Month: February 2020

Using Food Allergy And Dietary Translation Cards For Your Next Vacation

I have a life-threatening food allergy to dairy and all milk protein. Some people who share my situation will stay at home because of it. Fortunately, is incredibly easy to plan a trip around food allergies. I have not let my dairy allergy impede my adventures, and I’m here to tell you reasons you shouldn’t.

The Austrian Train Story

This is one of my scariest travel stories…just a forewarning. Upon boarding a 6.5 hour train ride from Zurich to Linz, I knew I needed to load up on protein so I wouldn’t be starving.

I went into a store at the train station and bought a salad with chicken with no dairy.

HOWEVER, in the most confusing day of my dairy-allergy filled life, I ate this “safe for me” salad on the train and quickly turned purple. My friends noticed this, and I said at first, “I’m fine, it’s just a salad.”

However, tears fell down my face (I wasn’t crying, believe me. Heading to Linz thrilled me). And my lips blew up. I looked like a Kardashian.

I went to the bathroom and instantly felt queasy. There was a 75% chance I reacted to this salad. The other 25% is unknown, or perhaps I reacted to the beer I drank the night prior? I felt great the morning of the train day.

I still don’t know what the reason was, but the preservatives that kept this salad fresh in a train station grocery store could’ve given me an anaphylactic allergic reaction. I was nervous on this day-long train ride where there was no medical staff.

I thought I would die. Even after taking my EpiPen injection, I needed to go to the ER immediately. The epinephrine only buys me a certain amount of hours.

To keep myself alive, I needed a friend to tell the conductor to stop the train which held thousands of commuters/travelers.

However, I told my friends to give me Benadryl and give the effects of the reaction another 15-20 minutes before I ruined this train journey for everyone else.

The Benadryl and the use of my Xopenex inhaler opened my lungs up. It made me drowsy, but feeling a heck of a lot better than I did before.

However, don’t be an idiot like me. Don’t take chances right before train or plane trips- bring something safe from home that you can snack on long journeys to prevent hunger.

Here are some concrete-solutions to the issue, easing both mine, and hopefully your travel worries if you have limitations like me.

SelectWisely Food Allergy Translation Cards

I use SelectWisely LLC’s food allergy translation cards when I travel to countries where I don’t speak the language. I hand them to my servers, restaurant managers/owners and to shop owners to facilitate my traveling experience. Most of the restaurants are extremely helpful and take care of whatever needed.

It may be one of my best purchases for my travels abroad. Not only are the cards clear, helpful and convenient, but the company provides an endless amount of great products for people with serious allergies and medical conditions.

SelectWisely has translation cards in over 20 different languages for:

  • Food Allergies
    • Nut, peanut, seafood/fish/shellfish, milk/dairy, egg, soy, sesame, wheat, seed, fruit and vegetables, others.
  • Drug Allergies
    • Penicillin, sulfa, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, iodine
  • Gluten-Free
  • Skin Contact Allergies
    • Latex, cats
  • Vegetarian and Special Diets
    • Vegetarian, vegan, lactose intolerance, low-salt, sugar-free
  • Health Emergencies
    • Travel emergency, ill child card, diabetes type 1 emergency, asthma
  • Diabetes
    • Type 1 emergency, Type 1 pharmacy, airport security for insulin pumps, Type 2 sugar-free
  • Asthma and Smoke Free
  • Animals and Insects
    • Bee and insects, cat allergy

Eat At Nicer Restaurants

The key also is to eat at the nicer, normally more expensive restaurants for their happy hour menu. That’s when you get to eat amazing food for less.

For those with food allergies, these restaurants have more attentive management who will work harder to ensure you they will make you a safe meal. Check out nice restaurants when eating the best food in North Carolina, New York, Boston, or anywhere else in the US.

Better ingredients, choices and caliber of the food and staff is one way to keep those traveling-with-a-food-allergy worries away.

If You Have A Peanut Allergy

Peanut allergies are among the most severe out there in part due to the reaction involved just by smelling it. The problem is that many in-flight snacks contain peanuts. You need to especially be careful if you are taking your kids on a family vacation.

Good news though. Some airlines no longer serve peanuts.

If I were you, I’d call the airline before your flight and ask:

  • To pre-board to wipe down the seat and area where you will sit to remove any peanut dust and residue.
  • For the flight attendants to make announcements prior to takeoff asking passengers to please not open peanut-containing snacks during the flight.

