The SpecialMoms Parenting Magazine Issue 5 | Page 19

How To Plan A Vacation
When Your Child Has Food Allergies
By Lauren Kossack

Find a hotel/condo that can
accommodate your needs.

Get a lay of the land.
Find the nearest grocery stores,
pharmacies, ERs, and favorite
restaurants. If you plan to eat out,
contact some of the restaurants
in advance to find out if they can
accommodate your dietary restrictions.
And you ALWAYS want to know where
the nearest ER is in case of an emergency.

For us, we needed something with a
full-functioning kitchen so I could make
most of the meals. Decide in advance
what your needs are and be sure that your
hotel/condo meets those needs.

Planes, Trains, or
Automobiles?

Pack all medicines, lotions,
and sunscreens.

If you are traveling by plane, contact the
airline in advance to notify them of your
allergies and to find out what steps need
to be taken to make the flight “safe” for
your child. If you are traveling by car,
where will you stop to eat? My kiddos
can’t eat out at fast food restaurants
safely, so I made sure to have lots of “safe”
snacks and foods packed so we could
have picnics in the car.

It probably goes without saying, but be
sure you have all of your epinephrine autoinjectors and other meds. If your child
uses an inhaler, even just sometimes, take
it. Be sure to take safe lotions and read the
ingredients on the sunscreen bottles. You
don’t want to be in a place unable to find safe
products or medicines.

Traveling and vacationing with food allergies is tricky, but with the right planning, it can be done safely and
successfully. Please don’t let food allergies stand in the way of taking that family vacation. You’ll be glad that
you did and the memories will last you a lifetime.§

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