Meet Celina! A dairy farmer from New South Wales, Australia, who set off on a European adventure! Living with Type 1 diabetes didn’t stop her from making unforgettable memories (and a few “oops” moments) as she explored new places, cultures and cusines!

In this blog, Celina shares the highlights of her trip, the honest and hilarious behind-the-scenes stories, travel tips for fellow T1Ds, and what she wishes she’d known before she set off.

You can follow more of Celina’s adventures over on TikTok and Instagram: @AdventuresofC_t1d

🌍 Big Trip Highlights – 18 Countries, 1 non-functioning Pancreas that got a free ride!

• 18 countries: Australia, England, France, Switzerland, Spain, Monaco, Italy, Vatican City, Greece, Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Austria, Germany, Czech Republic, Belgium, Netherlands 
• 2 flights: Sydney to Dubai, Dubai to London 
• 4 Ferries (including an overnight ferry from Italy to Greece) 
• 11 Security Scanning Checkpoints to go through 
• 5 Oopsies: Chest infection after getting sick in Barcelona, Vatican City Security Scanner dilemma, Hopfgarten Bike Ride Hypo, Migraine on Anzac Day & unconscious on the bus 
• Too many diabetes Burnouts and carbs to count especially in Italy
• A few days having a reset, feeling too overwhelmed to put an insulin pump back on.

The Bread Burnout!

Bread became the go to at every restaurant and by the second week I was over eating bread with dinner. But I did because I would have a glass or two of wine with dinner. So whenever, I knew I was going to be drinking alcohol no matter how much, I made sure there was a bowl of bread for me and if I was drinking I wouldn’t take insulin for this bread. I haven’t been able to look at bread the same since returning to the UK and have opted for Wraps for my lunch instead. But it was a staple carb I could rely on, as some of the meals ended up to have very little carbs. 

😂 The Five oopsies

Barcelona Sickness: 

First week in and I got the cold that spread around the group. Using Cold and Flu tablets and all things in between I was struggling and my body wasn’t resting properly, so I ensured I was in a good range level wise and took a sleeping tablet. I was able to bounce back faster as my body was given the chance to recuperate without me getting restless or waking up. I was in a safe situation sharing a hostel room with girls from the group that knew what was going on. I also set alarms on my phone for when I had to wake up and had my Dexcom Alarms on loud - had double checked calibration before going to sleep. But whilst I felt a whole lot better by the end of the day and was able to drag myself out to the flamenco performance and dinner, I was still fighting this cold for the remainder of the trip - especially as by the time I got to Greece (Ios & Santorini), it had developed into a chest infection. And just when I thought I was out of the woods with that, another cold - or the same cold went through the bus for different people and I feel like mine just ramped up that bit more.

Vatican City security drama

While running higher BGLs due to all the pizza and pizza in Italy, this meant I felt more exhausted and was more emotional. Going through the security checkpoint should’ve been the same as it had been for all my other experiences. I notified a security Gard of my devices in my bag and also the ones I was wearing and that they couldn’t go through the scanners. This particular guard, didn’t know what to do and stated so - he told me to find the security officer with the sunflower lanyard so I was of the impression he’d be aware of Type One diabetics and the devices etc. Sadly, not to be. This security officer tipped my emotions over the edge. I felt like he was pressuring me when saying “it’s fine, it’s fine, just go through” whilst gesturing towards the scanners”, I backed away quickly and this caused me to break down - especially after having late nights as well. This caused another couple of people I was travelling with to notice and quickly understand the situation. Whilst one offered not to go in with me if I couldn’t go through the scanners, I was determined to get in and see the Vatican - it was also Palm Sunday and the service that was on was an experience of a lifetime. This thankfully caught the attention of a female security officer who let me explain the situation to her, she was then really understanding and confused as to why it had become such a big deal. She took my spare devices that were in my backpack and took me around the side of scanners. Simple as that. Whilst, some devices can go through the scanners not all of them can, and it also depends on the scanners. After having a previous experience last year on a different trip, with my Dexcom G6 going through Newcastle Airport in Australia and it no longer working (thankfully it was on the last couple of days) I haven’t dared to try again and would prefer to play it safe. Due to this experience the next security checkpoint I went through was for ANZAC Day and I was freaking out. However, I shouldn’t have been and should’ve taken it in my stride, as I had absolutely no issues, the security were lovely and understanding and even though they questioned my sharps container and the contents, there were no issues and none of my items were taken off of me.

