I’m going to share my story with you dear reader, about how traveling is good for your mental health and how it has helped me. First things first, my official diagnosis is that I have bipolar disorder 2, generalized anxiety disorder, ADHD, and panic disorder. Quite the fun, I know. Living with a disability, even a mental disability can make traveling more difficult than the average traveler experiences.

Over the years I have traveled with many different neurotypical people. There were times during a trip when my disability held me back. My anxiety kept me from cliff jumping (what if I die. what if I hit a rock. what if I get the wind kicked out of me). Having a panic attack on the side of a mountain in Peru (this is it. this is how I die. I’m dying). Or going into a full-blown hypomanic episode in Hawaii.