Six Travel Tips for an Allergy-Friendly Summer
Summer outings often place extra stress on food allergy families. However, with a little extra planning, preparation, and allergy-friendly snacks, you can have your best summer yet!
1. For day trips or travel days, pack your favorite allergy-friendly safe snacks in case you’re out longer than expected. I like making my own trail mix because it means you can combine your favorite flavors, and know exactly what ingredients go into it. As a family with food allergies, knowing where and how our food is prepared is so important. YumEarth’s delicious new choco yums and organic fruit snacks are sweet trail mix additions that are free from the top 9 allergens (how sweet is that?)
Trail Mix Ingredients and Instructions
- 2 cups pretzel sticks or mini pretzels (regular or GF)
- 2 cups square crispy rice or corn cereal
- 2⁄3 cup YumEarth organic fruit snacks
- 1⁄2 cup YumEarth choco yums, any variety
- Any other add-ins you’d like that are safe for you and your family! Granola, seeds, dried legumes, and mini marshmallows work well!
Combine all ingredients together in a large bowl or resealable bag.
2. Before you travel, research safe restaurants in the area, or pack an allergy-friendly safe meal when going out to eat.
3. Always pack two epi pens and keep them in a special bag or pouch that’s easy to grab on your way out. There are lots of great insulated bags out there to protect them from the summer heat.
4. Educate each adult in your party on the signs and symptoms of an allergic reaction. Have your emergency action plan handy.
5. If you’re traveling somewhere for longer than a day or two, try opting for a rental house (Airbnb, VRBO, etc.) with a kitchen. It’s often less expensive than a hotel, and you’ll have a place to cook safe meals. Plus, it’s nice to have that extra space to hang out during downtime.
6. Look up the nearest hospital in case of emergency. While nobody wants to think about this scenario, it’s always best to be prepared. Have both the hospital address and your vacation address readily available while traveling.