So.
<DEEP, DEEP breath>
http://www.eftours.com/ (http://www.eftours.com/)
DD's school is sending a contingent to the UK.
We have checked, and it is possible to decouple the airfare and purchase "ground only" with a tour. That is probably what we will be doing, since they don't necessarily know flight info until things are just a few weeks out. Obviously, with some FA's, that isn't good enough since it would leave you scrambling to cover it with a friendlier airline.
Some meals are inclusive, and we may/may not be able to know enough ahead of time to discuss safety with restaurants/caterers. In any event, there is generally sufficient time to grab food in the midday "open" times to make it up.
Has anyone else got experience with this tour company?
Thus far, they seem VERY helpful and cooperative, if-- er-- unenlightened-- on the subjet of LTFA.
The teacher coordinating things is ideal. OMG. She's one of the authors on DD's 504 plan, and has known us both for YEARS... plus she is super bright and just... well, she's terrific in every possible way. And she and my DD have this mutual admiration society thing going on, to boot.
I cannot believe that I'm actually considering this.
:bye:
Ok, I am digging back into my brain over 20 years ago. Bear with me.
I did an EF tour when I was 17. Went to Austria and Germany. Had no problems whatsoever.
When we were in Innsbruck, we stayed in a small hotel that was very basic. We had a continental breakfast (roll, butter, juice, coffee) and that was provided downstairs in the hotel. We skiied every day in Austria so we ate often at the ski lodges for lunch. Dinner was always with our EF group. lunch always on our own.
I remember some Renaissance sort of restaurant for dinner where we ate off of a wooden wheel plate with a spork type thing- typical German/Austrian meats dinner.
I remember some local restaurants for lunch where we were on our own.
I got sick from my dinner in Salzburg- again, on our own... some of us ditched skiing and took a train there for a day with a group to do the Sound of Music tour and wander around the city. (we had a chaperone with us)
I have no recollection of meals in Germany except for the Hofbrahaus for dinner one night. We were at an Omni hotel in Munich. It was my first ever 5 star hotel.
Flew in and out of Frankfurt. took a double decker bus from Frankfurt to Innsbruck. They didn't have food on the bus, just soda.
The whole trip was seamless from a hotel/transportation standpoint. We had all of our dinners mapped out before we arrived and we planned lunch on the fly. Obviously, you can do much more lunch planning now with the internet. We just wandered around until we found places to eat.
Oh and we had a very strict curfew at night. If we weren't in by 11pm, we were flown home the next day at our parent's expense.
I think it's totally doable. I'm thrilled for her that you are considering this.
In 2007 Lufthansa was peanut free :)
Adrienne
Watching intently...school trip to Europe planned in 2 years.
Okay, our tentative plan at this point is to do the land package only--
and a parent (that'd be ME) accompanying DD--
we will MEET the tour in Dublin, and then depart from them ten days later in Paris where they'll fly stateside.
In between, we'll do the standard stuff with them, including a ferry trip to Holyhead, and travel through Northern Wales and to Stratford, on to London, see Hampton Court (YAY!!!) and Windsor Castle, central London, and then catch the Eurostar to Paris, go to Versaille, the Louvre, etc.
WE will fly from the west coast to Chicago, to Dublin overnight, and then on the return trip, we'll catch the Eurostar back to London for another day (time to see the Tower and the Eye/Canary Wharf, don'tcha know...) and then get a return flight from Heathrow to Dulles and home from there.
:yes:
This is just too good to miss. DD is elated. :heart:
I think this is do-able, too.
We'll have to see what DD's allergist thinks about the flight.
Um, Cardiff, yes? You need to see the rift.
Hmmmmm . . . Chicago is only like 6 hours from here.
Seriously, might I suggest that while you are doing your traveling about (and since she hasn't been flying), that you stop in DC for 2 days following?
It might seem anticlimactic after all that, but really--while you're there, you should see some stuff.
No... <sigh> No rift. Snowdonia, instead. DD and I will be following a reverse migration of sorts, though, which is weird to think about.
We thought about visiting Washington... not sure that we can do more than overnight and legitimately call that a "layover" with United... but we will see. I so want DD to see the Mall, and the National Gallery... and the Library of Congress... Arlington... The Lincoln Memorial... and, and, and...
Gosh, we'll have had another presidential inauguration by then. How odd to think about.
I looked for a flight into... Um... a major airport nearer to you, and we also talked about doing a weekend "trial run" out and back there just for a visit, actually. ;D
DH: Why in the name of all that is holy would you go to {city}??!!!
(I laughed, and said... I know PEOPLE there, remember??) :heart:
If we catch a REALLY early flight from PDX, we could have as much as five or six hours in O'Hare. Just saying.
am so jealous, have just dropped my DD at school going to paris for her GCSE art trip!
if you have any queries about uk etc, ask me and i do my best to help.
Exciting and do-able for sure. DH went on EF Tours in high school he said it was great, I think he might have gone twice. The only smallish bit of advice is possibly recon your grocery store choices as much in advance as possible in smaller stores they may close during lunch hours. But I think he meant in France not UK. Eurostar is super cool you may want to consider bumping up to first class it's not too expensive comapares to first class airfare.
I'll send you my full address and phone number before you guys go. Since you're going transatlantic and I live in a city with a large hospital if you're in a jam and need to land stateside we can be a FA "waypoint". DH added a firm "of course" when I went over that with him. Fair warning it's a very testoserone driven house.
How exciting for you both! may the planning be as stress free as possible :smooch:
Quote from: CMdeux on September 19, 2012, 10:31:43 PM
Okay, our tentative plan at this point is to do the land package only--
and a parent (that'd be ME) accompanying DD--
we will MEET the tour in Dublin, and then depart from them ten days later in Paris where they'll fly stateside.
In between, we'll do the standard stuff with them, including a ferry trip to Holyhead, and travel through Northern Wales and to Stratford, on to London, see Hampton Court (YAY!!!) and Windsor Castle, central London, and then catch the Eurostar to Paris, go to Versaille, the Louvre, etc.
WE will fly from the west coast to Chicago, to Dublin overnight, and then on the return trip, we'll catch the Eurostar back to London for another day (time to see the Tower and the Eye/Canary Wharf, don'tcha know...) and then get a return flight from Heathrow to Dulles and home from there.
:yes:
This is just too good to miss. DD is elated. :heart:
I think this is do-able, too.
We'll have to see what DD's allergist thinks about the flight.
Oh too bad you can't extend your Dulles layover to spend some time in DC. I'd be happy to offer accommodations. I hope you can make this work logistically because it sounds like such an amazing opportunity.
Ohhhhh-- you guys are THE BEST. :smooch:
Eragon, you are such a huge part of why I even investigated this as a possiblity. Without a decade of knowing you and reading about your experiences with FA in the UK, and your DS' travel and all... there's no way that I would have even imagined it. I'm DEFINITELY going to be picking your brain as we get closer and have more details on itinerary.
I look forward to helping you and hearing of your travels as you go! esp as am not going to be traveling for while.
will give you my phone contact details etc as well.
This makes me super happy! I'm glad she will have this experience before graduating HS!
Oh boy....
EF staffer who noted DD's nut allergies and egg allergy with a cheery "Oh, THAT's easy... it's not like it's a GLUTEN restriction...."
Ummmm.... :insane: Okay. Look. I get what you're saying. I do. I've lived with a wheat allergic child. I understand.
BUT. I also think that I have a pretty darned good set of reasons for not being very glib about this being "easy." Your statement is a kissing cousin to "doesn't she just know what she can't eat," for crying out loud. If it WERE that easy, we wouldn't have more than ONE anaphylaxis experience to draw from...
You just REALLY freaked me out with that statement, and made me soooooooooooooo, sooooooooooo glad that: a) the teacher running the show here helped to WRITE my DD's 504 plan years ago and has been on the team ever since, and b) I am coming with my DD to help run reconnaisance/interference as needed.
<breathes deeply, muttering self-soothing statements>
Because-- okay-- frankly, a lot of people who say they have gluten restrictions.... DON'T. Not really. (Which, um, yeah-- different set of circumstances, certainly, but that makes things even harder on those who really DO... anyway.) It's a dietary preference for a lot of people now, and if they screw up, nobody's the wiser on any side of things. This-- not so much. This is a real allergy. The kind that we'll be carrying a dozen autoinjectors for.
"Contact the airlines for special meal arrangements..."
Um... okay. Again with the lack of understanding... we won't be eating ANYTHING served by an airline. NO way, no how. Canned or bottled beverages, yes.
At least they are super-cooperative, which is more than most people are. That's a definitely mark in their favor. HOWEVER... they are pretty green, I can see that.
Trailblazer. Again.
I think that we're going to want a physician's letter documenting medications-- and verifing the need for "that many" autoinjectors. Might want to even go to the trouble of having our allergist detail an emergency treatment plan of some kind. Just in case.
Quote from: CMdeux on September 28, 2012, 11:46:11 AM
Oh boy....
