ME/CFS & Long Covid Don’t Take Holiday Time

Hello and welcome to Believe in ME with Rhona Barton.

This podcast is about all things Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) related!

I'm Rhona and I lived with ME for almost 10 years during which time, I was bed-bound and wheelchair-bound, welcome to my Podcast.

Hello and welcome to Believe in ME with Rhona Barton. In this week’s episode, I’m going to be chatting about Holiday time!

You can head to www.rhonabarton.co.uk/media for more information about me and my story.

Don’t forget that you can review, share & follow the podcast via Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you’re listening now.

Ok, let’s jump straight in!

One of my favourite times of the year is holiday time. I’ve very lucky to be able to take two holiday’s a year including one in our motorhome. That hasn’t always been the case, however. Growing up, we never did foreign holidays. We might take a short break somewhere in the UK but mostly we had time at home and explored our local area. It’s only in the past 15 years or so that I’ve been a position to be able to afford to travel overseas. Sometimes that’s been for a holiday and sometimes it’s been for a work trip.

I love the build-up to a holiday or a break away. Getting out my bag – am I going only hand luggage, or do I need to pack a suitcase? I’ve been away for almost 6 weeks with only hand luggage so selecting a suitcase is a big deal for me! What is the weather likely to be when I’m away? That determines most of my packing choices – I usually end up opting for layers so I can throw more on or take them off as the day unfolds. I’ve never been a girlie girl, so don’t give a whole lot of thought to make-up, dresses, doing more than washing and drying my hair or shoes so I usually get through my packing really quickly. In fact, I’m pretty much a jeans, t-shirt and trainers sort of person and the less time I have to spend picking an outfit, the better it is for all involved! If I can’t get away with a smart-ish top, clean trainers and jeans for going out when on holiday, chances are, I’m not going to be interested in going to wherever it is that’s been suggested. Ultimately, I just want to be comfy, practical and wear what I like. So getting ready for a break away gives me a chance to select my favourite things for wearing and keeping the baggage weight down as much as possible. I gain quite a sense of achievement when I have everything I believe I need in one bag plus whatever I’m using as a day-to-day handbag when we’re away (and that’s, more often than not, a backpack!).

But I also love the pre-planning. You know, the thinking about the place you’re going and then planning out some of the activities you’d like to do or places you’d like to visit when there. I also enjoy planning out the books I’ll take with me for reading, the podcasts I’m going to listen to and selecting a new notebook to take with me for the writing bug that’s sure to hit mid-break.

The books that I take with me have changed in recent years. I used to have to limit myself to 2 or 3 for a week away as there just wasn’t room in my bag to take more. However, about 10 years ago, I treated myself to an eBook reader – thank goodness for Christmas sales! And WOW, what a game changer! I will...