Recovering from cancer: Travel tips for post-treatment adventures

I guess the hair loss bugged me too – but although it’s annoying (and the most outwardly visible sign of treatment), wearing a hat is a minor inconvenience in the broader scheme of things.

When the sun came out after treatment, I felt like all my blessings had come at once. Every successful walk to the mailbox, every bite of normal-tasting apple was a dream come true. Therefore, when 2025 arrived, I was well and truly ready for a reset. I had been reminded of what is (and what isn’t) important in life, and I was up for it! Cue a call from my daughter in London, mentioning that she was coming down to Southeast Asia and would I like to meet her in Vietnam for a week. Oh hell yeah! Is the bear Catholic? Does the pope sh … never mind, you get the picture.

So, with some trepidation (chemo-brain is a thing; getting flight times wrong or losing a passport is also a thing), I hit the airport in March 2025 for a much-anticipated adventure. Despite having to tweak a few arrangements to suit my situation, the journey went surprisingly smoothly and was exactly the adventure I needed. Since returning home, I’ve been having feelings of “Look out world – I’m back!”, and I recommend an escape for anyone else recovering from health issues or needing a refresh after treatment.

Here are some of the insights I gained about managing travel when you are recently recovered from (or still struggling with) illness. I hope that with these ideas on board, others in the same boat will find the confidence to dive into some “adventure therapy“.

Energy

It’s likely you can’t go-go-go like you used to. Plan for this – perhaps one big outing per day, with calmer activities in between. More of the sitting-in-a-sidewalk-cafe-watching-the-world-go-by type of adventures and less of the cycle-5 km-and-then-climb-a-mountain ones.

Brain-fuzz

You may not be as mentally agile as you used to be. Be aware of this and develop some strategies – lists, alarms, arriving early, talking your plans through in advance. Collect little tricks to help you avoid missing flights, getting lost or losing things. Take photos of important documents and keep them on your phone. Having a photo of your glasses prescription saved on your phone could be a lifesaver if you leave your glasses in a taxi and need to replace them at short notice. Get familiar with apps that can help with navigation, booking transport, translating languages, converting money, online banking … just don’t lose your phone!

Support

Like spreading our wings for the first time in our youth, having someone along for the ride can help. Take someone with you on your first big trip if possible. Provided that they are someone you know well enough to make it easy, having a second person will give you the confidence to test your travel wings with a safety net in place. If you’re not lucky enough to have a willing travel buddy, options that provide a bit of oversight and support could be the go – think about organised tours, or sticking to countries where most people speak the same language as you.

Flights

Catching 3am flights suits a very narrow band of the population, so unless it’s going to save you a pile of money or you have no functioning internal body clock, stick to daytime flights for both departures and arrivals if possible. If you have problems with circulation or lymphoedema, get compression garments to wear on the plane for your legs (and arms too if they’re affected). If you need to stay hydrated and therefore go to the loo regularly, choose an aisle seat if you get the option. If you have stiff joints or are prone to aches and pains, get one of those travel neck pillows – a rolled-up sweatshirt should work, but maybe now’s not the time to test that theory. Use some of your transit time in airports to walk around, stretch, climb some stairs – anything to help your body cope with the many hours of sitting still. If you have trouble with hot flushes or managing your temperature, wear front-opening layers that are easy to take on and off in cramped seats.

Accommodation

Backpacker hostels are a budget friendly option and a great way to meet other travellers but, if you take that route, perhaps at least look for one with a room of your own in case you can’t sleep, need to use the loo frequently, need to leave your medication within easy reach, etc. A private bathroom is the bare minimum for many of us.

Insurance

Travel insurance will cost more when you include pre-existing conditions, but it’s usually not a massive amount, and it will be worth it for peace of mind.

Food

Having fresh, healthy food available at regular intervals is important for those of us with health concerns. Choosing accommodation with a fridge and where you can prepare food is a good idea, or at least make sure you know where you can get food easily and safely, at whatever time of day or night you need it. Keeping up your fluid intake is important while you’re gadding about in an unfamiliar city. Take a proper bag such as a backpack capable of carrying a generous amount of water, unless you’re willing to waste money (and the Earth’s resources via single-use plastic) by buying it as you go.

