Thankfully, since then I have come to terms with my diagnosis and actually been able to understand what it is and what it means, so that now, I can live a relatively normal life with it. It took me about a year after my diagnosis to start joining Crohn’s and Colitis support groups, but when I did, I was able to learn so much about what Crohn’s Disease is and what having it would mean for me.

Not too long ago, I asked people in my Crohn’s Disease group for advice they wish they’d had when they were first diagnosed – and they were all so incredibly helpful. From that, I’ve compiled the second segment to Things I Wish I’d Known When I Was Diagnosed – you can read the first segment here!

I wish I’d known it wasn’t all in my head because “being less stressed” doesn’t cure it!

– Lauren Mitchell

I wish I’d listened to my body more as a 16/ 17 year old and got help sooner. I also wish I knew about support groups/ accounts sooner. They are such an amazing help and everyone’s encouragement and positivity genuinely warms my heart. I love the IBD community.

– Nancy Tysoe

Be careful where you seek out information on the internet – NHS and CCUK are the best.

– Gill Renouf

clothing

There isn’t exactly a dress code exactly in Marrakech, but certain outfits will make you stick out more. It’s also important to be aware of the way that the locals around you are dressing, so that you can dress respectfully and not attract any unwanted attention. I suggest wearing long, loose shirts with long shorts or trousers, keeping yourself modest. If you’re entering a religious site, whilst it might not be compulsory, it’s still a good call to cover your hair out of respect.

If you want to add a unique touch of personality to your outfit while respecting local culture, consider Custom Patches. 

These patches can be designed with local motifs, such as iconic Marrakech architectural silhouettes or unique geometric patterns, or you can create your own personalized designs. Such personalized patches can be applied to clothing or backpacks, enhancing your overall look while demonstrating respect for and integration with local culture.

Gsjj.co.uk offers a variety of patch templates and offers quick customization, so check them out if you’re interested.

photos

The idea that you should never take photos of people without their knowledge is even more prominent in Marrakech. If you’re walking through a souk and stumble upon someone soldering pipes, melting metals, or dyeing leathers (AKA, taking part in their own personal livelihoods) then it’s merely the respectful thing to not take photos without their consent. Try not to treat the locals like commodities, and if you do so, be prepared to either pay a large sum or get yelled at.

food and water

I was lucky enough that my introduction to the city was from Khalid, my fantastic food tour guide (shout out to Moroccan Food Adventures, my personal favourite local food tour company), as he immediately taught me about all the do’s and don’t’s of the city. We stopped at some of the most incredible local food stops, tried arguably the best tea of the country, and he advised me on several things:

• Do not drink the tap water: even if you are offered a glass at a cafe, it’s best to avoid if you don’t want to be sick during your trip.
• Be cautious with raw vegetables and fruits: Street vendors may sell cut-up fruit or vegetables, but these are often washed with tap water, so it’s safer to avoid them or buy them from trusted sources.
• Try to eat at places with a high turnover of customers: The more popular a food spot is, the more likely it is to serve fresh and safe food. Crowds (of locals, of course) are often a good indicator that the food is both delicious and safe to eat.
• Be mindful of local sweets and pastries: Moroccan sweets like baklava and pastilla are delicious, but make sure they’re prepared fresh.
• Don’t ignore food allergies or sensitivities: Moroccan food can be rich in spices, so if you have any allergies or sensitivities to certain ingredients (like saffron, cumin, or cilantro), make sure to ask about the ingredients beforehand. Personally, I’m intolerant to onion, dairy, and tomato (thanks, Crohn’s), so Khalid taught me how to order food without these.
• Choose freshly squeezed juice over pre-made options: Fresh juices are a Moroccan staple, but some pre-made juices may not be stored correctly. Stick to juices that are squeezed right in front of you to ensure freshness and safety.

walking by yourself

Whilst Marrakech is generally a safe place, make sure that you’re aware of your surroundings – especially at night. My friends and I were followed down an alleyway one evening, and whilst the men were friendly and maintained a safe distance, they did harass us for money.