EF staffer who noted DD's nut allergies and egg allergy with a cheery "Oh, THAT's easy... it's not like it's a GLUTEN restriction...."
Ummmm.... :insane: Okay. Look. I get what you're saying. I do. I've lived with a wheat allergic child. I understand.
BUT. I also think that I have a pretty darned good set of reasons for not being very glib about this being "easy." Your statement is a kissing cousin to "doesn't she just know what she can't eat," for crying out loud. If it WERE that easy, we wouldn't have more than ONE anaphylaxis experience to draw from...
You just REALLY freaked me out with that statement, and made me soooooooooooooo, sooooooooooo glad that: a) the teacher running the show here helped to WRITE my DD's 504 plan years ago and has been on the team ever since, and b) I am coming with my DD to help run reconnaisance/interference as needed.
<breathes deeply, muttering self-soothing statements>
Because-- okay-- frankly, a lot of people who say they have gluten restrictions.... DON'T. Not really. (Which, um, yeah-- different set of circumstances, certainly, but that makes things even harder on those who really DO... anyway.) It's a dietary preference for a lot of people now, and if they screw up, nobody's the wiser on any side of things. This-- not so much. This is a real allergy. The kind that we'll be carrying a dozen autoinjectors for.
Bane. of. my. existence. right there.
I brought 8 Epi's to Mexico and a bottle of liquid Steroids. We had a drs letter with us for all of it and the dr gave me the dosage instructions for the steroids just as they would give them to ds if we had given the Epi and took him to the ER.
I was supposed to stab him, give him the steroids and get an ambulance (and basically keep stabbing and pouring steroids in him until we were at a hospital because who knew how long it would take) . Fortunately, DH's uncle is a physician who was on the trip with us, and his other uncle is Puerto Rican and speaks fluent Spanish so we were ok in the language and medical depts if need be.
Either way, we didn't need them but it was good to have them with us.
I'd try to avoid peanut Delta.
Haven't posted on here in forever--like since the old boards--but had to chime in because DS and I are going on an EF tour to Italy, France, Monaco and Spain this spring, and I have questions and concerns about the availability of safe foods while there. DS is concerned about the language barrier--he's only been taking French since this fall. I took several years of French in high school and college, and I'm rusty but I know it will come back with use. My SIL teaches French, so I'll have her do some translations for us before we go. I'm not concerned about the adults on the trip. DH is a teacher at DS's school, so the staff chaperones are his coworkers/friends. They like and respect him and DS tremendously, and are very aware of the FA situation. Besides, I'm going along to do the troubleshooting.
Looking forward to it, especially since DS (only 12yo now, but 13 when he goes on this trip) has been begging to travel abroad for years already.
Best of luck to all of us traveling overseas with FA kids! :happydance:
Iansmom
Glad I'm not the only crazy one, Iansmom!!
;D
Which reminds me-- I need to start stocking epinephrine autoinjectors now.
(Insurance has stupid policy about only one refill per 30 days, and I intend to travel with about a dozen since DD and I both have life threatening food allergies.)
Also things that you'll want to clear with EF specifically-- they ordinarily 'room' kids in quads-- if you want to room as a FAMILY instead, you have to specify that with them at least 90 days prior to travel-- for spring, that is coming up quite soon.
The other thing to be aware of is that they MUST have the name exactly as it appears on your passport-- again, a bit more than 90 days prior to travel.
We've decoupled air travel from the land package for our trip-- because they'll fly "whoever give the best rate at booking" rather than "safe" airline. Now, it might be a safe flight. But who knows.
We have not yet booked our flights because we haven't gotten confirmation of travel dates-- yet-- and won't until mid-December for our mid-spring departure.
Within 30 days of departure, you'll get access to the LOCAL, on-the-ground EF tour personnel-- and they are the ones to run specifics of recon past. (Like-- on day X, is there a market near the city center that we can grab safe food at?)
Quote from: CMdeux on November 25, 2012, 11:44:03 AM
Glad I'm not the only crazy one, Iansmom!!
;D
Which reminds me-- I need to start stocking epinephrine autoinjectors now.
(Insurance has stupid policy about only one refill per 30 days, and I intend to travel with about a dozen since DD and I both have life threatening food allergies.)
Might also check and see how many refills per *year* they'll cover. Mine'll only cover one twinpack per year without explicit physician override, which they regularly lose. FUN TIMES.
Oh, ours covers more than that. We're just (probably) going to have to 'cheat' and take my 3 refills as well as DD's 5.
In other news, passports are on their way to us as I type. So that part went off without a hitch, at least. ;)
We have our travel dates now--only 3 months away! I'm beginning to make a list of things we need to take care of: extra EpiPens (still have some extras from our Christmas trip to Hawaii), letter and treatment plan from allergist, checking on details with EF tour personnel (specifics on meals/restaurants/markets/hotel amenities). We're fine with the school staff members who are going. One is a good friend of DH, another is his principal, and then the two language teachers who both know DS. I still need to get translation cards for different nut names in French (I can handle most of those), Italian and Spanish. Anyone know where I can find some? Fortunately, I have some great Italian cookbooks with the recipe names in English and Italian, so I can probably do most of the Italian on my own with a little effort. I can get SIL to check my French. But Spanish is a little less accessible for me.
Okay, here's an odd thought: I've been pondering how to easily carry DS' meds (EpiPens, inhaler) with us as we tour various sites, and wondering how to keep them with us without having them get in the way or risk losing them to pickpockets/thieves who don't necessarily realize what they are. Any ideas or advice? Or am I worrying unnecessarily? I just like to cover my bases.
Also, I'm not sure what kinds of foods to bring with us to be sure that DS has something handy, both on the long, long flight(s) and while over there. Anyone have info to share on hotel amenities (fridge, microwave, electric kettle)? We get more confident with every trip we take, but this is our first trip where English isn't the primary language spoken.
Starting to get excited!
Iansmom
timely update!
We are less than 30 days out-- so we'll have hotel info pretty soon.
We are still trying to figure out how to have hot water IN our hotel room-- but DD and I are rooming together, our school group has made it clear that peanuts and cashews are not permitted in snacks (may contains are fine) on tour, and we have ~10lbs of lyophilized stuff from Just Tomatoes.
I have a BUNCH of links to share re: taking food into the EU. Basically, consider your weight to be limited-- and NO meat, NO potato products, and NO dairy in any form will be permitted (not even with medical exemption, it seems. )
SO bear that in mind. Our plan involves Maruchan Ramen (4 packs), Just Tomatoes soybeans (as a protein source), Just Veggies, and strawberries from them-- that doesn't include anything specifically restricted by the EU, but just to be safe we are keeping it under weight (2.2 kg per person of restricted fruit/veg)--
Okay-- meds. After talking to allergist this morning:
Pre-flight-- twin objectives of getting DD as uncompromised as possible allergy-wise, along with predosing with higher-than-normal doses of antihistamines and with singulair prior to flight (starting now, basically). We will also carry aboard--
In-flight: benadryl-- both topical and oral, cetirizine, epinephrine (12 autoinjectors), Zantac (another histamine blocker), steroid tablets, and both LABA and SABA inhalers (symbicort and albuterol), and pseudoephedrine. Also-- seat covers, wipes, mask, and food for a 24 hour delay anywhere along the line.
During our treks, we will carry two mixed-lot autoinjectors EACH in our day bags, and DD will wear two. Plus rescue inhaler, of course. The rest can be in packed bags in our hotel.
We're still trying to figure out the cellular and water-heating aspects of things. But it is coming together. :)
sounds like good organisation so far.
count down!
Have a brilliant plan for kettle.
May try to order one of these:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/1-Litre-Cordless-Kettle-White/dp/B002BTQDC2/ref=sr_1_141?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1362090101&sr=1-141 (http://www.amazon.co.uk/1-Litre-Cordless-Kettle-White/dp/B002BTQDC2/ref=sr_1_141?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1362090101&sr=1-141)
for delivery TO our first hotel-- but not clear whether they'll deliver to Ireland. <sigh>
Related story out of Australia, though their travels taking them to another part of globe . . . saw link today:
Severe Food Allergy And The Overseas School Trip
http://www.allergynet.com.au/severe-food-allergy-and-the-overseas-school-trip/ (http://www.allergynet.com.au/severe-food-allergy-and-the-overseas-school-trip/)
ETA -- In that article (toward end) are a number of other links suggested for reading -- I have not had chance to read those or post them in this thread -- don't miss those links!
CM cant you just email the hotels you are staying in and ask if kettles are available? I am quite sure that they already are, the irish and uk are great tea drinkers and need boiling water! Even in the french hotels i have stayed at had tea/coffee with kettle in rooms.
Yes, that is what I've decided to do first-- and as of today, we should start to get hotel info, since we'll be assigned our on-the-ground guide.
Okay-- my plan for carrying epis is as follows-- we will each carry 3 at all times-- two in a standard location (noted below) and one in the waist packs that our passports/money/tickets/info are in. That way even if the 'regular' bag should get snatched and we should get separated, there is no chance of being left without any epinephrine at all.
