Please help.. how do i travel/eat out with all these allergies....?

[Alexis Smith]

Adding a few new allergens to my list has left me frantic. I have conferences and vacations with my family and the fact that I react to ANY cross contamination (plain fries are def. not safe... they fry the stupid nuggets in the same oil everywhere) I don't know what to do. The yeast allergy and soy allergy means that many GF foods are still out the window. I have a trip to TN, AL, VI in a while. Dallas at easter.... I want to take the kids to disney.... what an earth do I eat? I had a reaction from making my little boy a darned mini pizza. got the pepperoni oil on my hands. sigh. I hope someone can help.

[maeve]

Alexis,
I see you list yeast and soy allergy but you don't list what others you have.  Listing your allergens makes it easier for us to help.

[krasota]

Soy-free and gluten-free makes it nearly impossible, especially if you have to avoid soybean oil.  Baja Fresh is okay in some areas, but you have to ask for ingredients and fresh grill space/foil.  You might tolerate Five Guys (lettuce-wrapped burger, fries are in peanut oil) *if* the staff are scrupulous about using clean grill space, clean hands, fresh ingredients, etc.

Disney might be able to accommodate you with prior notice.

I carry food everywhere.  We travel with our camp kitchen and food (cooler, bins) and cook out when the weather is agreeable.  Otherwise, we find hotels with microwaves and cook veggies, microwave brown rice, and subsist on safe lunchmeats.  I make my own bread to take.  Or live off corn thins and sliced cheese.

[rlschell]

Travel is a very real problem. My last vacation, summer 2011, I just took everything I needed to eat with me. I bought a small hot plate, built myself a good thermoelectric cooler and bought a compact camping cookset. Essentially, I go "hotel camping" and prepare all my own food in the room. My wife and daughter go out to eat and sometimes I join them (and eat nothing), sometimes not. The downside to this approach is that it requires a lot of planning and I can only travel by car. An alternative would be to travel lighter and research the supermarkets where you're staying and just go shopping when you get there.

[CMdeux]

That's what we do, too.

Oh, sure-- we look like a band of itinerant Gypsies or Moroccan Bedouins when we check into a hotel...

<sigh>

But on the bright side, NOT eating in restaurants also means so much less risk that we've found we actually enjoy vacations FAR more than we did when we still tried to eat out... and it's a lot cheaper, too, so we're able to do side trips and budget for shopping for fun souvenirs and a few impulse buys with that $$ instead.

Often we can afford an extra night or two in a hotel with that savings.  It really adds up in a hurry to not eat out.

[nameless]

I travel for work a lot and there are vacations --- granted I am only pn/tn/shrimp and it's a lot more manageable, but I still have a hard time eating out. I also want to enjoy my vacations/trips and not worry about reactions.

For work trips - I'll hit a grocery store once at my location. I also bring with me loads of homemade energy bars. I won't starve. I might not eat the way I want, but I let that roll off my back and know I have something I can eat. I'll buy fresh fruit/veggies once where I am, juices, V8, etc. to help.

Have you seen these?

http://www.allerenergy.com/

Not sure the rest of your allergies, but a stash of those (if they are safe) (and even though expensive) have that peace-of-mind value. You have something,  you won't starve, you will have sustenance!  You can also toss a dorm-room hot pot in your luggage   Lots you can finagle after hitting a grocery store!  Hard boiled eggs? Safe oatmeal? Rice?

Good luck!  List out the rest of your allergies for us and we might have some ideas

Adrienne