Ensure that if you’re going to be walking around by yourself, try to avoid going to the Medina at night, Jemaa el-Fna after dark, the outskirts near the bus and train station, and the northern edge of the Medina near Bab Doukkala.

henna

Speaking of scams, one of the worst in Marrakech involves women who aggressively offer henna tattoos in the souk. They’ll often grab your hand without permission, apply the tattoo, and then demand a high price for their poor work. These tattoos are done with black henna which contains harmful chemicals like gasoline and paraphenylenadiamine, causing burns, blisters, and allergic reactions. It’s a horrific experience but can be easily avoided if you snatch your arm away and refuse.

animals

If a sad monkey on a chain catches your eye or you’re tempted to take a photo with it, please reconsider. The Barbary monkeys are often stolen from the Atlas Mountains and subjected to terrible conditions, and the more I’ve read about these, the sadder it is. Similarly, the snakes in the Medina have their mouths sewn shut to prevent attacks, and they often die soon after being captured. If you care about animals, it’s best to avoid supporting these practices.

“i know the way”

Be cautious of locals who approach you claiming to know the way to your destination. While some may have good intentions, others may try to lead you astray, only to demand payment later. We had one particular encounter with a small child, who, upon telling him that we actually knew the way to Bahia Palace, proceeded to swear at us and raise his tiny fist in the air, with onlookers staring at us as we walked away. It’s always wise to be skeptical in these situations. Another thing worth sorting out in advance is getting an eSIM card UK. Having mobile data ready as soon as you land makes navigation much easier and helps you avoid relying on strangers for directions.

money

Be mindful of who is offering services to you and their intentions. On a trip to the Atlas Mountains, we stopped at a roadside where goats were eating Argan nuts from the trees. After I took some photos, the farmer asked for money in exchange, and looked displeased with each subsequent euro I handed him until I cleared my pockets. He smiled and said, “thank you, shukran” – but in essence, I had just been mugged by a goat farmer and his camels.

Marrakech is a truly beautiful city, but it’s also one where, especially if you’re not used to travelling alone, you should ensure that you’ve taken the right precautions in. Be aware of where you are and how you’re acting, follow these above rules, and you’ll be fine. After all, Morocco is filled with generous, caring people <3

Additionally, before finalising your itinerary, ensure you check Morocco’s entry requirements and apply for your visa in advance.

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Use a Laptop or Tablet

Granted, mobile phones can be used to play online casino games. However, if you can bring a tablet or laptop with you, you’ll be able to play games on a slightly larger screen. The amazing graphics and features casino games offer nowadays will come in clearer, giving you a much better user experience than if you’re only playing on your phone.

Charge Your Battery

The last thing you want during your vacation is for your fun playing online casino games to suddenly end because your battery is about to die. Keep in mind that if you’re in the middle of a game when your mobile device shuts off because the battery is out, you’re probably going to lose however much money you bet on that game. You don’t want to risk that happening so make sure your battery is fully charged before you start playing casino games.

Pick the Right Online Casino

Before you head on vacation, do a little research to find the platform you want to use. There are so many options these days that it might take some time to find the perfect fit. Online casinos offer a wide range of games, not to mention promotions and bonus opportunities. These are two key factors when choosing the right casino. You might even find a no deposit casino that allows you to start placing bets and playing games without having to deposit any of your own money first. What better way to kick off your vacation than with some free plays?

Check the Location of the Online Casino

Part of picking the right online casino is making sure that platform is available wherever you’ll be traveling. Many online casinos are only available to users in certain states or countries. Therefore, you should only be looking at the online casinos that operate at your vacation destination. Otherwise, you may have a hard time accessing your preferred casino.

Play Responsibly

Just because you’re playing casino games on vacation doesn’t mean you should throw your inhibitions to the wind. Being on vacation isn’t a reason to bet beyond your means or let casino games interfere with your other vacation plans. Remember to stick to a budget, take breaks from betting, and practice responsible gambling habits to ensure the gaming you do on vacation is both fun and safe.

That everybody’s different and something that may work for someone else may not work for me.

– Rachel Macdonald

Employment law, i.e. what are my rights, the importance of vitamins and minerals (check iron, vit b12+folate, vit D), mental health support.

– Bob Hope

Make the most of the time you are, relatively, symptom free. I’ve lost too many years to this condition. I wish as a younger man I’d known what could happen in the future.

– David Buckle

That just because you have a diagnosed disease, life doesn’t have to be boring and your dreams diminished. If anything, it gives you a boost to take life and run with it 100%, to make the most of it.

