International Travel

[ajasfolks2]

Fabulous details on all of this!!!

Glad you all are home and safe!

[CMdeux]

Me, too!!

One final note-- nearly ALL breakfasts and many evening meals were family style or even BUFFET.  Pretty much all of the breakfasts were buffet, actually.

I think everyone here understands what that means.

If there is an allergen present, NOTHING that isn't completely packaged is safe.  <sigh>

This is where I think that someone with a milk allergy would have been in SERIOUS trouble.  It certainly presented the greatest difficulty with the egg allergy.  This trip would NOT have been do-able with DD's egg threshold where it was three years ago.  This trip was the payoff for daily dosing with baked egg, because it bought her enough wiggle room to do restaurant meals.

DD certainly wasn't going to attempt anything but yogurt off those breakfast buffets given the piles of scrambled eggs everyone else was scooping up-- though in France, she did get to eat chevre, Babybell singles, nutella, and jam along with yogurt and baguette (we just made sure that she got one that hadn't been "handled" by anyone else).

We avoided things in open pitchers-- like milk and juice-- but they were ever-present.

[aacmaven]

Yes!!  Read this post by food allergy expert Anne Russell, RN
http://www.asthmaallergieschildren.com/2012/04/11/teen-trip-to-italy-with-food-allergies-prepare-prepare-prepare/

[CMdeux]

Mostly VERY good advice.

But I'd add-- do not expect a lot of expertise re: low threshold food allergies from a local guide.  If it's rare here at home, it's rare there, too, so expect about the same general level of awareness as from a random stranger HERE.

MedicAlert Canada has services that MedicAlert USA does not.  Call and discuss MONTHS in advance if possible.

If you're sending a teen without a parent (which, by the way-- I'm not sure that I'd encourage with:  a) very low threshold and/or b) allergy to egg, milk, or wheat, and/or c) really severe anaphylaxis history or atypical presentation of anaphylaxis), be sure to discuss a VERY VERY VERY detailed action plan in advance, and with your allergist.

You need a complete decision tree on most possibilities, and then you need to role play it.

You are on the airplane and wonder if you're getting sick... sure hope not, but your chest feels kind of 'tight' like that...

[tigerlily]

I haven't looked in the Schools section and somehow completely missed this thread. So thrilled for you! What a trip! Thank you for the extensive notes and tips for us. It gives me hope that one day I can take DS overseas.