Some airlines won’t serve peanuts if they’re contacted a few days before the flight!

Prepare Yourself for Additional Security Screening If You Bring Food/Liquids –

If you travel with at least three ounces of liquids, such as almond or coconut milk, peanut butter or applesauce, it’s beneficial to have a doctor’s note to present to TSA agents, if it gets to that point.

You shouldn’t have any trouble getting an exception. The comfort of knowing you have safe food and drinks to bring on your trip is well worth the extra hassle to make it happen.

An easy decision.

Carry Multiple EpiPens

One injection lasts for 20 minutes. And have another with you just in case the first EpiPen doesn’t work. This way you do not have to worry while still having the best dining experiences.

Pack More Snacks Than You Think You’ll Need

It sounds obvious, but many people get caught off-guard by flight delays, lack of restaurants that accommodate special diets and other hiccups while traveling. Pack more diverse, safe snacks then you think you’ll need, or even full meals such as those from GoPicnic. For kids, pack extra special treats as something to look forward to during the travel day.

Helpful Food Allergy Apps

Apps such as Find Me Gluten Free, Happy Cow and Allergy Eats help for finding restaurants that accommodate food allergies. You can also contact restaurants in destinations that seem safe and that you’re interested in going to eat in before heading there.

Clearly Document Your Symptoms

One of the biggest errors amongst travelers with serious food allergies is the failure to document their symptoms. Quickly being able to spot an allergic reaction could be crucial to save your life. Ensure that you familiarize those you are traveling with to your conditions, initial symptoms, and preventive treatments.

Allergic reactions impacting skin often cause itchiness, redness, hives, bumps, or swelling. Reactions effecting the mouth often cause swelling of your lips, lounge, or palate.

Clearly document any potential symptoms relating to your condition in order to best inform those around you of when you may be experiencing a reaction.

Choosing Accommodations

Now, think about choosing strategic accommodations when traveling with food allergy and dietary restrictions. Constantly at restaurants and passing out your allergy card can be incredibly frustrating. Not to mention, it may still be concerning when eating out. The safest way to eat on vacation is to choose spacious accommodations where you can cook your own meals. Traditionally, this includes hotel suites and AirBnBs. If you are not familiar with these lodging options, check out our ultimate hotel travel guide. Surely, choosing accommodations is highly-important when traveling with food allergies and dietary restrictions.

Create A Chef Card

If you are traveling with food allergies, it is integral to carry a chef card. A chef card is simply a prepared card that informs kitchen staff of all your conditions and allergies. At the same time, it includes a request that all surfaces, utensils and dishes be free of any food traces.

If you are traveling to foreign countries, always carry a chef card in that country’s native language. This effectively alleviates any issues through translation or miscommunications. Consider using an easy service like SelectWisely LLC to create your allergy card online. They allow you to customize your card in a number of language to convey various health requests.

Organizations like the Food Allergy Research & Education institution additionally offer a number of card templates and international formatting options to help you design the best format.

Styling Considerations For Your Allergy Card

Before you travel with your allergy card, you need to follow several specific styling considerations. This is important whether you are eating American, Italian, or Native American travel food. Most importantly, you need to ensure that your allergy card is written clearly. Select a large, clear, and readable font size. Bold any information that you want the chef to pay careful attention to. You should additionally use flares of red to highlight extremely serious requests.

Finding Free City Tours With The Chicago Greeter Program Guided Service

Visiting Chicago is one of the best travel experiences in the US and there is a terrific, and FREE way to see and learn about it all.

It’s called the Chicago Greeter program.

The Chicago Greeter program is one of the few ways to see all the Windy City has to offer without paying steep prices for sightseeing tours or individual tour guides.

The program is an excellent way to get an in-depth, engaging, and personable tour based on your specific interests. With the program, you can experience historical site absolutely free all over Chicago. Read on to learn how Chicago Greeter delivers the ultimate city getaway.

What Is a Chicago Greeter?

Greeters are Chicago residents and volunteers dedicated to showing visitors their city. Don’t think of greeters as a tour guide. These touring programs are available in many major US cities. In fact, you may be able to find a greeter to help you experience the best things to do in Boston this year.

Rather, consider them more like a friend.