– Sarah Wingrove

I hope that this post has been able to offer some help to those with Crohn’s Disease, those who have a loved one with an autoimmune disease, and even those that knew nothing about it before this post – I sure wish that I’d had something like this when I was first diagnosed!

If you have any other tips or questions, please let me know in the comments below!

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Reza is absolutely one of my favourite explorers, having pushed every single one of his limits and still carrying on his adventures.  In his journey from Nordkapp to Cape Town, he cycled through countries such as Dagestan and Egypt (despite endless warnings not to – I both adore and relate to that!), contracting food poisoning, malaria, and heat stroke, and yet still completing his journey – AND being able to raise over £70,000 for children in Madagascar. Oh, and he was also briefly kidnapped.

Primarily, I would first like to know if this is where your teenage self thought you’d end up?

Yes, for sure. One day my dad gave me a series of book called The Adventures of Tintin. As a kid, I explored the world with Tintin, to the moon and back, to the heart of the Congo, deep into  Arabia and China. Those books really sparked my imagination to the world of exploration. At that age, all I wanted was to travel the world and be like Tintin. But obviously being an explorer is not normally something you are advised to do when you meet your career advisor at school, and I really didn’t know how to make a living out of it. Then somehow life got in the way and my passion took a back seat. I went from being a professional basketball player to extreme skier and mountain biker, and I even made it in the corporate world. But you can’t skip what you’re made for. Those seeds that were planted in you when you were a kid cannot be underestimated.

What is your most memorable experience on the road?

This is such a difficult question. Perhaps arriving at the town of Djenne in Mali during the annual plastering of the mosque is something that I will never, ever forget. It was one of the most remarkable experiences of my life. Djenne is the mud capital of the world and in the centre of it is the grand mosque of Djenne – one of the sacred wonders of the world. People from all over Mali come to Djenne to give their mosque a new skin and prepare it for the rainy season ahead. The townsfolk took us into their homes, treated us like their families and shared this incredible experience with us. We partied for three days in Djenne in the muddy festival – an explosion of Malian music, dance, colours, movement and, of course, mud. It was like the Glastonbury festival in Mali.

What is the hardest aspect of cycling such great distances?

You need to keep yourself motivated because it can sometimes gets really daunting. Being a long-distance cyclist means you have to be a student of pain. You need to know how to manage pain and accumulated fatigue. You go through so many different emotions and you have some incredible times: like feeling the euphoria of finishing the day and seeing the gorgeous sunset from your bike having cycled 150 miles; and there are times that you feel terrible and constantly question why are you doing this. It’s like life, isn’t it?

How did you manage to secure the sponsors and exposure for your Kapp to Cape journey?

It took me a long while to build enough of a profile to enable me to get my first sponsorship. Before Kapp to Cape, I cycled the Annapurna Circuit and set the Guinness World Record for cycling the Sahara Desert. Both were done during my holidays using my savings. They certainly gave me credibility to ask for sponsorship. I always suggest not to approach sponsors unless you have something you can give in return. Sponsors don’t necessarily want to turn people down, they are just inundated by the number of people approaching them. They give money in return for exposure, which is fair. Save up, start small, build credibility and an audience, and then approach them.

The expedition was supported by the Scientific Exploration Society and Reza would like to thank sponsors Sun Chlorella, Craghoppers, Lestoff, Wildling, Tentsile, BodyMe and Eagle Creek.

Have you got any advice for someone looking to become a full-time explorer?

There is no set career path in becoming an explorer, however there is a common characteristic that explorers share and that is entrepreneurship. Explorers make connections. An explorer is a networker who brings together others who will join an expedition – teams, sponsors and audiences – for the work of the expedition. He or she is a persuader, fundraiser, networker, recruiter, leader and curator. Alternatively, you can develop an expertise in something so you can join a team, for example, you could be a photographer, filmmaker, diver, mountaineer, etc. Whichever path you decide to choose, dedication and hard work should be part of your existence because it’s not an easy path, though it is a very rewarding one.

Which experience would you say you have learnt the most from?

Failing. I was leading a team in the Amazon, making a TV series called Transamazonica. I had so much responsibility on my shoulders: I was a producer and co-presenter. We were filming in very difficult conditions for an extended period of time. The local team was extremely difficult to deal with and made our lives very complicated. Our cameraman, who was a very difficult person, was constantly arguing with them and sometimes the arguments got very heated. I constantly had to mediate. At some point things got a bit too much and I lost it. I feel I let everyone down and as a leader I should have handled the situation much better and not let it get to that stage.