DD will be carrying a crossbody bag JUST large enough for a pair of epipens and an inhaler with an inner zipper pocket for cash and medic-alert card. I plan to stitch one of her old medic-alert EMBLEMS onto the front of that bag. Oh-- and that bag does not zip. It is a mini-messenger bag with front SNAPS-- yes, two of them, and it has an adjustable length strap, so she can snug it up to keep it under her arm if we're on transit or in a public place which is a crowded tourist site.
In addition to that bag, we'll each be carrying cross-body messenger bags as our "day" bags (and airline carryons). We finally just went with LL Bean, since I found some that had the security features (inner zippers, pockets, etc) that I wanted:
my bag, which matches my super-obnoxious suitcase, incidentally... (http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/74517?attrValue_0=Color%20Splash)
The thing is, if you do that.... be sure to also carry a smaller 'break-out' bag for a cellular/epis since many museums require you to check larger bags. I usually use a cross-body purse about 9X9, so I'll just stuff that into a pocket of the larger messenger bag.
Oh-- and be sure to check out Rick Steves' website (http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/tips/ask-your-bank.htm), particularly about money questions. Actually, logistical questions are well-addressed there, too. :)
CapitalOne has great no-fee debit and credit cards that have NO foreign transaction fees. We're planning to use those as our primaries, with our lowest rate/fee other cards as the backups that stay in the waist packs.
I also have (somewhere), zippered lycra WRIST wallets for DD and I-- just large enough for a card and cash, and able to slide up an arm to the elbow (under a jacket).
Hurray!!
Hotels in Dublin, North Wales, and London should all have electric kettles in the rooms (or probably by asking, I'd guess)-- all three hotels list "coffee and tea making" as in-room amenities.
Hard to tell with the Paris hotel. Hmmm.. Oh well. I figure that our tour guide will probably have advice on the subject, and we'll have plenty of time to figure out a back up plan if they don't.
(WHEW.)
For some reason the international travel thread in Schools is locked so I cannot post this there. You posted about kettles in the UK and Irish hotels but were not sure about Paris. Could you pack something like this:
http://www.magellans.com/dual-voltage-heating-coil-22269 (http://www.magellans.com/dual-voltage-heating-coil-22269)
Yes, and I probably will-- I just have to get down to our local AAA office while they are... open. (GGA, they keep shorter hours than the banks do...)
Thanks for the tip about the locked thread. Probably was me posting from a mobile device-- those mod buttons are REALLY easy to trigger from a phone or tablet. :hiding: Though I'd like to take this oh-so-appropriate moment to offer kudos to our moderators, because they so SELDOM do these things. (Feels like it's mostly me... :footinmouth:)
Completely off topic, but since I'm a mod in here I'm gonna look the other way. :evil:
((I'm just so excited for you all. Just wanted to say this. I'm sure I'm not alone. I just read this thread and I smile and I'm just thrilled you are going to do this trip and have the time of your lives!!))
That is all. :smooch:
ETA -- ((And I'm gonna hold my breath until you are home safely.
Again, I am SURE I'm not alone.)) :grouphug:
Me, too, Ajas! Me, too!!
Which means that SOMEONE out there needs to be breathing for the rest of us. That's a long time to hold our collective breath. ;D
Got our dual band European emergency phones today-- went with Mobal.
(They have a good reputation for awesome coverage for calls in Europe, though their rates are not the cheapest by any means-- Cello is the other really reputable travel phone company, just in case anyone wanted to know).
At some point in the next few weeks, I intend to come back here and post-post-post all of the links from my favorites folder here.
I have a bunch of things.
DD's stated objective while in London?
The Ripper Tour. LOL. Hey-- it meets at the Tower Hill Tube station at 7:30 every evening. LondonWalks. They are the ones, apparently. Should be fun. ;D
This is okay-- because my top objective in Paris (well, okay, after l'orangerie to see the Monets)?
Yeah... the PENDULUM at Musée des Arts et Métiers. Photo Op. Me, and this book (okay-- maybe I'll just take the cover):
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51Usjmgm8-L._AA160_.jpg)
Yes, bit of an awkward fangirl moment.... and one that I've been waiting for since my teens, it is true...
I have pointed out to poor mortified DD that at least it's not a Stephanie Meyer book or anything. And I don't actually plan to LIE on the floor, as tempting as it might be. :rofl:
Also sort of OT: I've long promised DD that we'll go to Paris when she turns 18 and I turn 50 (our birthdays are only 5 days apart May 17 for me and May 22 for her--perfect time for Paris, though she'll probably have stupid SOL testing). My must see place: La Sainte Chappelle.
http://www.fromparis.com/virtual-tour-sainte-chapelle/ (http://www.fromparis.com/virtual-tour-sainte-chapelle/)
ooh! the ripper tour! I want to go on that!
I loved the tower of london some years ago with the kids a fab day out!
and we have booked to go to paris this summer!
recently went on the harry potter tour, was really fantastic, am going to go again one day soon!
The latest wrinkle is that I'm not sure that we can get Beef/Chicken Ramen into the EU because of import restrictions on meat.... and DD ate all of the Oriental flavor over the past two weeks... naturally, when I went to the ONLY (scruffy) store in town that carries the Maruchan brand... all they had was shrimp. They did have quite a lot of that, however. FAR, FAR more than I could eat. LOL.
:disappointed: Yeah, just.... NO.
<SIGH>
(Yes, I am Irish, and no, as far as I know, no Murphy's in the tree....) Oh well. two weeks to figure it out, right?
Quote from: CMdeux on March 08, 2013, 08:52:48 PM
The latest wrinkle is that I'm not sure that we can get Beef/Chicken Ramen into the EU because of import restrictions on meat.... and DD ate all of the Oriental flavor over the past two weeks... naturally, when I went to the ONLY (scruffy) store in town that carries the Maruchan brand... all they had was shrimp. They did have quite a lot of that, however. FAR, FAR more than I could eat. LOL.
:disappointed: Yeah, just.... NO.
<SIGH>
(Yes, I am Irish, and no, as far as I know, no Murphy's in the tree....) Oh well. two weeks to figure it out, right?
Amazon.com has it. If you're a prime member, it would be shipped free.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=maruchan+ramen#/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=maruchan+ramen+oriental&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Amaruchan+ramen+oriental (http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=maruchan+ramen#/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=maruchan+ramen+oriental&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Amaruchan+ramen+oriental)
If you're not a prime member, PM. I'd be happy to order for you and have it shipped to your address.
Raman? as in the dried noodle type of stuff?
think we have that over here........give me details I will shop around etc, and perhaps you might be able get it when you are here.
We're pretty limited to the one brand, after I did some investigation. The rest that I looked into all make a peanut/cashew-containing variety in shared production space. :-[
I'm going to make phone calls this morning, and if nothing else, well... sufficient unto the day, right? I'm trying to take a more sanguine approach to things.
Local AAA store had a dual-voltage immersion heater, so that part is good.
Sanyo Foods USA in Cali makes Sapporo Ichiban ramen. The facility there is milk, wheat, soy, shrimp and sesame. If you can find the miso flavor made in that facility not only is it probably safe but it's higher quality. Although when Maruchan still offered tomato flavor in the US that was the best, aside from curry flavors of course.
FOUND IT!
But not before "adventures in low-caffeine struck at Store number 1." ~) (Typical.)
See the rest in main general food allergy thread... this is one of those universal things that only other FA families can identify with.
Holey Toledo-- packed meds bag today.
I picked up a Trader Joe's lunch-bag for $3.99 and decided to just devote that to our carry-on meds. Our Meds Bag is currently holding:
14 epipens
1 albuterol inhaler
1 symbicort inhaler
Prednisone (tablets)-- one full course
four face masks (at doc's recommendation)
~65 10mg cetirizine tablets (Zyrtec)
30 monteleukast tabs, 10 mg (singulair)-- which my DD is to begin this Monday
pseudoephedrine tabs, ~20
ranitidine tabs, 60 (this is also a histamine blocker)
clorox wipes-- 2 flatpacks
peak flow meter
Hopefully this won't be "counted" against us in terms of carry-on restrictions, because frankly I don't see how we will manage to carry on sufficient amounts of food with us otherwise-- each of us is also carry a quite modestly sized carry-on messenger bag otherwise, which will hold:
1 change of clothes-- probably something like stretch pants that can double as sleepwear in the event of lost luggage, an 'inner' layer including a tank top, underwear, and socks-- packed into a space bag
seat covers for airline seats
e-reader (DD) and Nook (me)
cell phones
electronics chargers/adapter set-- that is, for everything we're bringing
food-- dehydrated fruit & soynuts in collapsible bowls, EnjoyLife bars (we will have enough food with us that we won't HAVE to do anything but bottled water from airport/plane sources for the first 36 hours)
documents-- passport, itinerary, contact info for hotels, etc.