Experienced greeters can introduce you with the city’s most notable spots, hidden gems, and famous treasures. The places greeters may show you may not always be listed within travel guides or on top websites, but they are sure to create a long-lasting, memorable travel experience.

These value travel tours are one of my favorite things to do to kick off a trip. All you have to do is fill out the application and send it in at least two weeks before your requested date.
You also have to list the area of interest you have in seeing. Historical sites? An ethnic neighborhood? General walking tour?

Greeter tours specialize in a number of unique interests based on culture, flavor, history, or general entertainment. Most tours are offered in over a dozen languages to support international visitors.

Chicago Greeter Program Rules

Before you pack your bags and get your smartphone travel ready, you need to familiarize yourself with the program rules. The Greeter program is a great way for out-of-town visitors to see the city. Despite this, there are a few rules to determine your eligibility.

First off, the limit of people in your group is six or less. Tours cannot be scheduled on the day you arrive in Chicago because of potential travel delays.

Anybody going on the tour must be an out-of-town visitor. No locals.

Many tours additionally ask you to fill out the name of your lodging accommodations. Before you take the time to research and schedule a tour with a Greeter, make sure you are eligible under the rules in place.

Greeter Tours And Options

Over the years, greeters have sought to offer several unique tours and options. Most commonly, visitors choose between tours for special interests or tours for neighborhoods.

Interest tours range from distinct cultures, history, architecture, or cuisine tours. Neighborhood tours operate out of areas such as Downtown Chicago, Hyde Park, or Millennium Park.

Consider your personal interests so that you can use greeters to get the ideal tour of the city.

We chose an Architectural walking tour because the city is so well known for that and we would not know any history behind the buildings we are looking at.

If you appreciate architecture, Chicago is ground zero for beauty and historical significance. First, you sit down with your guide and come up with a game plan when you meet at the location they give you. You will go over timeframe and any other last minute requests by you. If you are a history lover, Chicago is one of the best places to go for Veterans Day.

Knowledgeable greeters can inform you of the story, history, and add perspective to all the scenery Chicago has to offer. The greeter brings your walking tour to life!

Wide Range Of Volunteers

Chicago Greeters provide you with a wide range of volunteers to guarantee a unique experience. They are a prime example of volunteer travel voluntourism in action.

With all greeters being volunteers, you can guarantee a tour truly fueled by passion and excitement. The greeter program provides the best volunteers to guarantee all travelers are able to receive their ideal tour and city vacation.

Our Chicago Greeters Program Review

In our case it ended up being a three hour  walking tour inside the Loop and hit all the masterpieces there. We must have walked 4-5 miles in total so be prepared with great walking shoes, especially on hard cement.

This is much different than a paid tour that you can sign up for. Throughout she kept asking us how we felt about what she was showing and if it was along the lines in what we wanted. If we wanted to shift gears into some other ideas other than architecture she was willing and able.

Our guide Christine’s knowledge of the city was so strong it came to life for us. Every time we passed any of these buildings throughout the rest of our trip there we knew exactly what we were looking at and the history behind it.

She even had access to the Chicago Architectural Museum and saved us a fortune and got us in for free and we looked around there for 30 minutes and also saw a fantastic 15 -minute movie they show there. This is one of the best cultural attractions we’ve been to.

Other Chicago Greeter Tours

Hate architecture and love food? Go to an ethnic neighborhood and try local specialties there. My advice- pick something you don’t know anything about.

Chances are, you will be uniquely surprised with what the city has to offer. My interest and enjoyment of the different timelines and styles of buildings downtown had grown tremendously in those short three hours. So fascinating to hear the stories behind the detail in each building.

Most tours signify historically significant or largely traffic areas. Tours of Hyde Park, for example, encompass the University of Chicago and the Museum of Science & Industry. However, you can stop at other potential locations, such as Barack Obama’s barber shop, within the same tour.

If you do not have any specific interests when you visit the city, pick something entirely new to you. You might end up finding something that interests you more than you thought.

Our Favorite Spots On A Chicago Greeter Tour

Here are some of our favorite spots you can see on a family vacation:

  • You can see local boy Frank-Lloyd Wright’s The Rookery, where he kept his office.

  • The Art Deco late 1920’s Carbide and Carbon and the Chicago Board of Trade.

  • Late 19th century Marquette and Monadnock Buildings.