What would your answer be to people that say that everywhere has already been explored?

They are right. At least on the surface of the Earth, people have been everywhere. But that is not the definition of a 21^st century explorer. According to the Cambridge dictionary, explorers are people who travel to places that no one has ever been to see what is there. This is so out of date and not relevant to today. Explorers are storytellers, but not just chest-beating, flag-planting adventurers. Explorers create stories which change others’ understanding of the world. That’s what it means to be a 21^st century explorer. It’s about documentation. Whether it is a feat of endurance or looking at certain areas of the world from a different angle, it’s about what you do with that piece of information and how you contribute to other people’s knowledge.

How likely is it that a woman could do what you do, cycling such great distances through questionable lands?

Very likely. Start small and build up from there. It’s all about gaining experience.

Who would you say your favourite travel writer is?

Tim Butcher and Paul Theroux. Hard to chose between them.

Lastly, would you be able to tell me a little about your next big adventure?

I have just finished a TV series called The World’s Most Dangerous Borders. This was the first season, which was based in Africa. I was offered to do the second season, which is happening in Asia. It’s about documenting the lives of people who live in conflicted border areas.

Reza Pakravan is one of my biggest influences – I have learnt so much about what it takes to become a modern-day adventurer from him, and I hope he has helped inspire you guys also.

Have you guys got any questions for him, or now feel ready to take on your own adventure? Let me know in the comments below!

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PLAN YOUR TIMINGS

Soft colours and different tones often result in some of the best photographs, and I find that if you want to add a small contrast to your photos then shooting either really early in the morning or in the evening can render some of the best lighting – also, there’s less likely to be tourists swarming about every corner in the twilight hours.

FRAMING

Yesterday, I flew back from Adeje, and looking back at my photographs some of my favourites have been ones where the mountains are framed with trees, or where door frames obstruct the focus. Mess around with the foreground and background and add depth to your images.

USE A TRIPOD

Especially during long exposure or dark shots, using a tripod is one of the most important things to make your photographs less shaky and more focused. You could take the best photo in the world, but if it’s blurred when you look back at it then you’ll be hella mad at yourself.

VR AND IS

Speaking of shaky images, if you have to take tricky photos handheld, it’s definitely useful to learn about VR (Vibration Reduction) and IS (Image Stabilisation), options that most good cameras should have on the body.

FOCUS ON A SUBJECT

A photo of, say, a beach, may be great, but adding diversity to an image to enhance the look of it can definitely work in your favour. If a surfer suddenly jumps to the ocean, or a kid’s clown is sat entertaining on the sand, getting them in the shot can both make it more interesting and have something to draw your eye to.

GET ON THE GROUND

Different angles can be used to shape up images. If you’re walking down an old street full of cobbles, getting down low to get in the whole scene would help enhance the image, along with if you were to get close to action such as ocean waves or lavender fields.

USE BAD WEATHER TO YOUR ADVANTAGE

Don’t be put off by bad weather conditions, as you often find that they could add an atmosphere to a photo. I went to the Lake District and the stormy skies overhead looked so much better than if it were clear and blue, and are definitely more intriguing than a lot of the shots I shot there in the sun.

DON’T LEAVE THE HOUSE WITHOUT YOUR CAMERA

You miss out on 100% of shots you don’t take – and it’s kinda hard to shoot when your camera is in the back of the car.

ASK THE LOCALS FOR GOOD SPOTS

After all, they have probably lived there for years and scoped out some pretty good locations. Whilst guide books and research can hint at some good locations, actually going out and getting lost will give you so much more variety than your average tourist.

EDITING IS YOUR FRIEND

Speaking of which, editing photographs can be useful in so many ways. Ever seen a photo of the Aurora Borealis, with the vibrant greens stretching across the sky? Yeah, they didn’t really look like that. Subtly enhancing colours and themes can really make a photo pop, and will work in your favour if you’re careful not to go overboard.

SHOOT IN RAW

One of my friend’s father’s is a photographer, and on a trip away with his family he taught me that shooting with JPEG and the like make it so much harder to edit at a later date, and will obstruct the quality of the overall image. Whilst it may take up more memory, shooting in RAW is a sacrifice you will be glad you made.