ANZAC Day migraine

Standing in Gallipoli, emotional, and… flat out with a migraine. Thoughtful timing, brain.
This entire trip for me was built around one moment: standing at ANZAC Cove for the Dawn Service. Walking in under the stars, finding a spot on the front barrier, it felt calm, surreal, emotional.
What I didn’t plan for was my health derailing me at midnight—full hemiplegic migraine hit hard. Left side immobile, pain everywhere, unable to speak. I could only hope my meds would pull me through.
By 3:30am, the service prep began. Dizzy, exhausted, in pain—but I made myself eat for my diabetes, pushed through the migraine fog, and stood for the entire service. Not sure when the pain faded—maybe it was the weight of the moment or the pride swelling inside me. Wearing my grandad’s Royal NZ Air Force medals, standing on the very ground where history changed forever… there are no words. Before the trip, I found he had three unclaimed medals and two long service clasps. I don’t think he ever imagined they’d make it to Gallipoli, but as his oldest grandchild, I couldn’t be prouder to carry them there.

Unconscious on the bus

No explanation needed. Not the vibe I was going for. I had a Hemiplegic Migraine attack whilst camping out in Gallipoli for the ANZAC Dawn Service. My blood glucose levels had also not been fantastic leading up to this night but it wasn’t something new, as I’ve been running higher than normal whilst travelling to be safer. I took my migraine medication and kept pushing through in the days following. Unfortunately, It all caught up to me a couple of days later. I went to sleep on the coach to have a nap, with just feeling fatigued, but I didn’t wake up when I fell off the seat. I scared those I was travelling with, as they hauled me back onto the seat but couldn’t wake me up. I can’t pin point exactly what happened other than fatigue and my body had said enoughs enough, as my BGL’s had been stable and were at 10 when they manually tested my levels. I slept for the rest of the day on the coach and was weak for a couple of days following the incident.

The 20km Hopfgarten bike ride

The Hopfgarten ride started beautifully — a carby breakfast with bacon & eggs I’d been craving, bags packed down to a T for type one. Crisp air, strong start… but something felt off. Like I wasn’t in my own body.
I followed my plan: steady snacks, glucose tabs, and a ham + cheese sandwich at halfway. Levels were holding — until the weather flipped. Freezing rain, sudden crash. Blood sugar dropped fast.
Nothing worked. 4km to go, close to a severe hypo. Legs failing, brain fog, body in pain. Stopping meant calling for help… but stubborn as ever, I rode it out. Just. Adrenaline got me back — barely. Half-carried into the shower, shaking, given a Nutella sandwich to come back to life. Had a roast lunch and then slept for the remainder of the day, missing out on the night activity. It wasn’t that I was unfit or wasn’t capable of doing the activity - I didn’t push myself too hard - until the end when I had to get back to the accommodation.
Recovery took days, I was super weak and even trying to stand let alone walk up stairs took everything out of me… not helped by me doing white water rafting the next morning either - solely of adrenaline, 2 Nutella sandwiches and an entire tube of lime glucose tablets just before we took to the water. Especially, since the river was freezing cold and we were getting in and out of the water at points, I didn’t want the cold to severely affect my levels and ruin more fun. 💀 When we finished, I was frozen but we levels were steady at a 6. Type one doesn’t care where you are — but I’ll always try to meet it with grit.
As sad as it was that paragliding got cancelled due to the weather, on the flip side I was glad I could give my body rest, as I would’ve pushed through to be able to have gone paragliding for the first time - that being we were also in Austria and the beautiful scenery. 

💡 Tips for Fellow Type One Travellers

• USB insulin cooler = total game changer. Throw in two portable chargers so you’re never caught out in any situation. Got me through the flights without a stress, travel days where a fridge wasn’t accessible - i.e the ferry rides especially the overnight ferry, as I was able to plug directly into power. 

