Safe Summer Travel - Part I: Preparation
We travel a lot. Our first food allergy diagnosis came during COVID so I had some time to prepare but I also got really comfortable being at home. Could I get the same safe food at Kroger in Texas as I could at Hy-Vee in Iowa? How do we go on a multi-day road trip (through rural areas) and feed this kid? Would we be safe on a plane where people are eating allergens all around us?
Those were some of the big questions I had to get comfortable with the answers to, and they were just about getting to our destination. Then if we’re at a hotel - what’s our food storage and cooking situation? If we’re at family and friends - will they accommodate us?
You can travel. You should travel. It will help your kid feel confident on the road (or in the air) and allergies should not limit this experience for them. But to really enjoy your family trip (expectation setting: not a vacation) your preparation starts at home.
Here are three things I do at home before the trip to make our family trips smoother:
Plan food for the travel portion. If we are traveling over 2 meals I will pack a perishable meal (first meal) and a non-perishable meal (second meal). Then snacks. Obviously all the snacks. The priority for travel day food is calories and that my kids want to eat it. Of course, if there are safe restaurants on your route that makes this a little easier. Finally, do any airborne tests you need to do to put your mind at ease. For example, before we flew for the first time we put nuts and peanuts out in our house (usually we don’t have these) to assess how sensitive he would be. He was not, but I know many families have other strategies to deal with this concern.
Plan food for the destination. Almost all grocery stores have an online ordering system now. I look use those to see if the grocery store at my destination carries our safe foods. You can also use Instacart to do this. If they do I build a list and place an order on travel day so we can scoop it when we arrive. If they don’t have safe foods I pack what we can or order it to be shipped there in advance. At the beginning of our journey the number of safe foods felt so limited so if I couldn’t find a food we tried before at our destination then I would look for a safe alternative. Then I’d track that safe alternative down locally and we would eat it for a few weeks before the trip. Finally, if we’re staying with people I also talk with them about what the plan is going to be for allergens while we are there.
Pack strategically. Every member of our family has their backpack but then we always have a family carry-on roller bag for overnight road trips & flights. When the kids were younger their diaper bag acted as their backpack. You want to make sure you have safe food and medicine easily accessible in addition to the regular things you need to pack for kids like activities, changes of clothes, etc.
Inside Our Backpacks
Kids’ Backpack or Diaper Bag:
Safe Snacks: I pack one of these containers for each kid. I also like to put pre-packaged snacks in one of these multi-purpose bags.
Medicine: We always have our red bag within reach with two Epi-Pens. You can take children’s medicine that is over the liquid limit through TSA, but for less bulk you can fill up these bottles.
Water Bottle: Make sure to bring one that covers the mouth piece for allergies and germs - little kid option | big kid option.
For babies - pacifier clips!
Parents’ Backpack:
Wipes and hand sanitizer.
Meals - I love this two part lunchbox, I’ll put a perishable meal in the bottom with an ice pack and then a non-perishable meal in the top section.
Our own snacks - free from kid’s allergens.
OTHER PREPARATION TIPS
Stay in hotels or AirBnBs with kitchens so you can cook and store safe food appropriately.
Bring painters tape and a Sharpie to label things in the fridge if staying with other people.
Pack food for the trip in containers that you also will want to use once you’re at your destination.
Time eating on road trips for when you’re driving through populated areas so that you can get medical help easily if needed. We don’t do this anymore but at the beginning when my son would react to foods he had consistently had we planned our route accordingly.
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