LEARN HOW TO USE A CAMERA

If only that photographer I mentioned at the start actually knew how to use his equipment, eh? Learning the ins and outs of your camera is one of the most important things you can do – don’t just shoot on automatic! I use a Nikon D5300 because it is simple to use whilst not compromising quality.

BE PATIENT

Here’s an example of me not following my own advice, but I really admire people who spends hours waiting to catch the perfect sunset or a bird taking flight, and I love photos like that. After all, patience is a virtue, right?

POV

I only mentioned this because I adore POV shots! I can’t remember the name of the couple that shoots all their shots with their hands holding in the shot, but they’re some of my favourites and I can always tell when a photo belongs to them. Add a voice to your photos and give the viewer something to relate to.

STALK THE INTERNET AND MAGAZINES FOR INSPIRATION

Think Pinterest, Wanderlust mag, National Geographic’s Instagram. I spend so many hours just scouring the pages of photographers I love, and I’ve easily learnt a thing or two from just that. At the very least, you’ll end up with a massive list of places you want to go to.

Do you guys plan on involving more of these tips into your own photos, or could suggest any others? Let me know in the comments below!

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BUT BEFORE YOU DO – WHY NOT SHARE THE LOVE AND PIN THIS POST?

For those of y’all who don’t know, I’m the worst when it comes to flying. Not because I still have a debilitating fear, but because my main coping mechanism is to ask questions and thoroughly understand everything that is going on around me. This sounds like a great anti-fear technique, but recently, I was sat in an airport departure lounge and was asking about what would happen if the plane got hijacked, and who takes over if the pilot got shot? A woman shaking out of her skin ended up approaching me and begging me to stop nattering about Final Destination-esque scenarios, because she has agonising aviophobia and what I was saying put her on the verge of throwing up. It turns out that there are actually a bunch of ways to deal with a fear of flying, and what may work for some may send others into full panic mode. Regardless, I’ve mentioned some of the best ways to deal with a fear of flying, and how I personally overcame mine.

Mine began with a dodgy trip to Cyprus, where at the last minute the tour operator changed the route for a refuelling stop in a deeply problematic area of the world with a rickety old plane company I’d never heard of before, and I felt so uneasy about the trip that I ended up at 3am in the deep dark part of the internet reading up on statistics and biased ideas that scared the living shit out of me. Then, of course, there was my trip to Poland where the plane actually dropped out of the sky during a world-class storm. Needless to say, my fear of flying escalated exponentially since then. Considering I want to travel for a living I knew that I had to overcome my phobia, and so I spent a long time working on it so that it would be manageable enough to fly with – and yesterday I booked a spontaneous four-hour flight to Adeje for a week. Now, I actually feel pretty excited about my flight – and here’s how I did it;

ESTABLISH EXACTLY WHAT IT IS THAT SCARES YOU

LEARN ABOUT TURBULENCE

AVOID COMMON MISBELIEFS ABOUT OVERCOMING YOUR FEAR

Some people suggest drinking, but that will dehydrate you more than you will already be with the change in pressure and make you feel worse when you land. It’s also not a good long-term solution. Others suggest taking sleeping pills or distracting yourself with whale song (or just conking out and laying back on some silk pillows), but neither really fix the problem. You’ve got to get to the route of your fear and work up from there, and by taking yourself mentally out of the situation you’re still going to face the same problem each time you think about flying. Don’t get caught up in your aviophobia – after all, it’s illogical, and would be much more productive if you were that meticulous about trying to stop your smoking habit or weaning down on red meats.

SAY HELLO TO THE PILOT!

One of the stewards may ask the pilot if you are able to see the cockpit and meet the pilot themselves before you take off if you ask them nicely. Meeting the person controlling the plane and seeing the controls themselves helps minimise the anxiety that comes with the unknown, and should put you more at ease. Also, in regards to the pilots, they go through such rigorous training and invest so much time and effort (and money – it costs like £160,000 just for the official training, not counting anything before or after that) into their careers that they’re deeply passionate and educated about the aircraft they fly and will always put your safety first. A lifetime of dedication and preparation means that they’re pretty trusted with your life in their hands – and, according to an aeroplane engineer I spoke to, the pilot and co-pilot have to have different meals on the plane should the food make them ill, which should help with minor food fears.