MP3 players
earplugs and eyemasks (to sleep on plane)
emergency toiletries (face soap, shampoo, folding hairbrush, dental floss, travel deodorant, lip balm, toothbrush, and microfiber washcloth)
cameras
knitting for me
sketching supplies for DD
tiny counted cross-stitch projects
print reading materials
reading glasses and sunglasses (me)
playing cards
wrist wallets, moneybelts, etc.
zip-front hooded fleece jackets,
baseball caps (because we'll be going from flying for about 24 hours to sightseeing for six to seven)
and
pashmina scarves/stoles (DD and I each have one)-- these double as wraps/scarves/headgear/rainwear.
Most of that isn't heavy, but it DOES take up space.
In EACH checked bag:
additional adapters (to charge more than one thing at once, basically)
additional packets of clorox wipes
sleep-sacks (basically, just twin microfiber sheets, seamed sort of like a sleeping bag-- DD and I both have a LOT of trouble with harsh detergents and linen sprays, etc.)
full-sized toiletries of things like body wash and shampoo, and two or three pods of laundry soap
15 packages of ramen, 10-15 packages of instant oatmeal, ~1 lb of dry-roasted soybeans, 1 lb dried mixed veggies, 1 lb dehydrated fruit, coffee pods, immersion heater (well, this can only go in one, and maybe it needs to be in my carryon... sigh)
microfiber towel
3 pr underwear
underwire bra
2 tank tops
knit shorts (for sleep-- or if it is unexpectedly hot)
2 pr pants
button-up shirt
sweater
2 teeshirts
2 pairs athletic socks, 1 pr kneehigh trouser socks
tennis shoes
Oh-- and zip ties, safety pins, cord-locks, carabiners, extra memory sticks for cameras, and our travel alarm clock.
That's pretty much it. We're really traveling VERY lightly, except for the food. (We'll be gone for just over two weeks, remember.)
No benedryl or immodium?
My portable pharmacy has never been counted against me.
Ear plugs also come in handy on long flights :)
My dear hubs never EVER travels without a flash light. I can't tell you how many times it has come in handy.
Yes, yes, yes. All of that. Sorry. Benadryl is still in my other bag, not yet packed into meds bag, but it will be-- both cream (topical) and tablets (oral) and also thinstrips, which we still have a slim supply of.
Earplugs are going into carryons, flashlights into packed baggage (well, maybe we will toss one of the two into DD's carryon).
Oh, and a pencil with about 30" of duct tape wrapped to create a 'pencil grip' on it. LOL. Safety pins, duct tape... hair elastics. I'm like MacGyver. ;D
We also don't bring 'travel' bottles. Nope. I recycle tiny (250 mL) soda bottles for my shampoo and body wash for trips like this that are longer than ~2 nights. They stay SEALED-- really sealed-- because of the silicon liners in the screw caps, and they hold just enough (about 1/2 a 12 oz bottle of shampoo, for example).
We're also tossing in instant flavorings for bottled water into our carryons.
Do you have your laminated card of curse words - one side english and one side french? Those come in handy too MUahahaha.
If need be the BIG curse its "tabarnac" in France. It will flag you as a Canadian when in a pinch if your really beyoned PO'd and you think they are treating you like crap for being an American tourists. :)
I'm pretty sure that my version of that enters the realm of "international language" when I feel thus compelled either way. LOL.
I'm methodically pulling a few things out of packaging and into packing containers each day at this point... not rushing, just thoughtfully packing. I have loads of time still, so not worried. As me again at Saint Patrick's day and that may be another story, though. LOL.
Should have sailed the Queen Mary II then you could have taken your steamer trunks with you lol. Our friends actually did it when they moved back from the UK. Quite classy, wish I have thought about it when we did that move lol.
I take it you have a doctors letter explaining the reason for all meds and that you are not to be seperated from them?
Only once did they look at ours, and that was only because we took liquid antihistamine on board for son. But its a good back up to have, you never know what sort of jobs worth you are going to come across in an airport!
our doc did a very firm letter, and i had details of all the docs in charge of sons allergy life, and thats quite a list recently. (we are going back to france this summer, so can feel the lists forming in my head now)
sleep sacks- wish i sourced them for our last trip! good idea.
my son also takes a combo of anti histamine blockers, two different sorts a day with the emergency ones, and even though he doesnt have asthma, he has an asthma response, so a very similar med list to ours.
apart from the face masks, but, it they ever allowed you to sit with yr dog or cat on your lap while flying, that would mean face masks, and more drugs.....
apart from frantically packing and list making, do hope you are finding time to relax and move tense shoulders from your ears as the dates get closer......I found personally that once I had got on the plane, checked everything was going ok, and that my plans/packing were working I felt less stressed. even more once we got off the plane, and sorted out first safe meal.
Isnt travel FUN?!!!!!(not for mums!)
I probably will feel better with a letter on letterhead, yes. We do have a medication list with his signature on it, and paper copies of our Rx, but yes-- an actual letter is a good idea.
Will do that this week. You know, since I also have to contact allergist AGAIN re: our Air Canada flight number and all. LOL. Forgot that part of things the first time.
Oh-- and also need a notarized letter from the other parent re: the permission for us to be jauntily cavorting about the globe. Letting security/customs/DHS know that yes, he's aware of it, and no, I'm not trying to steal her... and even if i were, in light of the fact that she can be a very mouthy and sulky teenaged girl... well... ;D he's confident that I will bring her back if only to turn her over to someone else after I grow... er... weary... LOL.
https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/268/related/1/session/L2F2LzIvc2lkL214alZiUWts/~/children---child-traveling-with-one-parent-or-someone-who-is-not-a-parent-or (https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/268/related/1/session/L2F2LzIvc2lkL214alZiUWts/~/children---child-traveling-with-one-parent-or-someone-who-is-not-a-parent-or)
That last part of things was something that I was SO not aware of-- it's because we aren't traveling in and out of the country with the tour group, basically.
Oh, and here's an interesting twist.
USA: 4 oz. limit on carryon liquids. ergo, Diphenhydramine is sold in 4 OUNCE bottles here.
EU/UK: Naturally, it's not in ounces. It's metric. 100 mL.
The problem is that apparently the DHS/TSA are as dumb as most Americans when it comes to metric and conversions, and lack all common sense, to boot. Why do I note this? Because 4 oz. is only ~ 100mL. It's actually-- wait for it... wait for it...-- 118 mL. Yup. Just OVER the limit for the EU, thank you very much. There is no 2oz. liquid antihistamine. None. Nada. I've checked.
Who the hell knows whether or not this is going to pose a problem, and frankly, I doubt very much that we'll get through the entire trip without anyone USING any of the diphenhydramine liquid anyway... but the only two options are "over the limit, but factory sealed medication" or "unsealed, ergo possible mystery liquid," which just makes no sense whatsoever.
I mean, my life is hard enough at this point without adding this kind of sheer idiocy into the mix. Thus my angst. If other people in the world weren't fundamentally stupid, wouldn't life be so much better? It'd almost be manageable... ;D
I'm like a military tactician up UNTIL the trip, yes...
and then I just kind of have to relax and go with it. But yes, I prioritize by:
a)"this item needs a failsafe system, because it CANNOT fail"
b) "this item does not, but it needs a backup, being essential and a HUGE pain to deal with in a failure"
versus...
c) "Meh-- nice, but I'll deal..."
Priority A items require a significant amount of research, planning, and sometimes innovation to create a plan A, plan B, and plan C, preferably independent of one another. (This is where carrying multiple epi lots on multiple individuals AND in multiple locations comes into play, YK?) Plan for at least two things to simultaneously and catastrophically go wrong at once.
Priority B items require less planning, but still not insubstantial. I'm never thrilled when I have a priority A item that cannot be moved OUT of this category via planning and positioning ahead of time, and that is where our cellular communications are at the moment. Not thrilled, and it's a nagging worry. KWIM? Money stuff is in this category, passports, and trip documentation.
Priority C items are the things that most people worry about when traveling. LOL. Vitamins, the right brand of shampoo, the 'correct' coffee sweetener, one's favorite pj's, enough pairs of socks and underwear, that kind of thing. Frankly, this is the stuff that I just shrug off-- because it pales in comparison to the other two categories. I can roll with anything going wrong in this one, and often have. It just doesn't faze me much.
Honestly, the only way that you can travel with a low threshold is to do this. Because if you DO NOT let go of some things (place them into category c), there's no reasonable way to get priority A and B where they need to be.
CM, I always travel with tons of medical liquids, both prescription and non-prescription, and some WAY over the limit. I've never had an issue, though this only includes air travel in the US and the carribbean. They will typically open at least some of them and swipe a test paper over it - I kindly ask that they either change their gloves or allow me to open the bottle before doing this, and have never had a problem.
If you are taking a neb, they ALWAYS require extra screening, so make sure that it is easy to get to and easy to get out.
No nebulizer, so that's at least one thing that won't raise red flags with TSA...
I'm thinking that the sheer NUMBER of autoinjectors will, but it's not like we have a choice.
