How do you road trip when dealing with chronic illnesses? A guide to making road trips as accessible as possible by Joanna Farley
In the summer of 2017, I prepared for my first solo road trip. My emergency kit was packed, my accommodations were booked and I hit the road excited to explore more of Canada. Just 48 hours later, I was in tears. Hours of driving had aggravated my chronic illness. I was exhausted and in agonizing pain. After several days of recovery, I altered the rest of my trip. Apprehensive that another long drive would cause the same issues, I decided I would only do the first half of my planned trip. Doing so cut over 1400 kilometres from my journey and had me driving much shorter distances each day. But could I have done something different from the start of my trip to prevent feeling so awful?