Simple Travel as a Food Allergy Family
When two of my four children were diagnosed with severe nut allergies 10 years ago, I had no idea the impact this diagnosis would have on our lives. My children that were diagnosed were 5 months and 5 years at the time (one with tree nuts and one with peanuts, plus tree nuts as of this year).
You can never fully prepare for the challenges that come with parenting, and this news came with a host of new challenges that we’d need to learn to navigate. We were overwhelmed with instructions, prescriptions, and paperwork plus the endless “how-tos” and “what-ifs” that now filled our minds. Suddenly I found myself lying awake at night wondering how we’d manage and praying that we’d all have the courage to speak up when needed to keep them safe in a world that doesn't fully understand the severity of their diagnoses.
Parenting is a non-stop job and parenting children with life-threatening food allergies takes this role to a whole new level. Over the years we’ve navigated day-care, birthday parties, school classrooms, cook-outs, summer camps, sporting events, theme parks, RV travel, airplanes, trains, ferries, international travel and more. As Lisa Gable, CEO of FARE (Food Allergy Research & Education) states, managing a life-threatening food allergy is like “having to walk a tightrope several times daily.”
Reading labels, washing hands, educating friends and family members are steps we take every day, every meal, every time food is (or has been) present.
While having severe allergies has meant saying “no” to invites and passing on opportunities where we felt the risk was just too high, we’ve done our best to always say “yes” to travel. One of the reasons we drastically simplified our lives in 2013 was to travel more. It’s a priority for our family that we work diligently to pursue in the safest ways possible. Luckily, I love researching travel just as much as I love actually traveling and I’ve found the allergy community incredibly supportive. Hearing others' around-the-world travel experiences have helped my family avoid risky situations and has encouraged and inspired us to continue our quest to see the world as a family.
Over the years we’ve built upon each experience, learning from mistakes and course-correcting for the next trip. It’s been a family effort, learning as we go and teaching our two allergic children how to advocate for themselves, speak up and continuously be aware of their situation in order to keep themselves safe. We’ve created routines and processes for our daily activities, but we know we can never let our guard down.
As we've continued venturing out more, we’ve pieced together a series of steps that we take to plan, prepare for and enjoy our trips. Note that the very first step is always to consult with your physician and allergy team for advice and recommendations about travel. The steps I’m sharing here are what I’ve used personally as a food allergy mom. I am not a physician nor am I offering any medical advice. This is simply what my family chooses to do based on guidance from our physicians and medical experts. Before you travel, consult your doctors, follow their instructions and guidance and always listen to your gut. Every allergy situation is different. We’re learning best practices as we go, and we know every day brings new challenges, but also new research, new public awareness and new guidance.
Here are some of the steps we take when choosing to travel:
- Choose a destination where English is understood and used frequently
- Find accommodations that have a kitchen
- Research local grocery stores
- Research local hospitals
- Get an allergy translation card for international travel
- Get a doctor’s note that states why we’re bringing extra food (and sometimes oversize liquids and prescriptions) with us through security
- Review allergy medicine kits to ensure they’re complete and that no items are expired – we typically carry 3 or 4 kits. My two allergic children each carry theirs and my husband and I each carry a kit. Our kits include:
- Epinephrine auto-injectors
- Antihistamine and
- Anti-itch cream
- Anti-bacterial hand wipes
- Surface disinfecting wipes (for airplanes and all eating surfaces)
- Current allergy action plan
- Plan ways to ALWAYS have epinephrine on us (we make sure not to leave it in a hot vehicle)
- My daughter always has her backpack with her, which contains her allergy kit.
- Because I’m usually with son when we’re out, I always carry his kit. I have two go-to options:
- Purse, zipper pouch or wristlet
- And my new favorite, my Waypoint Travel Scarf. As an allergy mom, I am beyond thrilled to discover these Travel Scarves created by a fellow female travel enthusiast. Not only are these scarves a welcome addition to my minimalist wardrobe, but they are also perfect for safe travel. The hidden zipper pocket stores important items while traveling, which for allergic travelers, includes epinephrine auto-injectors. (Note that I'm a proud affiliate for Waypoint-see fully policy here.)
- Research others’ experiences online. Here are some of my go-to sites:
Navigating life with life-threatening food allergies wasn’t something we, or anyone else, chooses. It’s important to know that you are not alone in your journey. There’s an increasing world of support out there with helpful information. Learn from your medical team, educate your friends and family, advocate for public policies and listen to your intuition.
We have big roles as parents and even bigger roles as allergy parents. By connecting with others, being proactive and teaching others with kindness and compassion we have the power to continue making daily life and travel safe and enjoyable for our children.