Here's a question, though-- do you think that those extras for air travel are secure if left locked in a suitcase at a hotel? Been wondering about that. I hate the idea of taking all of our meds EVERYwhere with us, though, and at museums and such, we'd have to check them anyway.
once you land split the meds up in to different packs.
for one you cant promise that it wont get stolen inside a bag, or misplaced. so back up meds for is really needed.
as for liquid meds, you may be asked to tip the small amount away if you meet a rather stubborn airport uniformed person, or you may be asked to that your daughter drink it, to prove its a medicine rather than some sort of liquid bomb thing. Our son had to do this once a well. it helped him relax!
The only place that I have had trouble with number of epis was a tiny regional airport that insisted upon taking each one out and inspecting it individually. Was a pain, but they let me through. I normally travel with 8 and have had up to 10 for just myself.
I've had TSA seize things over the limit but I've only had issues with toothpaste. I can't tell you how MANY tubes of toothpaste that are 1 or 2 ml over the limit we had seized. They do not let you tip some of it. I don't normally take luquid benedryl with us. When I flew with liquid abx, the phramacist packaged it in multiple bottles for me.
FWIW, it seems to be 3.4 oz which IS 100ml.
http://www.tsa.gov/traveler-information/medically-necessary-liquids (http://www.tsa.gov/traveler-information/medically-necessary-liquids)
Ralph's cpap always gets searched.
Get a script from the doctor for the OTC liquid stuff your carrying.
The ONLY issue I ever had with an epi pen was at LAX. A fellow passenger in line saw me with it and FREAKED out that "that woman has an epipen. Its a weapon." Fortunately TSA really didn't give two hoots.
We always take empty 500ml plastic water bottles with us when we fly. After we cross through secuity we fill them up.
Quote from: eragon on March 10, 2013, 03:12:31 PM
once you land split the meds up in to different packs.
for one you cant promise that it wont get stolen inside a bag, or misplaced. so back up meds for is really needed.
as for liquid meds, you may be asked to tip the small amount away if you meet a rather stubborn airport uniformed person, or you may be asked to that your daughter drink it, to prove its a medicine rather than some sort of liquid bomb thing. Our son had to do this once a well. it helped him relax!
YES. This point is WELL worth emphasizing.
DD and I will each be carrying cross-body messenger bags as our "day" bags. She will also be carrying her epis
only in a small cross-body purse that has a strap that can adjust so that the ride UNDER one arm (on a Tube/Metro line, or on the RER in Paris) We will also be wearing under-clothing belts for carrying passport, extra cards, etc.
TWO mixed lot epis in each "day" bag... two in DD's Epibag (which will be marked with a star-of-life keychain, which should hopefully make it a bit less desirable in that it marks it as "clearly medical" in nature) , and ONE in each of our "against-the-body" waist packs.
What this means is that even if we were to be BOTH separated from one another
and have a bag stolen, she would not be without an epipen.
I'm not terribly thrilled about carrying only a single rescue inhaler, though, now that I think about this. It would really be nice to have a backup there, too-- maybe one that stays in the hotel.
Listing our precautions against theft since we tend to do this anyway during travel of any kind, even here stateside. ALWAYS make sure that at least two members of the party carry meds at all times, and that you have extras back in the hotel in case of theft.
Okay-- here are my helpful links:
U.S. State Department's passport application page (for first-time applicants) (http://travel.state.gov/passport/get/first/first_830.html)
Eurostar (http://www.eurostar.com/dynamic/_SvBoExpressBookingTerm?_TMS=1363020829376&_DLG=SvBoExpressBookingTerm&_AGENCY=ESTAR&lang=UK&country=US&VT=EB&MT=BL&_LANG=UK&rfrr=US%3AUK%3ABookOnline_erreur_timeout_body_eurostar)
Rick Steves (be sure to check out the graffiti wall!!) (http://www.ricksteves.com/)
UK customs and food rules (http://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channelsPortalWebApp/channelsPortalWebApp.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pageVAT_ShowContent&id=HMCE_PROD_010856&propertyType=document)
Paris Museum passes-- please note that anyone UNDER 18 is free, period, and that EU residents under age 26 are. (http://en.parismuseumpass.com/)
Visa's travel tips (http://usa.visa.com/personal/using_visa/travel_with_visa.html)
London Walks-- walking tours of London (http://www.walks.com/)
Just Tomatoes (no eggs, no milk, no nuts, no shellfish, please check on gluten and soy) (http://www.justtomatoes.com/jtstore/pc/home.asp)
dual and quad band phones for International use-- Mobal (UK based) (http://www.mobal.com/international-cell-phone-buy/)
SeatGuru-- helpful when on phone with CSR and trying to find the most allergy-friendly seating, or the lowest impact zone for other passengers. (http://www.seatguru.com/)
Shakespeare's Globe theater (http://www.shakespearesglobe.com/exhibition)
stay tuned... more links to come. Out of time for now.
Action plans--
The FAAN version (http://allergyready.com/courses/ANAPH-010/data/downloads/food_allergy_action_plan_revised.pdf)
The AAAAI version (http://www.aaaai.org/Aaaai/media/MediaLibrary/PDF%20Documents/Libraries/Anaphylaxis-Emergency-Action-Plan.pdf)
Other travel resources from FARE:
http://www.foodallergy.org/managing-food-allergies/traveling (http://www.foodallergy.org/managing-food-allergies/traveling)
TSA (http://www.tsa.gov/)
Heathrow Airport Security Screening (http://www.heathrowairport.com/heathrow-airport-guide/heathrow-security/faqs#liquids100ml)
Aer Lingus:
http://www.aerlingus.com/en-US/home/index.jsp (http://www.aerlingus.com/en-US/home/index.jsp)
Air Canada:
http://www.aircanada.com/en/home.html (http://www.aircanada.com/en/home.html)
or
http://www.aircanada.com/us/en/home.html (http://www.aircanada.com/us/en/home.html)
United Airlines:
https://www.united.com/web/en-US/default.aspx (https://www.united.com/web/en-US/default.aspx)
For other airlines, please see Heathrow's helpful and up-to-date listing of contact info:
http://www.heathrowairport.com/help/contact-us/airline-contacts (http://www.heathrowairport.com/help/contact-us/airline-contacts)
CMdeux, when are your dates of travel so I can be praying for you and your daughter to stay safe! This topic is close to my heart because I am taking my son to Asia for the first time this summer. I know I'm going to be praying on the plane and asking others to pray for me!
Less than a week away now!! :happydance:
I think that I'm really, truly, almost ready.
I am so excited for you three!!!
Quote from: Irene on March 13, 2013, 07:02:03 PM
CMdeux, when are your dates of travel so I can be praying for you and your daughter to stay safe! This topic is close to my heart because I am taking my son to Asia for the first time this summer. I know I'm going to be praying on the plane and asking others to pray for me!
In 2010 there was a symposium in connection with Mt. Sinai held in Asia. If you're looking to identify a clinic or allergist on your destination point that's where I'd start. You might be able to get 'fresh' EpiPens that way. And if you've never used the hospital in Asia before it works differently. You need a local (as opposed to same ethnicity but overseas nationality) relationship in place sometimes to secure better medical care.
http://2009.allergome.org/China_Flyer-Final_11-13-09.pdf (http://2009.allergome.org/China_Flyer-Final_11-13-09.pdf)
We are currently IN Paris. Food so far has been quite hit or miss. Very much hot/cold, if that makes sense. Our Dublin hotel, for example, was Disney-like in their diligence to safely feed DD... and the one in Wales was obviously both clueless and dismissive.
What we did NOT really anticipate was the combination of horrific air quality here (there is a warning out for the city thatbncludes people with asthma, and I am definitely feeling it, too). The ubiquitous public smoking....OMG, truly...surreal coming from the states, and the bitter, dry cild with fairly strenuous physical activity. Nearly took DD to the ER tonight for an asthma flare that knocked her flatbjust as we were going to tackle Montmartre's infamous steps.
I forgot about all of the public smoking there. Hope tomorrow is better for both of you.
"If need be the BIG curse its ***** in France."
Sorry, I cannot get the quotes to work right now. The reason that it is a big curse word is it has a heavy religious connotation. I'm just sayin', is all.
It's amazing what smoking and pollution do to the lungs. It's awful. I hope the rest of your trip is easy breathing!
yes,france has more smokers. sorry not to warn you about that.
we are going to paris later this summer.
even with the cold weather, uk tree pollen is starting to make its presence felt.
Hope you can find ways to breathe more easily -- in more ways than one!
(I'll never forget 1987 summer trip to Russia with ballet co and the smoking everywhere -- and the stinky-chest-gripping stuff that came out of their cigarettes -- like burning horse dung.)
But still -- enjoy yourselves!!
We are home safe and sound. I have more specific advice re: EF tours in particular as well as N. Europe/UK travel in general with MFA.
Bottom line: we had a terrific time, but we definitely didn't have the "same" experience as others without food worries. We ate most lunches during "free time" out of the energy bar stashes in our day bags, but this turns out to have suited both of us just dandy, since it means that WE actually spent more of our time seeing/experiencing the local sights and culture rather than sitting in restaurants.
