Here’s exactly how I make early morning flights easier with a chronic illness

There’s nothing like the buzz of booking a holiday, only to get to seeing the flight times and seeing it’s an early morning flight. And I’m counting any flights before 10am as early because I live 2 hours away from the airport! Especially living with a chronic illness, and the fatigue that can sometimes come with it, trying to make travel days as easy as possible has become a priority.

Don’t get me wrong, the only time I’m happy to have a 3am alarm set is when I’m going on holiday, I wanted to share with you some of the ways I make that early morning flight feel a lot more bearable. Oh, and how I make the airport experience easier as someone with multiple health conditions.

stay at the hotel the night before

I know this isn’t always possible budget wise, but this is the number one thing that has changed early morning flights for me. I know try and budget it into my holiday as it means a) I can sleep longer and b) it eases my anxiety because I’m already at the airport.

I always book my airport hotels through Holiday Extras who make it super easy to book. They have all of the airport hotels on there, and you can also book your parking, travel insurance, security fast tracks, car rental and lounges. I always recommend booking through Holiday Extras because they have a price promise guarantee – so if you see it at a cheaper price, they’ll match it.

Book Fast track security

The main reason I personally book fast track security is because I fly mainly from Manchester, and their new body scanners always show my stoma and it means I have to go through to a room to show them my stoma bag. Because I know that it takes longer once I’m at security, anything I can do to speed up the queue is a bonus!

Again, I book this through Holiday Extras (usually at the same time as I book my hotel!)

Hydrations, hydration, hydration

I live with a stoma bag which means dehydration is something I deal with on a daily basis. But stoma bag or not, hydration is key for everyone. And dehydration (even slightly) can leave your chronic illness symptoms feeling worse. I never travel without my ORS hydration tablets – they’re great for just popping into your water bottle on the go.

Prep the night before to maximise the amount of time you can sleep

This sounds like an obvious one, but it can be so easy to say “oh, I’ll just pop that in my bag in the morning”.

Get everything packed the night before. Have your passport, medication and essentials somewhere you can easily get to in your bag. Leave your travel outfit hung up and easy to get to. That way you can wake up, put your clothes on, and head out the door. The less you have to think, the better.

Don’t be afraid to book assistance

Depending on your access needs, you might benefit from booking assistance. You can do this up to 48 hours before your flight, and you don’t need to look disabled to access it. Booking assistance can reduce walking, standing, queueing, and stress. All you need to do is contact your airline and be specific about what support you need.

Living with a chronic illness or health condition doesn’t mean you can’t travel and live an adventurous life. Be patient and kind to yourself, don’t be afraid to ask for help, and enjoy your trip! If you are wanting to add more travel and adventure into your life, make sure to follow on instagram for daily microadventure tips and tricks (and subscribe to substack too!), and you can get more accessible travel tips here.