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Whether you're traveling for business or pleasure, planning ahead is key to making your trip safe and enjoyable.

Getting ready for a trip? Whether you’re traveling for business or pleasure, planning ahead is key to making your trip safe and enjoyable. This advice will help get you started.

As always, communication helps a great deal. The people who will be serving you—not to mention your traveling companions—can only attend to your needs if you tell them about your food allergy.
If you know in advance where you’ll be dining, research the restaurant menus, just as you would for a local eating establishment.
When making special requests, give as much lead time as you can to trip organizers and airline, hotel and restaurant staff. This will improve the chances that they can accommodate your needs.
Bring a travel kit with all your medications, including extra epinephrine auto-injectors. Do this no matter how far from home you plan to be.
Also bring extra copies of your Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Emergency Care Plan.
If you’re traveling with other people, make sure someone knows where to find these items and how to give epinephrine.
Let your doctor know you’re traveling. Ask if he or she will be available to call, email or fax in a prescription for additional auto-injectors, should you need them.

Read on for more tips about flying, international travel and more.

Flying with Food Allergies

Before You Go

Before booking your flight, read the airline’s allergy policy. Many airlines post their policy on their website. Find it by searching for terms such as “allergies” or “peanuts.”
Check the airline’s snack offerings. People with a peanut or tree nut allergy may want to choose an airline that does not serve complimentary peanut or tree nut snacks with the beverage service. (Some airlines will serve a replacement, such as pretzels, upon advance request.) This will greatly decrease your risk of exposure to these allergens during the flight.
However, keep in mind that airlines cannot guarantee you a peanut- or tree-nut-free flight. They cannot monitor or control the behavior of other passengers.
When booking your flight, notify the reservation agent of your food allergy. If you book online, there may be a space on the reservation form to include this information. You can back up this communication with a phone call to the airline. Request that your information be forwarded to other personnel such as the gate agent, catering/food service and flight crew.
Because some airlines are cleaned at the end of each day, consider scheduling early-morning flights. This will lower the chance that your seat contains crumbs or food residue.
Bring your own safe food to eat while traveling, or buy packaged foods inside the airport where you can read food labels. Check with the airline to see if there are any restrictions on which types of food you are allowed to bring on board or to your destination.
Visit this blog post to look at some of the different domestic and international airlines and their policies regarding food allergies.

At the Airport

Follow up on your earlier request to notify airline personnel about your food allergy. Reconfirm this at every opportunity: with the ticket agent, the gate agent and again with the flight attendants.
Visit an airport eatery or kiosk to buy safe snacks for you or your child to have on board the flight. (In case you didn’t already bring safe food from home.)
Ask the gate agent if you may pre-board the plane to inspect and clean your seating area. However, note that some airline policies will not allow pre-boarding for this reason.

On the Flight

Check your seating area. Wipe down the seat, tray, arm rests, belt buckle and so on. Touching or eating food off an unclean surface area could expose you to food allergens through cross-contact with food particles or spills.
Be courteous and polite with the flight crew. Remember they are there to help you. Help educate them about food allergies and work with them to make accommodations for your flight.
Never take a risk with food, especially when in the air and away from access to medical help. Don't eat food provided by an airline or a store in the airport unless you have read the ingredient label and can confirm it does not contain your allergen. If in doubt, don't eat it.
If you are dissatisfied with the airline, you may send a written complaint to the Airline Consumer Protection Division of the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Air Travel with Epinephrine

When you travel, you must always be prepared for a severe allergic reaction. It is critical that you carry two epinephrine auto-injectors with you at all times.

You may wonder what this means for airport security and other points during air travel.

First Things First

Always carry your Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Emergency Care Plan. Put it with your epinephrine auto-injector and other prescribed medication.

Keep your epinephrine with you. Do not put it in your checked luggage or store it in the overhead bin.

Let your traveling companions know about your allergies. Make sure they know what to do in case of an emergency on the flight and where your auto-injector is.

Taking Epinephrine Through Airport Security

FARE’s medical advisers recommend sending your epinephrine auto-injectors through the x-ray machines and scanners used to screen carry-on luggage. While research on this topic is limited, there is no scientific evidence that these machines will change the effectiveness of the medication. The amount of radiation produced by an airport x-ray machine is similar to the amount of ambient radiation everyone experiences in a typical day on planet Earth.

Furthermore, FARE recommends using the x-ray machine over allowing a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) official to visually inspect your device. Such inspections may increase the risk that the device is accidentally activated, damaged or lost.

You can find more information about traveling with medications and the effects of airport x-ray systems on medication from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Transportation Security Administration (TSA).

Taking Epinephrine on a Flight

According to the TSA, passengers are allowed to bring their epinephrine on board a flight.

However, you may need to show the printed label that identifies the medication (e.g., Adrenaclick®, Auvi-Q™, EpiPen®). You should also be prepared to show the prescription label from the pharmacy.

It also helps to have a note from your doctor that confirms your food allergy and your need to carry medication. Download a sample letter.

More About TSA’s Policies

This information is provided by the International Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Alliance.

TSA security currently permits over-the-counter liquid medications. However, volumes larger than 3.4 ounces must be declared to a TSA officer. A declaration can be made verbally, in writing or by a person’s companion, caregiver, interpreter or family member. TSA may also allow gels or frozen liquids needed to cool medically related items.

Bear in mind that there is always a subjective element to airline security. Much is left to the individual screener’s discretion.

If you have questions, call TSA at (866) 289-9673, email TSA-ContactCenter@dhs.gov or go online.

Are to-do lists more your thing?

Check out our handy checklist infographic—perfect for road trips or anywhere the travel bug takes you!

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Traveling

Air Travel with Epinephrine

First Things First

Taking Epinephrine Through Airport Security

Taking Epinephrine on a Flight

More About TSA’s Policies

Are to-do lists more your thing?

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