  • The largest Tiffany ceiling in the U.S. 1893 Chicago Cultural Center

The Beaux Arts style of the Art Institute of Chicago and the Michigan Ave Bridge.

Chicago Greeter Tours Timing

Before you book your free Chicago Greeter tour, there are several considerations to take in regards to time. Free Chicago Greeter Tours are offered year round in the city, so you can still go for a tour even during winter weekends. A single guided tour is roughly two to four hours, depending on the type of tour you select. To ensure availability, it is essential to register for your Greeter tour at least ten days in advance of your scheduled date. Remember that the tours are incredibly popular, and availability is consistently changing due to high demand.

Where Else To See?

Before you book your free Chicago Greeter tour, consider what else you would like to see. Some of Chicago’s most well-known attractions include the Cloud Gate, Willis Tower, Lincoln Park Zoo, and Millennium Park. In addition, you should try and stop by the Field Museum, Navy Pier, and Art Institute of Chicago. If you want to spend more time outdoors, ask your greeter to stop by Grant Park, Lurie Garden, and the 606. Plus, the Chicago Harbor Lighthouse and Garfield Park Conservatory are additional great shops to stop by. If you enjoy city travel experiences, check out our guide on the best things to do in Boston. Indeed, consider what else to see on your tour with the Chicago Greeter program.

Volunteer To Be A Chicago Greeter

Are you from the Windy City yourself? The Chicago Greeter Program is always looking for friendly, knowledgeable, and enthusiastic volunteers. There are no previous qualifications required. All you need is a passion for Chicago history, architecture, culture, and art. Specifically, you should be familiar with popular neighborhoods like Hyde Park, Bronzeville, Wicker Park, Bridgeport, and Pilsen. If you want to see some more fun attractions outside of Chi-Town, check out the best family vacations in the Midwest. Certainly, volunteer to be a Chicago Greeter to make the most of the guided tour program.

Of course, along the way you learn the streets and neighborhoods as she shows you all other points of interest to see on your own on other days.

No need to pay for tours, it doesn’t get much better than this.

How Family Vacations Leave A Long-Lasting Impact On Children’s Happiness

Planning and reflecting back on trips are two key elements involved in my family’s discussions. It has always made us closer. Planning trips is a positive subject, it involves not just the moment but the future to look forward to, and it leads to conversations for months and years about an exciting experience shared with one another.

You learn what each member of your family prioritizes in a trip, each person’s likes and dislikes. You ask questions, you listen, you collaborate, you learn, come up with ideas and suggestions. Compromise to balance the needs and wishes of everyone involved and everybody is happy. A child learns that each person has a right to look forward to something exciting to them. While places like the Las Vegas Strip are still not 100% family-vacation ready, there are dozens of fun, scenic, and amazing places to take your family.

Why Travel With Family?

Travel and traveling does so many amazing things for the soul; those of families and children alike. This also includes parent-child trips. In a world where there is a divorce rate of close to 50%, it is crucial that you find ways to build memories and “connect “with your child.

My greatest memories were the adventures I took with my parent or parents. My father knew I was obsessed with all sports growing up so he would lure me on “sports vacations“.

He would plan around the sporting events (that were mostly evening start times) with daytime trips to museums, historical attractions, local entertainment native to the location, and cuisine that was well known for that region.

We tried to avoid anything familiar and ended up always trying new things. Of course the sporting events happened but in reality they were only a small portion, time-wise, of the entire experience. I was very willing to do all of these other activities because of the carrot of the sporting events to come.

Inspire Your Child

You may have a child who loves playing a musical instrument. Plan a vacation around seeing a great orchestra. Your child may love science. Go to the best science museum in the country. Child interested in History? Go on a Civil War historical sites trip. Your child may be obsessed with video games? Go to Japan! This way everyone in the family is equally excited about the trip!

If you are a parent considering the value behind family vacations, leave it to me to show you why family vacations are important for children.

Strengthen Family Bonds

Firstly, family vacations are important because they strengthen family bonds. A lot of the time, parents and children do not realize that they are drifting apart from one another. During a getaway, kids can completely unplug and disconnect on vacation with family.

A long work day gets in the way of eating dinner with your kids. Most of the time, your children are too tired in the morning to talk before school. These situations happen more often than many parents realize and usually result in weaker relationships. By taking a vacation, you give your family time to rekindle the bonds that are stretching thin due to ordinary life.

