Have you any holidays planned so that you can enjoy the European Summer? Whether you will be strolling the streets of Italy or relaxing on the beaches of Spain if a holiday is on the cards a lot of preparation and planning is involved. Travelling with allergies or a food intolerance can be a stressful experience.
With Test Your Intolerance you can identify the foods that are causing you trouble with a simple at-home food intolerance test. This means that you know for sure what foods to avoid while you are enjoying your hard-earned break.
Many of us will start heading off to warmer climates for a much-needed break from the stresses and strains of daily life. There is lots to think about like “Are all of our passports in date?” or “Can someone keep an eye on the house while we’re gone?”. Needless to say, there’s a lot to consider.
What sometimes gets missed in the pre-holiday chaos, however, is how you’re going to manage your allergies during your trip. It can be a real worry, as the last thing you need is an allergic reaction when you’re trying to enjoy your hard-earned holiday time.
With that in mind, we’ve put a few tips together to help you prevent the worst happening while you’re away
1) Preparation
If you’re already aware of what allergies you have, then you can do a little online research into local cuisine in the area you’re travelling to. You might even consider calling the hotel where you’ll be staying, to talk to them about what your options are. Their local insight might even help you to better avoid your allergen whilst out and about and away from the hotel itself.
It’s also a good idea to talk to your airline about the subject at some point.
2) Learn Some Key Phrases
When visiting a country that doesn’t use English, learning some key phrases relating to your allergies will really help. It will enable you to navigate your way around the local pitfalls, much like you would at home, but do be very clear about what you’re saying, as some attitudes towards allergies can differ from those in New Zealand.
For example, you could learn the phrase for “Is this food/drink safe for someone who has a severe shellfish allergy? ” or “Does this food have wheat in it, because I am severely allergic to it”. If conversing in a foreign language is a bit outside your comfort zone, you could write the sentences down on a piece of paper and show it to your waiter when visiting a local restaurant.
3) Check You’re Covered
Most people know to get travel insurance when they go on holiday, but sometimes policies don’t cover allergic reactions. In fact, there aren’t many policies that do include it, so a call to your insurance provider would be a sensible move. You don’t want to find out that you’re not covered just when you need it the most.
4) Make Sure Everyone Knows about your Allergies
If you are travelling in a group of three people or more, it’s vital that those holidaying with you know that you have an allergy. You might not get to order everything for yourself, especially if the sangria is flowing and or you’re out and about sightseeing. It’s also important that in addition to this, everyone is aware of the location of any EpiPens or antihistamine you have on you in case of an emergency.
Enjoy Your Holiday
The last tip we have for you is to enjoy yourself. It can be a worrying thing to have to deal with, but it shouldn’t impact on your enjoyment. Forewarned is forearmed as they say and if you know what to expect, things should go a lot more smoothly.
If you think you may have an allergy, but have not had it confirmed, it is a very good idea to get it checked out. You might suffer from regular bloating, sinus trouble or nausea with seemingly little or no cause. At Test Your Intolerance, we offer a non-invasive hair testing service that arms you with the information you need to avoid the things that cause you problems.
From as little as $60, you can be tested against 300 possible triggers, precisely pinpointing where your issues lie. We even offer a group discount if you want the whole family testing at the same time.
Want to know more? Then head over to www.testyourintolerance.co.nz now and see what we do. You’ve got nothing to lose to find out and it could make a big difference to your daily life.
