Type 1 Diabetes Doesn’t Stop This Nomadic Blogger

Notes from Chris

Episode 949

It would seem that no matter where you look online these days, there’s another travel blog. But does that mean that there are no longer any opportunities for those looking to monetize their overseas adventures?

Well, as college students Bradley Williams and Cazzy Magennis discovered, it’s still possible, but if you want to stand out, you need to focus your efforts.

Cazzy had always dreamed of traveling the world, and she started saving up for grand adventures from an early age. But that dream came to a halt when she was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes.

For those not familiar with the condition, Type 1 Diabetes is not preventable, and there is no known cure. It’s a condition that must be constantly and carefully managed with insulin—either via injections or an insulin pump. Diabetics measure their blood-sugar levels throughout the day with finger pricks or by wearing a continuous glucose monitor. On top of all that, if insulin gets too hot, or if it freezes, it becomes ineffective—adding another complication when traveling.

Having hoped for a carefree, vagabond life, Cazzy was devastated.

But she also wasn’t interested in letting that diagnosis become her only reality. Three months later, Cazzy set off—insulin pump in hand—to see the world. It wasn’t always easy, but she found ways to make do even in countries like Bangladesh and Thailand where there was little Diabetes care. Nothing was going to keep her from hanging out with elephants!

Over the years, she learned a lot about Type 1 diabetes and the impact it had on her travels. And somewhere along the way, it occurred to her that this was valuable information that she could share with others. So, when she and her boyfriend Bradley graduated from University with a four-month backpacking stint to South America on the horizon, they decided that it was time to make a leap.

With less than £500 [$650], they launched a website and called their new project Dream Big, Travel Far. And instead of creating an all-purpose travel blog, they opted to focus on giving others with Type 1 Diabetes the tools they needed to meet their travel goals—without compromising their health.

In between Amazon riverboat cruises and trekking through National Parks, Cazzy and Bradley published their advice on taking medication and syringes through TSA, traveling to high altitudes, and even location-specific “What to do in case of emergencies” guides. The latter of these was especially important because following a night with her sister at a bar in Thailand, Cazzy knew all too well how easy it is for someone to mistake a glucose monitor for a cell phone and walk off with it.

Although slow to grow, their hustle eventually did pay off! They centered themselves as authorities for travelers with Type 1 Diabetes, and Dream Big, Travel Far currently gets more than 100,000 page views per month and brings in about £3,000 (or $3,700 USD) in profit each month as well. It’s even been successful enough for them to quit freelancing entirely and sustain their travels.

This adventurous couple now has lofty goals to triple their blog traffic this year and find new ways to continue growing their incomes. Eventually, they’d love to hire a Virtual Assistant to cover tasks like email and social media so they can focus on what they do best—namely, getting traffic through Google.

Meanwhile, they’re making their way from Ireland to Indonesia. It just goes to show that a diagnosis can’t stop you from dreaming big and traveling far.

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MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Dream Big, Travel Far: Dream big, travel far, and learn more about this adventurous side hustle over on Brad and Cazzy's website!

SEE ALSO:

• Chiropractor Becomes “Smart Luxury” Travel Blogger: When a chiropractor becomes exhausted with following the same routine after 20 years in the field, she steps into a new life as a travel blogger
• Management Consultant Creates Astute Traveling Videos: Travel videos on YouTube seemed like a crowded market, but this rewards-loving consultant finds a way to stand out
• Nomadic Designer Profits from Writing About Life in a Bag: When a designer quits his job at Apple to travel the world, he realizes that his nomadic lifestyle hacks are a hot topic—and a profitable one, too

Inspiration is good; inspiration combined with action is better. Now get back to work!

Yours in the revolution,