5 Must-Dos Before Hiring A Food Allergy Travel Agent
Updated July 2024
Planning a trip when your child has food allergies can feel overwhelming—especially when even the smallest hiccup can send you into a spiral of anxiety.
And while some food allergy travel agents promise peace of mind, they might come with a hefty price tag and don't always address the real fear of traveling: 'What if something goes wrong?'
In today’s episode, we're diving into 5 must-know tips to help you feel confident and in control before you hire a travel agent.
These are simple but powerful steps to calm your mind, prepare for unexpected situations, and keep your family safe—no matter where your adventure takes you. And I may even recommend a food allergy travel agent I would trust to book a vacation so read to the end!
Have you checked out the Food Allergy Made Easy Podcast yet? You can listen to this and many more episodes created specifically for food allergy mamas like you.
Get personal stories and experiences in this episode:
I don’t want to discourage you from using a food allergy travel agent. In fact, I think getting the best travel agent for food allergies can be helpful to save time researching safe options. (Read to the end to get my recommendation of an amazing Food Allergy Travel Agent who is a food allergy mama herself and knows how to help you plan a safe trip). But I don’t want you to miss important steps that will make your trip safer and more relaxing and fun.
Some food allergy travel agents can be expensive and they may not address the thoughts that make food allergy travel scary. If you don’t address the thoughts before you leave, it can mean that the smallest thing on your trip can cause you anxiety and send you into a spiral of worry, and ruin your trip.
Not only that, but having a “done-for-you” option may not help you know how to deal with highly likely changes in plans and even situations that you may not have thought of before you leave home.
This is why I highly recommend these 5 essential things BEFORE hiring a food allergy travel agent.
Don’t worry, these 5 things are easier than you think, and they’ll get you in right mindset for your trip.
In case you’re new here, let me introduce myself.
I’m Corinna!
At the time of writing, I’m a 17-year food allergy mom and a 7-year Food Allergy Mentor. I base all of my resources on evidence-based research and then add my 17 years of practical knowledge to create trusted resources to help food allergy parents keep their kids safe and worry less.
We’ve traveled all over the world with severe food allergies even before my kids were 11 and 13. Some of our destinations have been the Bahamas, Mexico, Spain, Ireland, the UK, Italy, France, Portugal and all over the USA and Canada.
We’ve been on several Disney vacations (including Disneyland, Disney World, and Disneyland Paris), road trips, beach vacations, tours, a river cruise, and a Mediterranean cruise too!
I think it’s safe to say that we have extensive food allergy travel experience.
My daughter has peanut and tree nut allergies and gluten intolerance, but what you learn here will work for ANY food allergy and celiac disease.
I’m not a food allergy travel agent, but I’ve helped hundreds of allergy families navigate the tricky world of food allergy travel with my coaching program, workshops, and blog.
I tell you this so you know that this post isn’t just a bunch of random tips. You can trust what you read here. I also want you to know that food allergy travel CAN be safer and less stressful, which means its fun and memorable!
Although it took me many years to fumble through and figure it all out while making a lot of mistakes along the way; with guidance, you can have a safer and less stressful vacation right away.
P.S. Check out my full series of food allergy workshops. You’ll find expert resources based on 17 years of research and practical knowledge for many food allergy challenges like navigating school, travel, and dining out with food allergies.
Now, let’s get to the 5 must-dos before hiring a food allergy travel agent.
5 Precautions To Take Before Hiring A Food Allergy Travel Agent
Overcome the fears.
Here’s a surprise…
Food allergy travel is MORE than just finding allergy-friendly destinations, accommodations, and safe restaurants.
In order to have a great vacation, your MIND needs to be in the right place too. This will allow you to think on your feet when plans change and actually ENJOY your vacation, instead of stressing! If your mind is worried, frantic, or stressed, you may not be able to enjoy your time OR make good decisions when needed.
When it comes to food allergy travel, your mindset and thoughts are really, really important!
I remember when we were about to go on our first overseas trip to Europe. We had researched and planned it all out. But a week before, I WAS A MESS! I wanted to cancel the whole thing. The guilt was getting to me and I kept wondering why we would take the unnecessary risk of travel.
