Living with long COVID has changed my approach to travel.

Martha Lee from Devon, England, a passionate traveler and hiker, shares with Sara Stewart how long COVID has influenced her journey but hasn't halted her adventures.

“Since I was 17, I’ve been traveling both solo and with friends. I like to save up money and time to embark on month-long trips. I always choose to stay in hostels, as they provide an opportunity to meet others with similar interests.”

“One of my most unforgettable hikes was the Tour du Mont Blanc, a roughly 100-mile trek through France and southern Italy. I spent nearly a year living in Guatemala working with an NGO, which was an incredible experience. I even climbed Santiaguito, an active volcano there.”

“I returned from a trip to Mexico just a day before the COVID stay-at-home order was issued. I contracted COVID several times, but the one that led to my long COVID was in August 2021. I wasn’t hospitalized, but I felt extremely ill for weeks. It took months before I could manage stairs or socialize again.”

“I’ve reached a stage where I can walk slowly for up to half an hour on flat ground. My ‘battery,’ as they term it in clinics, is significantly smaller. If I push myself too hard, I end up unwell for a week. Brain fog can make it difficult for me to recall specific words. I was previously a management consultant, but I lost my job as I struggled to lead a team. My ability to absorb information has diminished, and my memory is quite poor.”

“Last September, I took a family trip to Spain. We gathered near Bilbao in the mountains, but I was unable to join any hikes and stayed back instead. Our return flight got canceled, leading to an unexpected weekend in Madrid. I managed to have breakfast and dinner out, and spent about half an hour in a gallery—that was pretty much my weekend.”

Tips for planning a trip with long COVID

“I managed one solo trip to Lagos, Portugal, around this time last year. The level of planning required when you can’t just take life as it comes made this trip quite unique. For example, I emailed the hostel requesting not to have a top bunk due to the ladder—only to find there were three flights of stairs to reach my room! That definitely counted as a significant activity.”

“Lagos turned out to be a great choice because everything is within a 10-minute walk. You can enjoy a leisurely stroll to the beach, spend some time there, and then take a gentle walk back. Plus, a delightful fresh food market was just three minutes from the hostel. It’s not like Rome, where there’s so much to see that missing out can make you feel like you wasted your trip.”

“I believe I’ve encountered only two other individuals with long COVID. Perhaps it’s because we’re not getting out much! Many people seem unaware. While staying in a hostel, I spoke with girls in the nearby beds, and they had no knowledge of it. They were from the US, where there are at least 20 million people currently affected.”

'Many invisible disabilities exist that often go unrecognized. There’s a lot of stigma attached, like ‘You don’t seem ill.’ But that's because you’re witnessing me at my most lively! It’s akin to curating an Instagram persona, where only the highlights are shown, concealing everything else beneath the surface.'