• Learn the carb counts of at least three emergency snack foods common in Europe (croissants, pre-packaged hazelnut crepes, chocolate digestive biscuits).

• Don’t push through a burnout. Take a pump break if you need it, even if it’s just for a day or two ( making sure you have your long acting insulin though)

• Language barrier? Create a note in the local language explaining your condition. (Especially helpful for border crossings and pharmacy runs.) Whilst I didn’t really need this, it was comforting to have on my phones notes app just in case (also if there was no phone service for google translate to work). As well as the nearest hospitals to where I was going, their phone number and their map location just in case.

• Make sure you have doctors letters explaining your condition and why you are carrying what you are, in case any security questions you.

• On travel days especially flights - have your device site easily visible (on your arms) when wearing a singlet. This makes it visible to security staff and they don’t ask too many questions. I used bright coloured patches as well so they stood out. A couple of activities I did, the operators had already seen the patches and recognised Type One Diabetes so went out of their way to help. 

• With flights as well, having the patches/devices easily visible made it easier to board the flight first before general boarding - stating I needed time to prepare on the plane (get all my supplies for the long travel out of my bag, and get safety snacks out too). Airline staff didn’t question it as they could see my devices. 

• Know that you are more likely to get sick. Therefore, packing a mini medical needs bag with the main sickness supplies - throat lozenges, cold and flu tablets, antibiotics etc. The antibiotics saved me after I developed a chest infection in Greece after getting the cold that went around our group and knocked me off my feet in Barcelona on the first week.  

• I took extra supplies and had backups for the backups. Which I was thankful for, of peace of mind, but didn’t actually need to delve into my backups. Also account for using more insulin than you normally would use on a day to day basis, due to the all the food possibilities. The amount of carbs I ate was ridiculous. 

• Take Screenshots of all your insulin pump settings prior to the trip and email them to yourself. That way if something happens to your phone of insulin pump PDM, you can access them online from any device. 

• Know when your pump uses more insulin per carb ratio - changing countries so often and time zones got annoying trying to change the PDM settings almost very 2-3 days and we jumped back and forwards between countries, so just looking at the ratio on the pre-calculated amount before hitting start on my pump (Omnipod), I’d adjust the amount needed manually without having to change the time settings. 

• Look at your itinerary to be able to plan ahead. A lot of travelling can be spur of the moment, so knowing exactly when the hard hitting activities were coming were crucial. I didn’t want to eat low carb food and then realise I actually should’ve been carb loading prior. 

• As we were travelling as a group, I was lucky there was a nurse with us. However, if you are travelling with a group, I would recommend teaching someone feeling promptly towards the start at least the basics on how to check your levels - manually, should something happen. Better to be prepared than not. 

• Whilst I barely needed to calibrate my dexcom G6, as I tend to give mine a ‘soaking’ period. I was checking my dexcom levels almost 70% more than what I normally would. I changed the alarms, especially the low alerts or fall rate alert to a really obnoxious sound and I did not feel guilty when doing so. Sleeping in a room with others, I preferred them to be angry at me for a low alert going off than the latter. I only had one occasion where I had a low overnight and woke up others in my room. The remainder were high alerts which I was overly bothered about and the tone was less obnoxious, so mostly the girls slept through it. 

🤔 What I wish I would have known before solo travelling Europe as a Type One Diabetic

• That it’s okay to miss a day of sightseeing to rest or reset your body and brain. I felt pressured that I had to cram everything in. Ultimately, needed to take a step back and let my body recover from the cold I got. And to have time for myself during a diabetes burnout. A sleep-in, a chill day to recuperate and get back on top of things.

• That not every country sells easily accessible glucose tablets – bring more than you think. Also, if you find you are a fussy eater and aren’t happy with some of the food snacks, or are sick of the go-to low snacks. They may not taste the best for a lot of people, but they pack small and work quickly. 

What I went by

That some travel moments will be hard – not just because of diabetes, but because it’s a lot. Let yourself feel it, understand it’s going to be okay, then keep going. I had prepared for almost every possible dilemma, and yeah some parts were ideal, because I planned everything ahead I had everything I needed in the moment. 

You can follow more of Celina’s adventures over on TikTok and Instagram: @AdventuresofC_t1d