PUT YOURSELF IN THE FRONT SEAT

Whilst this isn’t how I personally overcame my aviophobia, some people suggest that you could take flying lessons or at least try out a simulator. This will demystify the idea of flying, and help you understand the sheer amount of preparation and planning that goes into making a plane fly.

CHANGE YOUR FLIGHT ACCORDINGLY

Whilst looking at flights, you can read up on the information about which plane you will be on, and can choose a flight with a bigger plane (less turbulence), get a seat at the front (less of a bumpy ride), and pick a more direct route (less take offs and landings). By going through some extra measures, you can make sure that you will feel more comfortable and secure on your trip. Also preplan by arriving at the airport early, booking an aisle seat so that you can’t see the 35,000 feet drop to the ground from the window, or get an upgrade by the emergency exit so that you feel less trapped.

FLY FIRST CLASS

Whilst I may still get a small amount of anxiety every now and then when I fly, I know for sure that if someone offered me a first class flight right now I would hop out of my dressing gown and jump straight on the plane. Believe me, it’s a lot harder to be frightened sipping champagne and lounging in some crisp white sheets watching a good film.

WORK ON RELAXING

If your shoulders feel tight, give them a rub. Spend time working moisteriser into the fatty part of your palms. Use a plastic fork to scratch that one spot on your back that you can never reach. Massage your scalp and play with your hair. You may look slightly unhinged, but at least it’s better than doing a Kristen Wiig in Bridesmaids and standing in the middle of the aisle shouting “There is something they’re not telling us!”

LEARN HOW A PLANE WORKS

The dangers we once had years ago, such as crashing into an incoming plane (the vertical deviation of any plane is less than the height of the tail so that’s rendered moot) or an engine exploding, are now pretty much diminished.  I interviewed an aeroplane engineer at Heathrow who told me that both twin engined and aircraft with four engines can both run on just one engine without problem – and even then, aircraft can glide for around 100 miles if the engines fail at 30,000ft, landing safely on ground of floating on water. The very seat you sit in can withstand 16 times the force of gravity, along with being self-extinguishing and fire retardant. One of the biggest facts for me is that for every hour in the air, at least 11 hours had been spent on maintenance of that particular plane prior.  An eight hour flight? Nearly 90 hours of prep. As a fun fact though, every centimetre of slack you have in the seatbelt will propel you six times as far forward if the plane jolts, so make sure you use it properly and keep it tightened.

PREPARE YOURSELF, BUT DON’T BE IRRATIONAL

Learn everything you can about what to do in an emergency so that that aspect isn’t dauntingly scary and you feel more prepared – however, that can be taken a tad too far. For example, a couple of flights ago I was sat there counting and working out how far away the emergency exit was and how to get there with my eyes closed. It irritated the person next to me to no end, and it didn’t do me any favours either. I’ve found that it’s best to understand how to react to negative situations, but once you have that information, calm down and take it in your stride. Congrats, you’re prepared – but don’t obsess.

REALISE IT’S ALL IN YOUR MIND

Understand that if you’re nervous about flying whilst on the ground, then it’s not actually flying that you’re focusing on, but more the anxiety that the idea causes. Remind yourself that whilst flying, you are safe and well and going to a lovely country (unless it’s to England, in which case, consolations). And then, like the famous step in Alcoholics Anonymous, acceptance is one of the last stages of your recovery from fear. Accept that you can’t control the situation and that you’re in good hands, and you should start feeling a lot better.

AND FINALLY, FACE YOUR FEAR!

Just think, flying is actually the safest part of your journey, and the safest mode of transportation by far (cars, trains, boats – none have had as much time and monetary investment as that of the aviation industry to keep it’s passengers safe). You’re more likely to die on your walk into the plane, as your likeliness of dying in a plane crash is one in 20 million (over ten times better than in the 1960’s, as the stats get better every day). At the end of all this, if you’re still absolutely terrified – why not be mega dramatic like me and take a minimum of three flights a day until you’ve overcome it all? (If you think I’m joking – I’m really not, I actually did this)

On the same note, if you can befriend members of staff and air hostesses then they can help give you advice as well as keep an eye on you, and female flight passengers are often great at giving you tips for the place you’re about to land in.