Hygiene and low immunity

If your immunity is compromised, you probably don’t want to be sharing facilities with other travellers. Have your own room and bathroom, carry hand sanitiser and a mask, and get all the recommended vaccinations before travel. In some NZ cities, there are clinics set up specifically for travel vaccinations – they’re quite costly, but you get a consultation and advice from a specialist as part of the service. To prevent stomach bugs, make sure cooked food is freshly cooked and avoid anything that has been sitting around. Fruit may not have been washed, so peel it with clean hands, or else wash it in water you know is potable. Don’t buy drinks with ice in them unless you know the ice is made from drinkable water. In busy tourist areas, these things are usually fine – the further off the beaten track you go, the more careful you need to be. Often it doesn’t occur to our hosts that we don’t have the same immunity they do to whatever bugs are common in their area.

Hot and cold

If your illness has made you susceptible to heat or cold, plan for this – choose clothes with layers that can easily be taken on and off, pack a handheld USB-rechargeable cooling fan or a hot-water bottle. A sarong packs down pretty small in a backpack and can offer warmth when used as a thin wrap or blanket, as well as shelter from the sun if needed. There are little scarves available that, when draped wet around your neck, can help you keep your cool.

Carrying medication

Make sure you have enough medication for your whole journey, unless you’re 100% sure you can top it up on the way. Carry a copy of your prescription, and take enough medication for a few days in your carry-on luggage in case your suitcase gets lost in transit. Another thing – it’s easy to forget to take your medication when you’re away from the familiar memory triggers at home. If this sounds like you, set yourself an alarm or mentally tag taking your medication to another activity, such as brushing your teeth or eating breakfast.

Arrange accessibility supports to suit your situation

If you find it difficult to carry your luggage up a flight of steps, don’t forget to check whether there is a lift when you book your accommodation. If walking is difficult for you, make sure taxis can get right up to the door of the hotel. If you can’t carry heavy weights, make sure your suitcase has wheels, and leave the kitchen sink at home. If you find squatting difficult, in some countries you’ll need to check that the places you’re staying and visiting have pedestal toilets rather than squatty potties.

Hanging with the gang

Be careful – that same friends group you’ve travelled with for years might not understand that you’re suddenly unable to climb the usual five mountains a day, or that you have become more choosy about the type of food you eat … or, shock horror, that you no longer drink alcohol. You don’t want to feel like a burden when you need to request edits to the usual schedule. Open and honest communication can fix some problems, but if you choose to travel with a group when your life has recently been turned upside-down, it pays to allow flexibility in your plans in case some separate adventures are needed.

Treats

It’s likely that your health journey has reminded you that you only live once, so go hard – book that massage, eat that food, take that boat tour – enjoy whatever treats suit your budget and your tastes – your time away will be all the sweeter for it, and so will your memories once you return home to reality, responsibilities, and (usually) winter.

Make friends

Talk to people – you don’t have to be super fit to chat. It might be a shopkeeper, a tour guide who wants to practise their English, or a fellow traveller you meet in the dining room of your accommodation. That random interaction in an airport queue could be gold – a source of travel tips, adventure ideas or just the chance to see life from someone else’s point of view.

Emotions

Things can feel a little scarier when you are less physically capable than you are used to. Take it slow. On the other hand, after a health scare you tend to be more aware of how fragile life is and grateful for the opportunity to get out and about, which adds a glow of excitement and joy to new experiences. Enjoy this bonus shot of gratitude and wonder!

Last, but not least

So … that turned out to be quite a generous list of suggestions and things to worry about. My last (and most important) piece of advice is NOT to worry – no matter how organised you are, something will go wrong – that’s just how travel is. But you can handle it. Take a deep breath, cry if you need to, and then move on. And if your illness taught you nothing else, hopefully it reminded you that life is for living. So go out and do it.