Some restaurants/hotels were amazing, and some were awful. There wasn't a lot of in between. We flew three different airlines, and NONE of them were what I'd call "awesome" but for different reasons. United: very little info ahead of time, you kind of have to take it on faith and pray that the flight crew will be sympathetic enough to do a cabin announcement when you board. Ours was.
Aer Lingus: flights are COMPLETELY nut-free, which is lovely beyond words, and the service on board is also exemplary... as in, exemplary even by the standards of a generation past... BUT... our experience with a gate agent for this airline was nothing short of horrific, and we feared that we would be denied boarding just because we asked to pre-board to cover seats and wipe down surfaces before our 7+ hour trans-Atlantic flight. Truly. NOT kidding. The flight crew was lovely and gracious, however, once we got past that. The seats are WAY narrow relative to other airlines. Maybe as narrow as 18"? We were on an Airbus 330 and it was in 2-4-2 seating in coach, let's put it that way. :misspeak: VERY tight.
Air Canada: Oh, sure-- we had a buffer zone, but two things worthy of note here. One; the flight crews were happily oblivious to this fact until WE informed them-- in flight-- and this AFTER we had confirmed with AC, notified check-in agent, boarding gate agents, etc. Two; 'buffer' zone seems to be a somewhat alien notion to most AC flight crews in our experience (N of two, one a long haul 777, one a puddle jumper Dash 8), as in the one case, "buffer" meant 2-3 rows surrounding, and in the other, 'the four seats immediately before and after' and those passengers were quite clearly told to go ahead and consume the allergens-- just move seats to do so. Presumably, moving back afterwards would also be just dandy, which I also have an obvious problem with.... but anyway. It seemed pretty clear to other passengers that anyone taking the care that we were probably was the genuine article, so it really didn't meet with any resistance, but the way that AC did boarding calls, there was no real opportunity to PRE-BOARD. So the passenger sitting in the aisle seat next to us on the flight to YVR from LHR was not pleased to be disrupted while we wiped down seats and covered them. He was quite snide, in fact, and stopped (IMO) just short of actually threatening DD. His crack? "I hope you can stand sitting next to me since I just ate twenty peanut butter sandwiches." (I was polite but noncommittal, and I did let the flight attendant know that he'd been a bit hostile as we boarded. One more crack out of him and I'd have asked to have him reseated, frankly. It was fairly upsetting to DD, and obviously, to someone with her history, that kind of statement IS a clearly menacing one, though I seriously doubt that the man understood that he'd basically threatened her.)
We loved our time in Europe. DD wants to go to university there now. She has her eye on Trinity Dublin. :heart:
:bye:
Okay.
Our guide with EF was amazing. In a wonderful way. I gather from the other groups that we were travelling with that this is the standard for EF. Highly recommend this agency/tour company, for any parents/teachers that are in the planning stages with a trip like this.
On the other hand... the fact is that our guide's first language is NOT English. Now, he is fluent in English, and resides in one of the cities on our tour-- he was VERY well-versed in the details of the tour. But very definitely NOT fluent in Irish Gaelic, Welsh, Spanish or, probably most worryingly, French (though his proficiency was.... er... tres bien when compared with mine). :blush:
Secondly, it was also clear that while we had been given a pretty good vibe from our North American contacts with EF, they had NOT dealt with anything like this before... it was the first time our guide (who has been with EF for over 5yr) had ever seen chef cards, for example. By the end of the tour, he was coming to DD at the start of restaurant meals to collect them, so he adjusted well. I highly recommend chef cards in multiple languages.
Thirdly, there is DEFINITELY a false sense of "we know what we're doing" throughout the process. This was the problem, ultimately, with the gate agent for Aer Lingus ("we deal with this every day" and "our planes are peanut-free already so you can just clean things after you are seated, like everyone else") and also with EF. Trust-- but do VERIFY. At every turn. Never, ever, ever ASSUME that they really DO know.
Fourthly, it was interesting for the other tour participants to see first hand just HOW restrictive/different our experience was from theirs. There was one evening, for example, in which DD and I got no real hot meal at all-- and the hotel staff seemed completely unconcerned about the fact that they had no idea what we should eat, nor all that interested in the "life-threatening" aspect of the allergy concerns expressed. My recollection is "Well, pasta, now, that is made with egg.... isn't it? The saffron rice-- that shouldn't have anything like that in it." Simultaneously, this same person was bending over backwards to accommodate the gluten-free student on the tour, bringing him a special meal, etc. etc.
This is the same student, incidentally, who was also wolfing down fish and chips without a single query two days later in London, and four days later, scarfing up croissants from the breakfast buffet while DD cautiously attempted Bonne Maman yogurt singles and looked longingly at the luscious display of baguette and rolls. In other words, he might ordinarily be "gluten-free" in terms of lifestyle.... but it clearly wasn't the same kind of thing that even celiac-affected people I know live with. Unfortunately, it was given the same billing as DD's food allergies within the context of the group information that restauranteurs were given. They did make mistakes-- any of which COULD have been catastrophic if we (and I do mean we here, as my 13yo simply doesn't have enough cooking experience to know the appearance of eggy-items as well as I do) had not been especially vigilant. It was definitely eye-opening to both the other members of the tour-- and to our guide, who actually said, in disbelief when a restaurant served her an eggy crepe "But I watched him READ THE CARD...." (Yeah, yeah... welcome to my world... LOL.)
It's still not 100% clear to me that the asthma attack I mentioned wasn't a possible allergic reaction. Recovery was far more rapid and complete than I'd have expected for asthma, and she became seriously ill exactly 4 days later-- which would be 100% consistent with a serious allergic reaction. :-/
We were able to find boulongerie-made breads in France, which was amazing for DD. Those were safe-- unlike anything produced in a patisserie environment. Yes, this meant no croissants. But baguette from the local market was safe... and it was AMAZING with fresh goat cheese.
Bottom line, this was completely do-able. Also bottom line, I don't think that I'd allow even a 16yo with MFA and low-threshold history of severe reactions to do it solo, because there were times when even I had to be far more assertive than I ordinarily am in order to make things work. We also had to carry a LOT of food with us, and we used a lot of it, too. Soy allergy would not have been hard, and wheat allergy would only have been hard in France. Milk allergy would be a nightmare (probably close to insurmountable in Ireland and France both, truthfully). Peanut, not-so-bad. Egg was rough; shellfish not bad other than in France, where I got a low-dose exposure at some point the first morning in the hotel. DD ate at the Golden Arches of Dublin, London, and Paris safely-- fries and chicken bites, and 'fruit bag' which is what they term sliced apples and grapes. LOL.
All but one hotel had a kettle in-room, and so we were able to use boiling water to make instant noodles and oatmeal, and we did. Some days that was the only "hot meal" that DD (or I) got. The other thing which was hard was that DD didn't like the extra attention paid to her in terms of "Wow-- why are YOU eating something different? What IS that?" and none of us liked the times when she waited and waited and waited to get anything safe to eat-- sometimes until after everyone else had already eaten.
On the plus side, we needed relatively little spending money on hand for food purchases. More for souvenirs, right? :thumbsup:
a glad it all went ok!
has this given you a taste for more travel?!!
Absolutely.
DD has already decided that she (I truly think she is serious) wants to return to Ireland, the UK, or France for study at some point.
DH and I want to see more of England and France (we were really only in the capitals) and would like to visit Scotland, and we've convinced him that Ireland is magical.
Okay-- so on the NON-food allergy front, what did we do day-to-day and how did it all work? Fair warning-- this is long, and fairly detailed.
Day zero-- travel day. This is the day that we went to the airport at an ungodly hour, submitted ourselves to all of the indignities of air travel (decoupled from the rest of the tour group, recall, since they were flying {insert lowest-cost airfare here} and we were flying {safest airline here}), and this included a red-eye flight to Dublin.
Day one-- guide met us at the airport in Dublin, at which point I was trying to rehydrate my DD and get her to eat-- neither of us had slept more than ~2 hr total on the (fully booked-- as in, NO empty seats) international flight and after the Chicago gate agent incident, DD had been terrified to even leave her seat to use the restroom on that flight, much less eat or drink anything, even what she had brought on board. We went to hotel with a group which had flown in on an early flight from the east coast, and dropped our luggage (most European hotels will stow luggage until you check in/after you check out-- and check in/check-out times are far more flexible/generous than those in N. America). Then our personal trainer took us out for a test drive in Dublin.
Er.
