There are some things you dream of doing for years, but you’re never quite sure if you will be able to achieve those dreams. Well for me, launching this blog is just the beginning of one of my biggest dreams.
I am a 20-something-year-old college student with a passion for travel, writing, photography, and health advocacy. I am grateful to be launching Chronically Exploring, an entrepreneurial dream I have been creating and mapping out in my mind for the last few years.
The title of this website, Chronically Exploring, holds a lot of significance for me. For a short back story, I became very ill in the middle of my junior year of high school (2016) and I have been living with a chronic illness since then. If you want to read more about my story, check out the link to my about page where I go into more detail about my journey to diagnosis and my life since being diagnosed.
It was in late 2016 when I was 16 years old and couch-ridden (instead of bed-ridden because my room was upstairs and I could not go up and down the stairs without having someone else home in case I fell), that I discovered travel vlogs on YouTube. Travel vlogs became my solace and the only escape I felt I had.
There was one problem with watching these travel vloggers on YouTube. Many of them were active and documenting adrenaline-filled adventures. I did not feel like I could relate to them very well because at this point, I could barely get up to walk to the kitchen. They all seemed to be in pretty good health and good shape, as they were tan, eating unique foods, and participating in a lot of fast-paced adventures. It was hard to relate to because here I was stuck laying on the couch unable to eat, drink, or go to school. I loved seeing the world through the videos, but I was having a hard time being able to imagine myself living out my travel dreams with my chronic illness.
It has taken five years, but here I am about to start my journey to create content that I have always wanted to see. I have wanted, and honestly felt like I needed, to see others with chronic health conditions travel the world, so I could see I could do it, too. I am beyond excited to share my journey as I start this blog and website about being a woman in her early twenties traveling the world with a chronic illness.
Follow along with me as I explore the world and document my travels while managing my illness!
-Sierra
Itís nearly impossible to find experienced people on this subject, but you sound like you know what youíre talking about! Thanks