Family vacations and travels are a highlight of every month or year, depending on your frequency of travel. However, if you have allergies or asthma, your symptoms travel with you. The best thing to do is to properly plan your travel ahead to prevent your symptoms from getting out of hand, and possibly ruining your trip.
If you’re planning a long vacation, try giving your allergist a visit before leaving. An allergist is a physician specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of allergies. As with any other specialist, regular visits to your allergist usually helps keep your symptoms in check, and lets you enjoy your daily activities without misery.
Any traveler with allergies should know exactly what triggers their allergies and should be vigilant about finding out about ingredients, additives, and food preparation methods. Although airlines and restaurants are responsive to food allergies, the best way to avoid an anaphylactic reaction is to take all possible precautions.
Listed below are some traveling tips for people who have allergies and asthma:
- First of all, do not forget to pack all your medications you will need while traveling. Sounds pretty obvious, but it’s really the most important tip of all. It wouldn’t hurt to bring a little more than what you normally consume in case of emergencies. Storing your medications in their original containers not only allows you to check the instructions on how to take them, but also allows you to get refills.
- When driving, try driving during early morning or late night. You not only avoid traffic, but air quality is usually better during these times.
- Try using a saline nasal spray once every hour to keep your nasal passages moist while in airplanes. The air in planes can be very dry, and it’s best to be prepared else your symptoms cut loose.
- The importance of carrying an injectable epinephrine cannot be stressed for people with food allergies (if prescribed). Some airline and restaurant foods do not list the ingredients in their meals, so be very careful and don’t hesitate to ask. Also, make sure you and your companions knows how to use your epinephrine.
- Get your car’s interior cleaned before traveling, to remove any dust bites that could cause a potential allergic reaction. Also, turn on the heater or the air conditioner for at least 10 minutes before entering the car to make sure that all molds in the system are cleared.
Keep in mind that although you have asthma or an allergy to even the simplest thing, it shouldn’t stop you from having a great time while traveling. All you need to do is plan well ahead of time, and the rest should turn out just fine.