I mean, the tour guide took us on a walking tour. ;D All the way down O'Connell, through Temple Bar and Grafton Street, around to Trinity, etc. Then left us in downtown Dublin with maps and directions back to the hotel, while he ran back to the airport for the rest of the group, which should have arrived during the early afternoon (but wound up delayed until evening). We skipped dinner, since we were completely exhausted by wandering around in Dublin all afternoon on foot. (Think 7-12 MILES of walking--most of it in bitter cold). DD and I are clearly some of the only people who can actually keep pace with the guide. I think that the man is actually a Sherpa. LOL. In a playful moment, DD has speculated that it would tickle him no end if everyone from her school that went on the trip were to don identical custom tees for a group shot-- "{guide-name} was my Personal Trainer-- Europe, 2013"
Day two-- went on a bus tour of Dublin, into Saint Patrick's Cathedral (where I definitely thought about Mac, because we got to hear the choir rehearsing for Ash Wednesday services... WOW is all I can say... just..... WOW.), saw the Book of Kells, free time in Dublin during the afternoon. DD and I went to the national gallery (where we saw a Caravaggio and a Fra Angelico alterpiece section commissioned by Cosimo Medici) and the national museum (bog bodies, a five thousand year old wooden boat, and Irish gold). Dinner was at a local pub, but at least DD was able to have some of the (not stellar) food. I had talked to her about the need to "socialize" during mealtimes, even if we had to just discreetly nibble at our stash of dried fruit/soybeans to do so). Breakfasts were the hardest this way-- mostly DD couldn't eat what was offered at all. In some way, though, I think that it was very important for others to see that we really DO live this way. We walk the walk, in other words.
Day three-- went on a day trip to the countryside-- out to a local farm for a "typical" Irish farm experience. This involved 'brown bread' (soda bread-- but recipe included an egg, which we simply omitted), checking out a peat bog, catching chickens, playing with border collie puppies, learning an Irish dancing set, and some bodhrain lessons. It was a really lovely day. Even if there was NO WAY that I (or another mom on the trip, actually) was going to let my kid drink unpastuerized milk directly from the cow.... nope, not happening. (The other mom and I both quietly agreed that brucellosis respects no cultural boundaries, tyvm ;) ). We returned to Dublin a bit too short on time to get to the writer's museum, but did get some shopping in before dinner. Love me a town with personalized items in both my name(s) and DD's. :thumbsup: Hotel was lovely about dinner-- Irish beef stew and even a fruit plate in leui of the chocolate (may contain?) dessert.
Day four-- VERY early ferry to Holyhead-- on the biggest car ferry in the world... the Ulysses. Yes, for the Joyce novel. Then to Anglesey Island's Bwmeris Castle for several hours of the most bitterly cold, but amazing sightseeing of the entire tour. The snow-capped peaks of Snowdonia over the strait, and one of Edward I's finest, best-preserved castles.... a friendly, sleepy village of 15th-18th century buildings... nothing short of AMAZING. On the other hand, it was challenging since we didn't speak any Welsh, and we wound up buying some odds and ends from the local grocery store where they were kind enough to let me use a credit card with a signature (this was apparently not ordinarily policy)-- DD got some kind of fruity-flavored milk, and I ate a chunk of local Harlech cheese. While it was very cold, it was actually a nice way to spend the afternoon. Which is good, because this was easily the very worst of our hotel experiences, this night. Hotel basically had nothing in the way of amenities but minimal amounts of hot water and a towel warmer, and dinner is best described as "mystery pasta with red meaty sauce, and some flaming hot/spicy veggie stir fry served with nasty box-dinner saffron-ish rice in an atmosphere that was more or less a cross between 'low-rent Poconos ca. 1975' and 'high school prom 1980'" and breakfast the following morning frankly doesn't even bear relating, since neither DD and I could really eat any of it anyway. We ate dried fruit and soynuts for about twenty-four hours, basically. The banquet seating at round tables and crepe paper decorations of the folding chairs were a nice touch, though. LOL. I was a little sad that there wasn't any karaoke or at least a dance floor.
Day five-- bus travel with an early afternoon stop at Stratford-upon-Avon. Also charming and 15th-18th century.... but far more commercial. It was with no small amount of amusement that I collected a "Tudor Experience" brochure for a blood and gore sideshow which looked positively Disney-worthy. LOL. Of course, it was actually housed in a 16th centure building and close (alley) so who knows. I just know that I didn't think it looked like a good use of 14 pounds. Instead, I got cross-stitch kits for Anne Hathaway's Cottage and Shakespeare's birthplace. I admit it, I rubbed the scullery floor for good measure. Just to put my skin into contact with something that the bard really-really-really touched. I'd have taken my shoes off, but frankly, it was only about 4C out at the time, so that seemed crazy. Lunch in Stratford was at a small independent restaurant (as most of the places EF uses tend to be)-- bangers and mash for everyone but the vegetarians (quiche and salads, which frankly looked better and arrived at the same time) and.... er... a baked/jacket potato with... um.... beans.... and.... uhhhhh... cheese... for DD. I strongly suspect that they simply threw together whatever seemed safe after doing a bit of digging. Her meal took about 20 minutes to arrive, so most of the group had finished eating by then. She certainly didn't get any dessert.
London that night and really, DD and I were too tired to do much of anything but check into the hotel and eat dinner at the restaurant there-- on our own.
Day six: Walking tour of London. Here, our guide REALLY hit his stride.... that morning, we went from the Westminster tube stop all the way down to Trafalgar Square, over to Leicester Square, Covent Garden, Piccadilly Circus... <blink-blink> Yes. Really. We then got turned over to a bus tour.... and our guide there took us literally all over downtown London/Westminster for several hours, finally dropping us back near Piccadilly after stops at Saint Paul's and a stop at Buckingham Palace. Dinner was at this odd little restaurant specializing in Mediterranean food... but the proprietors seemed to be ESOL, and if I had to guess, I'd say that Russian was a first language, or maybe Hungarian. More bangers and mash, which they insisted were safe, but which DD and I neither one had a great feeling about...
and then they served (for dessert) this thing which was Greek, like a cheesecake, but mascarpone-based and topped with fruit. It was delicious, and while I can't recall the name of the item, I know that there is such a thing which is in fact egg-free, but there was no way that DD was touching it. I complimented her on her good sense, by the way. Free time-- so before catching the tube back out to our hotel (in Ealing) I went to Hatchard's. :misspeak: Yes, I went to a bookstore as my one and only "MUST" see thing near Piccadilly in London. Bought a copy of Peter Ackroyd's eponymous tome of the city's "biography" for good measure.
Day seven: was supposed to be Windsor and Hampton court, but because of the Easter holiday (this was Good Friday, mind), we instead went to the Tower of London, which suited DD and I more than fine. Then out to Hampton Court. Our guide was a blue-eyed and charming Irish-looking Londoner with the curious name "Pepe Martinez." This was not nearly the most amusing portion of our day, however. Our bus driver's name was (you really can't make this kind of thing up-- truly) .... Jesus.
No, not Hay-zooss the way one usually hears it here in North America. GEE-zuss. I feel very fortunate that he was able to take the time on what had to have been a pretty, er.... busy... day. <snicker> I have been laughing about the fact that Jesus drove our tour bus on Good Friday for two weeks now. :rofl: On a more serious note, standing inside of Henry VIII's chapel at Hampton Court on Good Friday was more than a little moving and surreal. :heart: I again thought of Mac.
Then back to hotel for dinner, which was buffet-style. Lasagna, salad, and some sort of dessert. Clearly this was not something that was likely to be safe for DD, so we handed over her chef card and waited. And waited. And waited. And waited some more. They finally made her a pizza, but by that time well over an hour had gone by, and most of the rest of the group had long since finished eating and gone to their rooms for the super-early start in the morning. Oh, and then the hotel fire alarm went off at 3:30 A.M. I learned several interesting things about fire alarms, hotels, and Europe; 1. the hotel has to call the local authorities to turn these things OFF, they cannot do it themselves, evidently, 2. the interval and duration of the alarms within the rooms is set to "random, but loud" so that it pretty much CANNOT be slept through, and 3. interestingly, if guests attempt to disable in-line smoke detectors, this prevents even the local authorities from resetting the fire alarm system for a large hotel. All of this would have been much more interesting during daytime hours, however. At four-thirty or so they got it sorted, anyway.
Day eight: another travel day-- took the Eurostar to Paris. At Gare du Nord, a luggage transport service took our bags to the hotel. We went on the Metro to the Ile de Cite, where we got to see our first bag-snatching within just a few feet of Notre Dame... and then walked all over the Ile, walked to Place du Pompadou (?) where we broke for lunch and shopping. It was BITTERLY cold-- we got snowed on a bit at Notre Dame. I noted on a local reader board at Pompadou that there was an air quality advisory and the very young, very old, and those with chronic pulmonary conditions should restrict outdoor activities. I mentioned this to our guide, and in fairness, he DID slow the pace a bit after I mentioned it and pointed out that in our group alone we had at least four asthmatics that I knew about. Thank god I read French reasonably well. Well. Maybe not "reasonably" well, but as well as a fourth or fifth grader, perhaps.
Dinner was at a place that specialized in Flammekuchen-- and they made DD a special salad, since the standard family-style one must have had Caesar dressing on it. It's possible that this is where my shellfish exposure happened (and maybe I picked it up on clothing the next morning). It's also possible that the chocolate version of the dessert flammekuchen was contaminated (see asthma attack), and though DD didn't eat any of that one, she did try the apple version. After dinner, the group wanted to go to Montmartre on the metro (which we were okay with.... until the asthma attack). Took a taxi to hotel with a teacher.