Thank goodness my husband calmed me down because our trip to Spain was still one of our favorite trips of all time. Our family would have missed out on SO MUCH if we hadn’t taken that trip, because taking that trip also gave us the desire to travel to Ireland and the Mediterranean and many more places too!
You need to know that these feelings of fear, doubt, and guilt are real and will likely happen at some point. So it’s important to truly address them in the beginning so you can fully anticipate your vacation with joy, as well as make your vacation safer and less stressful!
2. Don’t overlook the small things.
As I already mentioned, food allergy travel is MORE than just finding allergy-friendly destinations, accommodations, and safe restaurants. There are a lot of small things that you WILL need to face too.
A few examples are, the safest way to travel on a plane, how to eat safely on travel days, what to pack, and where to find safe food when you’re on an excursion and away from your accommodations. Also, consider flight delays or emergencies that could come up.
You may not think of these things right away, but they are inevitable and it’s ESSENTIAL to be ready so that you can safely adjust as needed and your trip isn’t ruined by worry.
3. Understand how to do it yourself first.
Having a food allergy travel agent do the research, and make the bookings and plans is a great idea. But without knowing what to look for and how to do it yourself, you can’t verify that your travel agent is asking the RIGHT questions on your behalf.
Because a lot is riding on your Food Allergy Travel Agent and they must take the right precautions & steps.
This is why it’s essential that you fully understand what needs to be done so that you can ensure nothing falls through the cracks, even when you hire a food allergy travel agent.
Consider also if you want to take ANOTHER vacation or a weekend trip. If you know how to research and plan yourself, you have the freedom to decide what works for your family for every trip you take, not just one vacation.
4. Know how to make finding & cooking safe foods quick and easy while you’re away so you feel like you’ve had a vacation too.
Even with lots of restaurant research, it’s likely that there are ONLY one or 2 restaurants that are fully allergy-friendly in every location.
For example, there have been many times when I’ve researched a restaurant before leaving home but have NOT felt comfortable with it once we arrived. Safety is always our number ONE priority ESPECIALLY on vacation, which meant that we would not eat at a restaurant if we didn’t feel confident with their food allergy protocols.
This uncertainty means that vacations with food allergies often mean packing the right things, shopping, and cooking ourselves.
Which is often what we want a break from when we’re on vacation, right?
That’s why it’s important to know HOW you can actually make the burden of finding and cooking allergy-safe foods stream-lined and easy so the cook can enjoy the vacation too.
5. Learn as much as possible.
Before you hire a food allergy travel agent, get as much practical knowledge about traveling with food allergies as possible. A safe and worry-free trip boils down to having what you need to feel confident so you can handle whatever comes your way during your trip.
You can search blog posts, Instagram, and the internet, OR you can get all the practical knowledge I’ve learned from our extensive experience traveling with multiple severe food allergies in one PLACE so it’s easy to access without searching. Just enroll in the Food Allergy Travel Workshop.
I’ve packed this workshop with what we’ve learned after traveling to the Bahamas, Mexico, Spain, Ireland, the UK, Italy, France, Portugal, and all over the US and Canada. We’ve been on several Disney vacations (including Disneyland, Disney World, and Paris Disney), road trips, beach vacations, tours, a river cruise, and a Mediterranean cruise!
The workshop also includes essential travel planners and packing templates you need whether you hire a food allergy travel agent or not.
Learn more about the Food Allergy Travel Workshop here.
6. ⭐️BONUS TIP ⭐️ Use a Food Allergy Travel Agent you trust.
Once you’ve completed these 5 Must-Do’s, it’s time to hire the most amazing food allergy travel agent. I know just the person, and I’ve become an affiliate for her because I know she will take the BEST care of your food allergy family.
Her name is Lauren from Lauren Miller Travel.
She’s a food allergy mama herself, and she deeply cares about empowering food allergy families to live fully and specializes in booking allergy-friendly vacations. She gets paid by the companies she books so there’s no additional charge to use her services. Let her know Corinna from Friendly Pantry sent you!
Conclusion
Knowing these 5 essential must-dos BEFORE hiring a food allergy travel agent will help you have an amazing and allergy-friendly vacation.
If you have a nut or peanut allergy, you may also like this post about Allergy-Friendly All Inclusive Resorts.
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