(CNN) — I’m the annoying person in the restaurant who needs to know specific ingredients in whatever I’m eating. I’m also the one wearing a hooded sweat shirt so pollen won’t get in my hair.
Allergies, both to particular foods and pollens, have been bothering me my whole life. Food allergies, which affect a growing number of Americans, can lead to life-threatening reactions. Environmental allergies cause a lot of sinus discomfort. But I try not to let all of this totally derail my love of travel, and you shouldn’t either.
Here are some tips I’ve gathered from allergy experts for various kinds of allergies when you’re away from home:
Food allergies: When you’re eating …
Be extra careful. Dr. William Calhoun of the University of Texas Medical Branch says food allergy sufferers should be more cautious than ever while traveling. “It’s extremely important that they watch their dietary intake, and that can be particularly difficult in foreign countries where you may not know the customs of particular restaurants, and in fact there may be language barriers,” he said.
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Carry an ID card. Dr. Clifford Bassett, director of Allergy & Asthma Care of New York, recommends having a card in your wallet that lists to what foods you are allergic, the name and phone number of your doctor and a notice that you are carrying an epinephrine autoinjector for emergencies.
In a restaurant, you can present this card to the chef. Make sure you also talk about the possibility of cross-contamination — if a spoon touches peanut butter before your food, for instance, that could be a problem.
“Call ahead if you’re going to a restaurant or a party when it’s going to be very busy, and no one’s going to be paying attention to food allergies, 24 hours before you go, and go over with them what precautions (they) need to take,” Bassett said.
Translate your allergies. Language barriers in foreign countries can be frightening even without allergies. There are services online that offer printed cards that explain your allergies in any language you need, some for a fee. Bassett also recommends Google Translate. In addition, you can recruit a native speaker to help you make your own.
Where do allergies come from?
I always feel better when I’m dining abroad with someone who speaks the local language better than I can and who can act as an intermediary in case my accent masks the seriousness of the situation. My boyfriend’s family was incredibly kind and thoughtful in helping me eat safely during my 11-day stay in New Delhi in December 2011; I enjoyed a wide variety of South Asian cuisine without getting sick.
Carry backup medications. Epinephrine autoinjectors are the only treatment for anaphylaxis, a life-threatening reaction that can include closure of the throat and difficulty breathing. Make sure you bring multiple doses in case you need to use one; some reactions require two. Once you use an epinephrine autoinjector, proceed to the nearest hospital for follow-up treatment, Calhoun said.
Make sure you have the autoinjector with you in a carry-on bag and not in a checked suitcase, Bassett said. It’s a good idea to also carry a doctor’s note explaining why you need it in case you get questioned at customs.
Where can you get treated? If you or your allergic child does accidentally ingest an allergen, you should know where locally you can go to get immediate treatment, Calhoun said. Look up which hospitals can treat an anaphylactic reaction in the cities you are going to visit abroad.
Bring your own snacks. Sometimes there are situations where people with food allergies simply do not feel comfortable eating because of the likelihood that allergens are present in food. You should always plan a backup so you don’t go hungry. Bassett advises parents to feed allergic children safe foods before they enter situations where everyone else will be eating foods that could cause them to react.
