5 Tips for Traveling with a Chronic Illness, Pregnancy or BOTH!

Kara Wada
5 min readJun 14, 2022

As my family gears up for what will likely be our last big trip for some time AND our last chance for a babymoon, I wanted to share 5 tips for traveling.

This is our first trip in about 2 years and my first while pregnant and while under treatment for a chronic illness.

Traveling with kiddos, while pregnant or with a chronic illness on their own can be tricky so here are 5 strategies that may make your trip less stressful while dealing with any or all of these scenarios!

1. Touch base with your care team during the planning process.

Touching base with your doctors before you book can be really helpful. Depending on your health, they may have suggestions on safer locations, better timing for travel, or other specific recommendations.

For instance, in pregnancy- the second trimester is typically recommended. My Ob also made me promise to wear thigh-high compression stockings on our upcoming flight. Consider how difficult it may be to seek emergency care while en route or while at your destination. For some more exotic locales, you may consider buying a specific trip insurance policy that provides additional coverage should you need to be flown to safety. If you have an immune deficiency or are…

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Kara Wada

Because even being a board-certified immune system expert didn’t spare me from many of the frustrations common to Sjogren’s Syndrome.