Traveling with Food Allergies: Take the Worry Out of Your Vacation

When you have a food allergy it is important to avoid all of the food items that you are allergic to. While this can be difficult to do when you are at home it is especially difficult to do when you are traveling. Fortunately there are tricks, tips and strategies that you can use to protect yourself from accidentally eating the wrong foods while on vacation.

Understand Your Food Allergy (or Allergies)
If you have already identified foods that you are allergic to then you are in a great position to plan for your vacation dining and snacking. Your first step is to compile two food lists. One list needs to be made up of foods that have the ingredient(s) that you are allergic to, and one list that is made up of safe foods. Type these lists into a word processor and shrink them down so that each list fits on one side of a note card. Then print out your lists, cut them out, paste them to a single note card with safe foods on one side and unsafe foods on the other side, and then have the card laminated.

If you don't have a laminating machine then you can buy a roll or clear contact paper for about $5 and use this to laminate your card. Keep this card in your wallet or purse for easy reference.

Air Travel and Food Allergies
When you travel by plane there are several situations that can put you in direct or indirect contact with food allergens. The first situation is during the in-flight snack. If you are allergic to peanuts then you will want to avoid handling any packaging that contains peanuts, even if it just passing the peanut pouch to the person sitting next to you. You don't know if nut fragments have contaminated the packaging, or if the flight attendant has touched peanuts with her/his hands while preparing meals, passing out snacks or cleaning up snack debris.

The second situation that you can come into contact with food allergens is during the in-flight meal. If your flight is short then this is something you won't have to deal with. Simply eat before you leave or after you land. However, if you are planning a long flight then you will need to contact your airline at least 24 hours in advance to make arrangements for your "special meal."

Most major airlines are going to have special meals that conform to medical, religious, vegetarian or children's requirements. Since your allergy is classified as a medical dietary concern you will be able to look for a meal under your airlines medical meal choices. For example, you can request a gluten free meal if you are allergic to wheat.

If your airline is simply not capable of meeting all of your dietary concerns, then your final option is to pack your own meal. However, if this is an option that you select then you will want to prepare a meal that does not need to be heated or refrigerated.

Cruising and Food Allergies
Like airlines, cruise lines are happy to provide their customers with meals that will keep them safe and happy. However, in order to ensure that your meal is prepared according to your specific dietary needs, you need to inform the cruise line well in advance of setting sail. Celebrity Cruises, for example, requires that you submit your special meal requests in writing 40 days before setting sail to North American destinations and 80 days in advance when setting sail for European and South American destinations.

On the Road
A road trip is a great way to see the country. However, if you have a food allergy then it also puts your health in jeopardy every time you stop for something to eat. The trick for staying healthy while on the road is to know what foods are safe and what foods are not safe for you to eat. While planning your road trip identify restaurants that you can stop at for food and contact those restaurants to ask about safe foods for you to eat. Some restaurants will have a list of foods ready to go that are gluten free, nut free, etc. In addition to this strategy you will also want to pack a few safe snacks to tide you over between safe dining locations, or to supplement menus that have a limited selection of foods you can eat.

Conclusion
Traveling with food allergies doesn't have to cut into your fun. Simply understand what is safe and what is not safe and plan ahead. Remember that the hospitality industry is there to help you have a great vacation, all you have to do is provide your hotel, airline and cruise line with a little advance notice of your dietary needs and they will take it from there.

Source: Associated Content