When on vacation, take the time to do things out of your comfort zone. They are often the best activities for relationship building and are also usually fun for kids. My family and I always tried to avoid familiar activities, and it only brought us closer together. Strengthening bonds is just one of the many benefits of taking a family vacation.

Teaches The Value Of Money

Family vacations are also important because they teach children the value of money. You can open your kids’ eyes to the financial world by encouraging them to save up for upcoming trips. Help your child pick out a piggy bank and remind them to put their weekly allowances in it. You can even set a goal amount for them to try to reach by the time your trip date arrives.

Plus, you can even involve your children in your travel hacking process to make your trips or cruises more affordable. Show them how you are saving your own money by accumulating travel points and miles with your credit card bonuses. Travel hacking is one component of value travel. You can reduce the high costs of your trip by accumulating points and miles through credit card welcome bonuses and that can take car of your airfare and hotel dollars.

Family vacations are important because they can teach kids the value of money in a fun and exciting way.

Increases Social Awareness

Additionally, family camping vacations are important for your children because they increase social awareness. When kids see how other children are living in less-developed areas, they develop a sense of empathy and learn to value humanity.

While you may want to shield your kids from homeless people during your travels, it might benefit them to see the different way of living. It could teach your kids to feel grateful for the home they have, the food they eat and the clothes you put on their backs. Your kids could even want to help less fortunate people after your vacation.

An increase in social awareness is yet another reason why family vacation is important for children.

Reduces Stress Levels

Family vacations are good for children because they reduce stress levels as well. As a parent, you know how stressed you can get, but do you ever take the time to think about how stressed your kids are? They, too, deal with major stresses on a daily basis. Your trips do not have to be financially strenuous either. By following simple value travel guidelines, you can save money will still making lifelong memories.

By putting your family in a brand new environment where everyone is only thinking about fun activities, you can reduce both your children’s stress levels and your own. Fill your minds with exciting things to do and brand new sites to see.

In my experience, my best, most relaxed childhood memories are at places that I traveled to with my parents. Certainly, parents can see the value in taking family vacations to reduce stress levels.

Makes Learning Fun

On top of the above reasons why family vacations are important for children, they make learning fun. Are your kids struggling to stay focused in school? Are they uninterested in generally every topic you or their teachers try to cover? Take them on a vacation where learning is exciting!

You do not need to take them to museums or educational events when traveling either.

My incredible mother always supported me learning about myself, the world, and educating myself on the state of different societies through travel. Some of my finest memories with her have been reminiscing on trips we both went on.

My amazing father taught me how to plan a trip, find inexpensive transportation options, compare accommodations, and establish a budget.

Family vacations are important for children struggling to find interest in new subjects because they make learning new things fun.

Teach Kids To Be More Adaptive

Frequently scheduling family vacations, you can teach your kids to be more adaptive. Travel takes us out of our daily routines, home environment, and comfort zone. Through vacationing in unique, cultural destinations, you can teach your kids to deal with all sorts of unpredictable situations. Travel is often about going with the flow. Show your kids how you can manage and overcome challenging scenarios without loosing your cool. Even when scenarios like lost luggage, flight delays, or incorrect directions become incredibly frustrating you need to show your children how to overcome them.

Gain New Perspectives

Of course, going on frequent family vacations helps your children gain new perspectives. Vacationing is a great way to open up your kid’s world, promote exploring, and encourage hands-on experiences. Take your children on journeys where they can experience new cultures, languages, or traditions. In fact, you may even want to sample new cuisines or immerse yourselves in new cultures. This way, you can create future leaders and help your kids gain new points of view. If you are planning your next family getaway, check out these kid-friendly ideas for the best vacations in the Southwest. Definitely, gaining new perspectives is a core reason to take frequent family vacations with your children.

As someone who cherishes the memories I made with my parents on family vacations, I can honestly say that there is true value in planning trips with your kids. These trips are an excellent way to spend winter weekends or warm summers. By taking a vacation together, you can strengthen your family bonds.

At the same time, you can teach your children the value of money and increase their social awareness. Taking trips also reduces everyone’s stress levels, which can be hard to do in these days. Finally, vacations make learning fun for children. Keep these reasons in mind when considering the importance of family vacations for children (and their parents!)