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7 tips for travelling with allergies

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Traveling? Don't let allergies ruin your trip.
Traveling? Don't let allergies ruin your trip.

Whether it’s a seasonal allergy, skin allergy or food allergy, the symptoms can be enough to make you feel miserable. If you are travelling over the festive season, there are ways to stop the most common allergies from ruining your trip.

1. Check with your doctor

Are you suffering from seasonal allergies and heading to the Northern Hemisphere or a part of the country where humidity levels might be different? The change in air pressure or air quality can trigger seasonal allergies if you are prone to hay fever or sinusitis. A respiratory allergy carries the risk of turning into an infection, which may make you even sicker and require antibiotics.

Talk to your doctor to adapt your treatment or to prescribe you something before you head off on your trip. If you need antihistamines, you need to start taking these well in advance so that they can build up in your system.

Woman visiting doctor

2. Take control of your medication

Make sure you have enough of all the medication you may need. According to Food Allergy Research and Education it’s also advisable to check your airline’s policy on travelling with certain medications on board. Have any treatment plan or anaphylaxis plan you might be following (in case of a food allergy) with you. Keep all medication in their original packaging so that they are clear for security officials to inspect at airline security check-in points.

shopping for medication at pharmacy

3. Bring your own pillow

If you use dust-proof or allergen-proof pillows at home, take these with you as accommodation bedding may include allergy-triggering materials.

woman sleeping on white pillow

4. Research (and communicate)

If you suffer from food allergies, research all the restaurants and food outlets in the area you are traveling to as this can help you plan ahead. You can also contact the restaurants where you have reservations to let them know that you have a food allergy so that they can prepare alternatives for you.

Woman taking booking at restaurant

5. Pack snacks

Don’t take a risk with airline food if you have a specific food allergy. You can either call ahead to order a suitable meal option, or you can pack your own “safe” snacks to enjoy on board. Once again, you can check the airline’s policies in advance if you're unsure of any rules and regulations.

airplane food

6. Download a suitable weather app

A reliable, complete weather app will help you plan ahead by knowing what the pollen count and humidity levels will be. This will help you take the necessary precautions.

weather app

7. Don’t use hotel toiletries

Do you have skin allergies? Take travel-size versions of your own safe toiletries or decant products into travel-size plastic bottles to avoid using the samples you would find in hotel bathrooms. These products are often heavily perfumed and not formulated for allergy-prone skin.

woman using makeup remover

Image credits: iStock

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