As you all know I love my travel..
It is a soul healer for me, to learn different cultures, learn more about life & experience life. Chronic illness can be an isolating, black hole. It is the scariest place to be. Truly. When I first fell in love with travel, it was the life-line I needed to keep fighting for life & keep positive. I had lost my passion a little over recent years. Keeping travel at arms length, determined for it not to cause extra hurt to me if I couldn't do it the same anymore. I can't take anymore loss & extra pain. Once again though, somehow - at my lowest moments travel has given me a dose of life back. I am not saying it is easy to travel. It isn't! People look at me, and think I look fine. It is fine for me. I don't seem to suffer. BOY, believe me I DO SUFFER. Who goes on a cruise and doesn't stop eating but loses weight because she was feeding the infections that rule her body. I know - it sounds crazy, but it's my reality. I do find it challenging and I can't experience EVERYTHING that I wish I could. I am learning to pace, I am learning to be more accepting and appreciative of what I CAN DO. I believe in signs, strongly believe in signs. So when this opportunity came up, I had to ask for advice from my Mum to make sure I wasn't just over-thinking or getting into deep water. It all seems to be a positive sign though. The cruise was ( apart from Alicante ) the easiest and most enjoyable trip away I had experienced in so long. I had resigned myself to only being able to stick to 'SAFE' holiday places, Turkey, Alicante and so on. So that I knew I wouldn't struggle or not cope. We forget that it is our families that carry the burden too and so it is important for them to feel relaxed and enjoy trips as well as ourselves (we all NEED a break). So now my goal is going to be empowering other warriors and their families to find and experience travel. Break free from the cages, not believe that they can't leave the house. There is a big, wide world out there full of possibilities and lessons to learn. We only get one shot at life, time is precious and so are your loved ones.
Training to be a travel agent who could book amazing trips, get great deals and learn which companies, locations and hotels will look after people battling chronic illness and their families was deeply important to me. I felt travel once again was giving me a purpose. I always try to pride myself on helping others. I write my blogs so open and honestly, I am raw and real on social media, I highlight and share people's stories on my podcast: Chronic But Iconic and now I can use my love for travel to help people on another level. All the work I do, soothes me. I try to ensure my work, never feels like work but sometimes even though we practise mindful activities and exercise some of our passions we still feel caged in. As though we are missing out on life and question why our friends and family can travel with ease & have great fun but we can't. We want memories to keep, we want to see life outside of our four walls, we want to meet people and experience different cultures and chronic illness should not take these amazing things away from us.
So here you go, the secret is out on the next venture. Watch me explore the world and rate, cruise lines, hotels and all-inclusives whilst getting you the best deals so YOU can go out, break free and see what the world has to offer.
You can view the latest deals via this link:
https://sophieward.inteletravel.uk/booktravel.cfm
You can book and save today & it would be AMAZING for you to share your experience, photos & feedback with me. We can use all the positivity to empower others to follow our lead. There are deals for every sort of travel, events and holidays so please take a look and keep an open mind. Always believe YOU CAN. Don't let chronic illness dim your light and lift up those around you who lift you up daily. I am currently training to be a cruise specialist & work closely with the biggest cruise lines because for me, they are the PERFECT way to travel with EASE when your health isn't great. It is a relaxing and enjoyable trip for all.
Onwards and upward. Always learning to keep on blossoming.
Sophie
xoxo