Travelling with allergies can be very scary. Here are our top tips from our experiences of travelling with food allergies. We are determined that they don’t get in the way our family seeing the world.
Although my son’s allergic reaction on holiday in 2012 was an awful experience, we made the choice to go abroad knowing the risks and have learned from it if it happens again. We did make a point of getting on and enjoying the rest of our time. We got out of the hospital the next day and went straight to the beach. Allergies won’t get in our way of living a normal life!
Here are some of our top tips for travelling with food allergies
* Communicate with the hotel before you leave for your holiday and meet as soon as you get there so they are clear about the situation and can inform the relevant staff.
* Arrange health insurance that covers your child’s condition. I was able to get adequate insurance through my own bank.
* Invest in allergy translation cards if going abroad and you don’t speak the language.
* Create an emergency treatment plan for your child in case of a reaction. It is a good idea to laminate this and have it to hand in a separate bag or compartment along with medication, allergy id card etc.
* If you carry medication or an epi-pen, make contact with the airline and ask them airline to make an announcement and request priority boarding so you can get on and wipe down your seat and table. On our flight home, there was a passenger behind us tucking into a large bag of nuts and on top of that, I found a cheddar biscuit down the side of my son’s chair. Thankfully things are changing now and some airlines are starting to put restrictions bringing or serving nuts on their planes.
* Obtain a letter from your doctor to say why you must carry the medication and EpiPen. You will most likely be asked for this when you go through security. Make sure you do this well in advance of your holiday as it can take a few days!
* Find out where your nearest hospital is and all relevant telephone numbers in case of an emergency.
Some great sites which offer advice to those travelling with children with allergies:
The Epipen website has some great travel advice and downloads including FREE translation sheets which can be printed. Choose from French, German, Italian and Spanish. You can download a travel certificate for your doctor to fill in.
If you can recommend any good hotels or holidays you have been on for children with food allergies please post below or get in touch: anna@mychildsallergy.com. You might also like this article on allergy-friendly cities for family holidays.