Day nine: Bus tour of Paris and then to Versaille. Versaille was... interesting. Overwhelmingly opulent-- to the point of disgusting, at least for DD and I. Dinner was at a really, REALLY nice place in the Latin Quarter. I highly recommend this place to anyone who is in Paris-- it's Cafe Latin, just a couple of blocks away from the Pont Saint-Michel Metro stop. DD got to eat everything at this meal-- duck, fresh bread, salad with chevre, and even tarte tatan with creme fraiche. It was so good and they were so lovely to her that DH and I went back several days later. :yes:
Day ten: the Louvre and free time, which we used to walk from the Jardin de Tuileries to the Roman baths near the (now) museum of the Middle Ages, formerly the site of the town house for the bishop of the Cluny monastery, and touring Notre Dame. Went to a small restaurant down near the Rue de Gobelins for crepes. While this was a little hair-raising (they initially served DD a meal that very clearly contained an egg-containing crepe-- which I noticed), they did eventually get it right, and DD got to eat savory and sweet crepes.
Day eleven-- we rode out to CDG with the tour group, said goodbye, and met DH's airplane. Then we got yelled at by angry Parisian commuters as we and our fat American suitcases took up valuable real estate on a rush-hour RER B train back into the Latin Quarter. LOL. Happily, our hotel was more than happy to take the bags a bit early, and we headed off to the d'Orsay for the majority of the day. Unfortunately, at this point, it became clear that the nasty upper respiratory bug that our portion of the tour group was sharing around for the past two weeks had come home to roost... DD was VERY wilty looking by the time we walked back to the hotel, but she rallied enough to want to go to Montmartre that evening. We all loved the mosaics inside Sacre Coeur.
Day twelve-- finally!! I got to see my personal Holy Grail. Yes, one of the things on my own idiosyncratic bucket list. Foucault's pendulum. Fair warning here-- the museum is not very clear in terms of English signage, and it is part of a larger complex of in-use teaching and research facilities. We initially got lost, but found our way, and this is easily one of our favorite Paris experiences as a family. :heart: We went to L'Orangerie to see the Water Lilies and Picassos, then walked up the Jardin de Tuileries and went to the Musee de Moyen Age, which was also just... wow. Stunning.
DH and I went out for dinner after tucking a fairly ill DD into bed at our hotel (in the Latin Quarter).
Day Fourteen: DD slept in, DH and I went to Notre Dame, then DD and I went and picked up a few souvenirs around the corner from the hotel, then we rode the metro up to Gare du Nord for our Eurostar to London. In London, picked up day Tube passes and go out to Tower Hill for one of DD's must-haves... the LondonWalks Ripper tour. It was, in all fairness, pretty terrific, though DD was pretty much running on fumes, and we all knew it.
Day Fifteen: DD is too sick to really see much of the city-- so DH and I leave her sleeping and check in on her periodically. He and I go on the same basic walking route as on DD and I's first day in London... up Whitehall to Trafalgar, stopping at the Horse Guards along the way, and lunch near Covent Garden, then tube back to hotel (where we brought her safe fish and chips from our lunch), then walked from Islington hotel location near St. Pancras down to British Museum, then tube down to Embankment, walked around Saint Bride's, down to Temple, walked along Victoria Embankment, saw the Globe, saw the Tate Modern, walked up to Saint Paul's, caught the tube back to hotel, and walked over to a local neighborhood pub for dinner. After dinner, desperate packing measures were implemented to fit everything into luggage. This involved leaving several packages of Ramen in London. :thumbsup:
Day sixteen-- travel day home. Rode Piccadilly tube line out to Heathrow on the second train of the morning-- DH left from a different terminal than we did. DD and I were both fairly miserable since both of us had caught the bug by then, and because the night before we left, there were a group of VERY LOUD Italians who were running up and down the stairs and shouting at one another until about one-thirty.... and we had to get up at three. So sick as dogs, and having had WAY too little sleep... yeah, not exactly the best start to the day. But we managed just fine in any case.
Why this worked:
1. I am McGyver. Seriously. I pack prepared, and what I don't pack, I can improvise. We just rolled with it, no matter what it happened to be. Frigid beyond words? We wore more layers and bought Irish-made gloves as souvenirs.
2. We were NEVER grumpy about what wasn't... only pleased and gracious about what WAS. This wins you a lot of points with anyone-- but particularly with people of other cultures/nationalities who may expect American entitlement/expectations to make us demanding or unpleasant. When you're nice and genuinely friendly/curious/engaging, it pays off.
3. We simplified the difficulty as much as possible-- we didn't TRY to make hotel staffers "find" us a safe breakfast-- we just picked things over and used our judgment... and honestly, I ate "vegan" or "vegetarian" meals wherever possible rather than making MY allergy even part of the picture.
4. We are walkers by nature, and we tend to be in better shape than a lot of people. How much better has now been made crystal clear to me. We also tend to have less trouble than most people with directions, with maps, etc.
5. We aren't fussy/high maintenance. We shower in the mornings, it's true... but our toiletries consisted of deodorant, shampoo, and body wash, lotion, a shared hairbrush, toothpaste, and lip balm and a toothbrush each. BOTH of us can be fully dressed and out the door in a total of thirty minutes.
Thank you for all the details on how you made this trip work. It gives me confidence that a trip like this might be in our future ---- DD so wants to go to Ireland!
What wonderful memories you guys have made!
Not enough time to thoroughly read now, just glad you guys are home safe and sound. Will read more later.
And I don't blame DD for wanting to go to Trinity at all! Lovely city. :yes:
Can you elaborate on why a dairy allergy and Ireland are a poor mix? Ds is dairy egg and peanut. MIL wants torrent a place with a kitchen for a month near Dublin and we are trying to sort out a way to go over when she finally does.
I should have been clearer-- a trip like this-- through a school contract agency that runs tour groups-- would be a very difficult undertaking with dairy. The reason is that dairy is such a huge part of both Irish and French (esp Ile/Parisian) cuisine and culture that it would be a complete minefield, even without the restaurant meals.
Things our group did in Ireland that would be problematic:
a) visiting a working hobby/demonstration farm-- we used buttermilk to make bread, kids were also encouraged to MILK a cow, and to TRY the milk directly FROM the cow. It was messy and there was not an awesome way to wash hands in between some of those activities, quite honestly.
b) most meals included milk, butter, and cheese. It was everywhere in a way that I'd not seen very many places even in dairy-country in the upper midwest.
France:
a) cheese is its own food group, more or less.
b) our tour director even alluded to this problem since he is vegetarian, and while he's LIKE to be vegan, it doesn't seem possible given the constraints present in Dublin and Paris while leading tours. It's the dairy.
The other thing that makes a trip like this very challenging for people with contact sensitivity is that the plan involves copious amounts of crowded environments, free time often involves a restaurant-rich area (but nowhere to buy simple, whole food, if you kwim), and you WILL be riding on occasionally crowded public transportation systems. A lot. We went through probably twelve packets of clorox wipes-- our policy was to wipe our hands down EVERY time we got off the metro/tube. One interesting thing that appealed to us, though, was that relatively few people walk around eating food in London/Paris. At least as compared with the US. They also don't feed-feed-feed their children in order to keep them quiet/occupied. This is a complete mystery to me, in fact, because they also don't hand them iPhones. They seem to talk to the children, or hold them, smile at them, etc. But adults are more tolerant, too, of children being.... well, children. In ferries, trains, subways, etc.... screaming children were relatively uncommon though, strangely enough.
We've decided that we're probably more naturally European in outlook. ;) I don't know how much of that is the food allergy lifestyle, but I suspect that is part of it.
Oh-- and the young southern gentleman who was on our initial (United) flight between PDX and ORD was extremely gracious about DD's allergy....
and very surprised and touched that we were aware enough to have taken many precautions to limit the amount of CAT dander that we were bringing onboard with us. He appreciated it, being severely cat allergic. :yes:
Do you think, from what you saw, that Ireland could be doable without a tour group? I did an EF tour when I was 17, and I recall the hit or miss nature of the hotels and restaurants. If we took ds to Ireland independently, is there enough non- dairy on a restaurant menu? Or would we be cooking everything?
You'd probably be cooking everything. On the plus side, we did run into fairly good understanding in many places in Dublin, so awareness was high.
It's probably a matter of threshold and tolerance for baked milk, honestly.
I am so happy for you and your daughter that your trip was good. :heart: And inspiring. :)
Welcome back! What an amazing trip this sounds like.
Thanks for posting all of the allergy travel info.
Fabulous details on all of this!!!
Glad you all are home and safe!
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.
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/ (http://www.asthmaallergieschildren.com/2012/04/11/teen-trip-to-italy-with-food-allergies-prepare-prepare-prepare/)
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...
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.