If you have a food allergy, you probably know how stressful it can be leaving your comfort zone (and comfort meals). Make sure you reference these tips before a longer trip to relieve some of the food-related anxiety!
- Research ahead of time. One of the best perks of living in a world where everything is digital is you can research any and everything in a matter of minutes. Before you plan your travel, look up the restaurants in that area and what allergen-friendly options they offer. You can also search online for what you want to avoid and the city name and see if any prior research has been done. For example, if you’re dairy free and traveling to Chicago, search “dairy-free restaurants in Chicago, IL.”
- Find a hotel with a full kitchen. Finding food in a new area when you have allergies can be a gamble. With this in mind, we recommend choosing a hotel with kitchens in every room. This way you can bring your own food from home or stock up from a grocery store that has prepackaged, safe food for you. Lucky for you, Extended Stay America has fully equipped kitchens in every room.
- Read the labels. For a person with food allergies, this tip is nothing new. Just because you’re away from home doesn’t mean the precautionary tasks stop. When stopping for snacks at a gas station or getting food to stock your hotel room kitchen, make sure you read the ingredient labels and allergen warnings on every item.
- Bring your own food. When away from home, sometimes it’s easier to bring your own food than it is to trust food you’re unsure about. Whether you decide to eat out or eat food you brought from home depends on a lot of things, like the severity of your allergy, how common it is in meals and how much precaution you take. When you stay at a hotel like Extended Stay America, you can bring premade meals and store them in your fully equipped kitchen in your suite.
- Trust your gut. If something looks or tastes like it may contain your allergen, it’s better to be safe than sorry and avoid it. If you eat something and start feeling a little funny, trust your gut and reference your action plan. Whether that’s taking medicine, going to lay down at the hotel or ordering something new, make sure you are preventing further exposure.
- Know some classic options. While we usually suggest trying new things and stepping outside of your comfort zone when in a new atmosphere, in instances like this, sometimes a classic can be the safest option. If you’re out and about and see a menu item that looks enticing, but you aren’t quite sure what ingredients it includes, it may be best to stick with something you can rely on. For example, if you’re gluten intolerant, a soup could hide some gluten. In this instance, it’s probably safer to order something like grilled chicken and steamed broccoli.
- Inform the people you’re with. If traveling with anyone, make sure they’re aware of your food allergies, intolerances and preferences. It’s important someone knows in case you aren’t present when dining options are decided or you suddenly fall ill.
- Have a plan. Should you encounter your enemy allergen, it’s important to have a plan so you know what to do when you’re not feeling well and thinking clearly. If you have a severe allergy like a peanut allergy, make sure you always have EpiPen with you.
