Phoenyx Travels

Hey Reader, If flying with a disability feels chaotic, you’re not imagining it. ⏩ Airports move fast. 🙅♀️ Policies are inconsistent. 💁🏻♀️ And somehow you’re expected to know exactly what to ask for. For the last nine years I’ve been figuring this out through real travel days. ✅ The good ones. 👎 The messy ones. ⚠️ The ones where everything went sideways. Eventually I realized flying gets easier once you stop improvising every trip and start using a system, so I built one. The ✈️ Flight-Ready...

Hey Reader, The first time I flew with a disability I was carrying a bag of IV pain medication connected to my leg and absolutely unable to walk. And somehow TSA still expected me to move through security like a normal traveler. 💁🏻♀️ This was in 2020 when my family moved from Florida to North Carolina just weeks after my ankle replacement surgery. I was still recovering, still hooked up to medication, and completely dependent on airport staff to push me through the airport. Which meant my...

Hey Reader, Being Tired Isn’t the Problem. Staying There Is. If you’re always tired — not end-of-day tired, but wake up already depleted tired — this isn’t a discipline issue. It’s information. I learned that the hard way last year, when my energy went from unpredictable to basically nonexistent. Sleep didn’t fix it. Pushing through made it worse. And resting only after I crashed just kept me stuck in the same loop. Tired Art GIF That’s what finally made me stop asking “What’s wrong with me?”...

Hey Reader. Quiet Is Not a Luxury (It’s How I Survive Travel) If you’ve ever landed somewhere already exhausted before the trip even really started, this one’s for you. After my accident, travel didn’t just get harder physically. It got louder. Brighter. More overwhelming. Airports, attractions, busy streets - all of it stacked up fast. And pretending I could just “push through” never ended well. What actually changed things wasn’t tougher skin or better planning. It was learning how to find...

Hey Reader. December Is Asking a Lot (And It’s Not Just You) If December already has you tired — and it’s only the 16th — you’re not behind. You’re responding to a month that asks way too much, way too early. This time of year piles on expectations before we’ve even recovered from the last thing. And if you live with chronic illness, sensory overload, or a limited energy budget, December doesn’t feel festive — it feels expensive. Christmas No GIF by Albert Heijn What I Used to Do (And Why It...

Hey Reader. Still Recovering (Because Apparently I’m Not Invincible) If Thanksgiving wiped you out, welcome to the club. I spent Wednesday through Sunday basically fused to my mattress. Not in a cute “self-care” way — in a “my body shut down and I survived on sheer willpower and stubbornness” way. Socializing + sensory chaos + holiday expectations = my own personal boss battle. If you’re still recovering too, you’re not dramatic. You’re human. christmas contest GIF December Is… Complicated...

Hey Reader. The Honest Truth About This Time of Year Thanksgiving has always been a weird holiday for me. Not because I’m ungrateful — I’m absolutely grateful — but when your health is a daily uphill battle, “gratitude” isn’t this warm, Pinterest-worthy epiphany. This Is Fine GIF by Saku Monsters Most days, I’m just trying to exist without my body throwing its own plot twists. And when you're already exhausted and in pain, being told to “focus on the positives” feels like someone handing you...

Hey Reader. Holiday Travel Season Is Here (Sorry in Advance) If you’re gearing up for end-of-year travel, you already know the drill: ✈️ loud airports, 🥸 questionable smells, 👭 crowded gates, 😷 and someone breathing directly into your personal space. For years, I just accepted the chaos. Then my accident happened, my sensory sensitivities skyrocketed, and suddenly every trip felt like a battle for survival. So I rebuilt my entire travel setup — and shockingly, it helped. A lot. This week, I...

Hey Reader. You know that moment when you think you might be ready to travel again — but your body, schedule, or anxiety immediately reminds you of all the reasons you shouldn’t? Yeah. Been there. After my last big flare, it took months before I even opened Google Flights again. Every time I thought about planning a trip, my brain threw up a PowerPoint presentation of worst-case scenarios: fatigue, pain, logistics, sensory overload, TSA. (Always TSA.) security airport GIF by truTV’s Those Who...