Talking Allergies

We will be travelling east from Ontario to PEI. Would you please recommend any places that would be good to eat at. My son has milk, eggs, nuts and peanuts allergies. Normally we do all our own cooking, but it would be such a treat for him to eat in a real restaurant.

Any suggestions are welcome for either hotels/ restaurants/shopping spots for specialty allergy products. Many thanks!

Honestly, if that was me or my kid, I would stay home. With so many allergies, there is too many factors to control for me to feel safe. I would not risk it.

When we have travelled across Canada we make food and freeze it.
Now with modern technology you can buy a cooler/ freezer you can put in your car and the room.
We also bring a small BBQ and have bugers or such food.
I can not recomend a Resturant as I have not been in one to eat for at least 15 years.
Good Luck

I'm planning a trip from Ottawa to New-Brunswick for the summer. I cannot go into restaurants nor any grocery stores, so I bring my own food.

I make people laugh when I say I travel with my kitchen... but it's true. I bought myself a car fridge (that pluggs inside the house too), a single stove burner (electric), I have my picnic kit and a big bin of shelf-stable food (noodles, chips, crakers, fruits, etc.). When I go on long trips, I normally try to eat fresh foods the first week and then end up on dry food as the rest doesn't keep that long. On long trips, I normally end up at some relative's house, so if I need some veggies or meat, I can ask them to go buy some. I go to New-Brunswick because I am from there and have family still in that area... but I cannot go as a tourist too much because of the emphasis on fish . But I will travel from relative to relative and enjoy myself. That's the treat for me is seeing other people, not eating at a real restaurant as it's not safe for me.

Hope you enjoy your trip, but I do recommend making your own food to make sure it's a safe trip.

Mylène

MLL - will I fit in your trunk?????? We go down to PEI every summer, and we've had to cancel this year. And there's even a family reunion.

Anyway, we don't eat in restaurants. We travel Toronto to PEI - and eat out of our cooler both directions. (Lobster makes a great cold meal on the return trip. )

AnnaMarie... you're right, space is an issue. I mostly travel alone and fill my car, so when my sister travels with me, she has to pack light because I can't . Can you guess that my next car is going to be a mini van? MLL, I forgot to ask what size of vehicule you have... hope it's a mini van! But at least, one advantage that you have is that you can buy some food along the way.

Mylène

Mylene, hee hee - I wasn't thinking about the space issue - I want to go, and I'll ride in her trunk.

*********

MLL, I've been thinking about this thread. Travelling is not the time to try new things. If you want to treat your son by taking him to a restaurant I would suggest you do it when you are at home. Travelling is exhausting and stressful. And having a reaction when you are in an unfamiliar place is unpleasant. (Just my own opinion.)

I read fast... but it made me think of space (my dad reminds me space is an issue when I travel with him

I would make space for you in my trunk too, but no lobster in my car .

When I decided I could travel, I decided to do it reaction free and with the 'better safe than sorry' theory... which is why I pack everything. On my trips, I try nothing new! Even the bed sheets are from my house (I learned that one when I scratched for a week because of the soap my grandma used to wash her laundry...). I have my treats at home and pack only what I know is perfectly safe.

Mylène

I agree with Anna Marie travelling can be stressful andI know I have never had a worse birthday then the one when I was 12 in Shaddick NB. My dad gave me a small peice of lobster, I spit it out and could see the waitress coming she put the cake down and I passed out from anaphylatic shock. Never ever had a birthday anymore until I was married.
Wonder how he and the staff in the resturant felt..........
I did have a nice holiday after that.

Mylene we always bring our own sheets to hotels, once they had some perfumey smell and I and my Husband could not handle it.

I have to agree with youngvader. Just stay home. It is not worth the risk.

You know, I stayed home for many years, but in the last year, I have discovered a passion for travelling! I can't walk into a restaurant or grocery store, so I pack my fridge, "stove", pots and pans, pantry and just go. I don't pack light, but it has given me back a freedom that the allergies had taken away from me. This summer, I am going to travel from Ottawa to Moncton (N-B) and back, and also follow my favorite band on a few weekend trips around the province... I always have to do a risk analysis before going anywhere and planning a lot, but in the end, I would not go back to the way I was, NEVER! The allergies have taken away all hopes of travelling by plane, even trains and busses, but my car is my safe space and I just love it! I am following my favorite band around the province as an excuse to travel and get out of my house and enjoy life again! There are a few places I wouldn't dare to go like a fish festival, fishing docks and all, but there's a whole big world out there just waiting to be discovered and there are ways to overcome all of that!

Mylène

Mylene, that's great to hear. I guess you can look at travelling as sort of like an urban camping experience without the bugs and bears It must take a lot of courage and a lot of planning!

It takes a lot of planning and I do call it 'interiour camping' , I do not like 'exterior camping' anymore... same trouble, too many bugs ... but it is so much worth it. Even at family member's house, I take out my own pots and pans and do my own food most of the time, but I'm safe and that's all I care about! I'm leaving in 2 weeks and I'm already packing and planning... I can't wait, I've never gone that far alone before!

Mylène

Mylene,

It is so encouraging to hear your enthusiasm. I hope some of it will rub off on me. I have continued to travel all these years, and luckily with almost no problems. However I find as I get older, I am getting more nervous. I do like you and try to find ways to make my own meals as much as possible, but I tend not to feel too excited about travelling, thus putting a damper on my husband's fun. I hope you will post lots of info on your trips and keep up the positive attitude--it is good for me! Happy travelling,

Soccermom

Mylene, I guess I won't fit in your trunk. (I'll pass on the lobster if I do. )

Hope you have a great trip - and let us know how it goes. I LOVE THE EAST COAST.