Travelling with mental illness: how does it work?

Embark on a journey with Isabelle Lieblein (they/them), the intrepid traveler who is not just racking up passport stamps but also navigating their journey of mental health. From the psyche ward to having 31 countries under their belt and a dedicated following of 90k on their TikTok platform, they talk to Grace Cushnie about their experiences.

It all started in the psyche ward.

Battling suicidal thoughts and coming to terms with several new diagnoses, Isabelle Lieblein found out that their first travel TikTok went viral. They had just returned from their first trip that they had documented on the platform, and experienced such a crash that their partner had them admitted.

It was just the beginning of their story, but quite a fitting one when considering their TikTok’s content – the combination of travel and mental illness.

They said: ‘I have had the travel bug in me forever! I grew up watching NatGeo and Andrew Zimmerman Bizarre Foods, and knew I wanted that to be me.’

The 24-year-old made the bold decision to trade the confides of a mundane job and a small business to have the opportunity to travel. They created their TikTok channel, Isofbelle, and shared their first travels on the platform.

Isabelle realised they needed to change their whole life after spending three months ‘studying’ abroad or, in other words, backpacking around Europe.

Their whole perspective on life had changed.

They thought their exchange months were their last chance to travel before starting to work full time.

Then they were told they are prepositioned to early onset Alzheimer’s. It came with the reconciliation that, even if they had not of been, later isn’t promised. Why should they wait until retirement to travel?

Though, Isabelle’s mental health was struggling and, while they had all these goals, they did not even know if they were going to make it to the next week. They got some diagnoses, of bipolar disorder, OCD, PTSD, ASD, and a tic disorder. They managed to get them a lot more under control than they had used to be, though of course it was still hard.

After being influenced by all the solo travellers and digital nomads on TikTok, Isabelle finally left their Michigan home to travel in October 2022. They took their TikTok with them, and this was when their account exploded.

‘It went viral while I was in the psyche ward’, they laughed.

They were manic during this time, ‘which is how I was able to pump out so much content. As soon as I got home, I crashed’, they said.

They had not been sleeping, had been hallucinating, and desperately reaching out to their therapist.

They said: ‘I wanted to kill myself.’

They began to heal, and to find a balance between what they want to share about, being travel tips, but also living with bipolar disorder. They believe they cannot share about all the highs of travelling and their travel tips without sharing the realities of what they are actually going through.

Now, they travel frequently, and share it all with their followers on TikTok, along with some incredible tips on how to travel with mental illnesses.

‘I had not found any online support networks for people like me’, they said. ‘That is why I started my page! There is a little community of mentally ill adventurers on there’.

Isabelle saw the gap and filled it with their own realties of what it is to travel with mental illness.

‘I often feel like I am living a double life’, they said. ‘Half of me yearns to see the world and the other half loves stability but more so my life and friends at home. I love my daily routine and spending time with my favourite people and family I have in Michigan just as much as hiking to the top of a volcano to see lava! It used to be solely that I couldn't travel full time because my mental health was in constant crisis. Now I don't want to travel full time because of the amazing life I have built for myself at home while healing.

‘It is important to know that travel is not going to cure your mental illness. If you are depressed because you hate the situation you're living in, travel will provide temporary relief. But if you're not traveling full-time, you will have to return to it. However, if you have chronic and/or severe mental illness, travel will do nothing to help you. Those symptoms will follow you wherever you go. You need to get good at managing them at home before you travel to new places where you do not speak the language and have no support system.

‘Try not to let this discourage you, I'm just being real about it which I feel a lot of people on the internet are not. We are just as deserving of seeing the world as anyone else!’

This journey is something Isabelle has had to go on themself.

‘I had to do a lot of work with my therapist to figure out how it was possible for me to actually do this. We found some strategies, which ended up being TIP, other DBT skills, and simply learning to be aware of what is going on with myself, what I am feeling and why. We also found some which were more specific to autism and bipolar disorder. It was so important to do, and really did make it possible for me to be able to travel and resolve any issues that came with it.

‘I also had to learn what my triggers for my bipolar episodes are. That disruption in sleep schedule, daily schedule, and experiencing a new place all come together to create the perfect storm. This is something I have to expect. I know when traveling I could be depressed and sad even though I am experiencing amazing things. I also know it could trigger a manic episode and I have to do everything in my power to prevent that. Or it could cause a depressive episode when I return and I know I will just have to ride the wave.

‘A lot of the time, travel sets me back in my progress with my mental illnesses. This sure is not the case for everyone, I just know that the regime of travel does not necessarily work for me. I need good sleep every single night and a routine to try and live a mildly stable life. Every trip I take, I know will be two steps back, yet there is still some crazy drive in me to see the world. The travel bug. I know I need to prepare both mentally and emotionally to travel, and do so by making sure I am sleeping well beforehand, am extremely prepared and researched, as well as taking my meds properly.

‘I wish I had known sooner how crucial sleep was for my emotional regulation, it is extremely important to someone with bipolar disorder. Not sleeping triggers an episode, which I have definitely learnt the lesson of.’

Preparation is incredibly important for Isabelle to be able to travel while protecting their mental health, but there are several other lessons they have had to learn to maintain this while they are away.

‘I have to take my medication, obviously, but what the process of taking them abroad with me brought some learning curves. They have to be in the original bottle, with the correct name, as well as having to be legal in the country I am taking them to. They often are not, and my doctor has had to find an alternative I could bring.

‘Travel insurance is also essential. I may have misinterpreted the number of pills I had needed, or need serious help during an episode.’

Since learning how to take care of their mental health abroad, Isabelle has opened some incredible doors. They have found their own community of people struggling, both online through their platform and in person on their travels.

‘My mental health has never once made me feel isolated from other travelers. There are always people you are gonna vibe with and people you aren't. What can be isolating is solo traveling. But that is the name of the game!

‘I do not disclose any of my mental health issues, perhaps my autism if I am with another who too has it, to ensure I am not unfairly judged. Yet, people tend to find their people, especially online.

‘I have met some incredible people through my journey, and also honestly met myself. It is so hard to live with what I do, but it will never stop me and my travel bug dreams.’