Hey, fellow travelbetics!

I’m Crystal! As a chronic traveler, I’m here to show you that diabetes is just a plot twist in our epic adventures.

By day, I live the corporate life, contributing to some of the most anticipated drug programs of our lifetime. By night (and weekends, and any second I can sneak away from my 9-5), I’m a national park junkie obsessively planning my next trip. Research and planning are my love language.

In the height of the pandemic, while the world was adjusting to a new normal, my husband and I embraced a different kind of change. We had a Zoom wedding (speaking as an introvert, having the room capacity capped at 10 was a dream! 😙🤌) and hit the road. In just 6 months, we visited 11 national parks and countless other treasures across the United States! Fast forward to today, and we’ve ticked off 21 of the 63 national parks, with our sights set on collecting them all.

My idea of a perfect trip? Picture being surrounded by nothing but mountains, lakes, and waterfalls for miles. If I manage to not see another soul (except my husband, of course), then my trip’s been a success. Sorry, crowded beaches, you’re just not my jam!

🩺 Now, let’s talk about the elephant in the room – or shall I say, the glucose meter in my backpack. My journey with diabetes has been a bit twisty. From Graves’ disease and a stupid early case of menopause in my 20s, to a misdiagnosis of Type 2 and a revised diagnosis of LADA (Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults) – it’s like Type 1 and Type 2 had a baby, I felt like I’d won the genetic lottery! So far, this side quest my body’s taken me on’s been quite the ride, but I can’t be mad about it. It’s taught me resilience and adaptability – skills that come in handy on and off the trail.

Here’s the thing: diabetes is just another adventure. Sure, it’s one with more needles, but it doesn’t define us. Ok… maybe it does a little, but it sure doesn’t have to limit us. It’s just along for the ride – like that slightly annoying friend who always forgets to chip in for gas.

That’s why I started this blog. I want to show you that we can do hard things – heck, we do hard things every day by just keeping ourselves alive! So why not add hiking a mountain or kayaking through a canyon to that list? I’m here to help you plan, prepare, and live your best life, one juice box at a time.

Are you ready to trade in your fear for a pair of hiking boots? To show diabetes whose boss while standing on top of the world (or at least on top of a really big hill)?

If so, you’re in the right place. Together, we’ll prove that our only limits are the ones we set for ourselves!

Let’s make every journey an adventure, every trail a victory, and every scenic view a middle finger to diabetes. Who’s with me? Pack your meters, grab your maps, and let’s show the world what travelbetics can do!

Remember: Life’s short and our tech’s waterproof for a reason. Let’s go explore!