lot better. I went into hospital last year, and my husband brought me in the things that made me feel better, and my stress levels went down. For me my creature comforts are Olbas Oil and a label, now don't laugh, this has been a habit of mine since I was about 2 and I can't seem to break it, and at the moment I don't want to. So bring anything that relaxes you, like a scent or a teddy. Anything.
• Use A BackpackI think a backpack is an awesome hand luggage option. When you are walking around an airport you don't want the trouble of juggling bags and your suitcase, so having your backpack on will make sure your hands are free. Make sure it isn't too heavy, you don't want to put too much pressure on your shoulders and back, that will make things hurt later when you sit on the plane.
• Make Sure You Pack All Your Meds In Your Hand LuggageYou need to make sure you have all the meds you need for daily life, and also the ones that you use rarely, such as paracetamol or meds to help when you have a migraine, or can't sleep. You want to put them in your hand luggage just encase your suitcase gets lost, because you need those meds in order to function. 

These are all the things I can think of, but if you have any more suggestions, I would love to hear them, comment below, and I will take the into consideration when i go away! Thanks for reading