“Extreme Adventures” appeared at the top of the page, followed by a list of activities on the tour. I held my breath as I read the descriptions, to the effect of: “Travel through river canyons at 100 kilometers per hour in a jet boat!” “Bring your courage along as we bungee jump over Queenstown!” “Fall out of a plane from 14,000 feet over magnificent scenery.”

I stopped there. “Are you crazy?” I e-mailed back. “I hope these activities cost extra, and you can’t afford them.”

“Everything is included except for skydiving,” she replied, inserting a smiley emoticon.

Not only did I think she was nuts for considering jumping off a mountaintop attached to a rubber band or parachuting from a plane, but also for sharing this information with me. Having grown up watching me deal with her severe milk allergy, she knew I was wired to worry.

When dining out, I’d interrupt while she was ordering, urging the waiter to check the dish’s ingredients before she had a chance to ask herself. Once the meal arrived, I’d lean over her plate to inspect the food for any trace of butter or cheese.

But that anxiety was nothing compared to what I felt after Arielle, at age 16, had an anaphylactic reaction requiring three doses of epinephrine and hours of monitoring in the emergency room.

From that day on, whenever she was headed out to meet friends, I’d stop her at the door and ask where she’d be eating and if she had her medications with her.

She’d glare back at me. “You can’t keep me in a bubble for the rest of my life.”

***

She was right. Ultimately, I wanted what she wanted – for her to enjoy the same activities and freedoms as any teen. I worked on backing off, and reminded myself that she had always been careful: checking labels, alerting servers and managers to her allergy and passing up a food when she couldn’t be certain whether it contained dairy.

With planning and proper precautions, she spent two weeks without incident in Provence through a high school exchange program. (Full disclosure: my husband and I followed her to France. We stayed approximately 30 miles from her home base and never saw her, but felt reassured that we were only a car ride away in case of an emergency.)

Next page: The trip of a lifetime

NHL & NBA owner Ted Leonsis

From hanging out with movie stars to schmoozing with international royalty, Ted Leonsis enjoys a pretty glamorous lifestyle. Still, days spent on planes, film sets, galas and sports arenas present a special challenge for the Internet executive turned sport-team owner and filmmaker. That’s because Leonsis lives with life-threatening allergies to peanuts and tree nuts, not to mention environmental allergies and asthma.

Leonsis, who’s best known for owning the NHL’s Washington Capitals and the NBA’s Washington Wizards, spoke to Allergic Living’s managing editor Kim Shiffman and revealed a lot about balancing an on-the-go lifestyle with his severe allergies.

Exactly what are you allergic to?

I’m allergic to every nut imaginable, plus cats and dogs, dust, mold, all the pollens, trees and grass. I’ve got a litany.

When were you diagnosed?

When I was a baby, my mom knew something was wrong with me because of how I would react to some foods. It was hit or miss, and she just thought, “Boy, guess he didn’t like that.”

Then one day I went shopping with her at Christmas, and they were roasting nuts in the store. The steam was going up in the air, and as we were walking down the aisle, I went into anaphylactic shock. An ambulance came and they took me to hospital. My mother didn’t know what had happened, but the doctor asked a lot of questions, sent me for skin tests and that’s when they realized how much allergy I had.

What’s the worst allergic reaction you’ve had?

One I remember that was really, really bad happened when I was 9 or 10. I went to a sleepover at a friend’s summerhouse, and he had cats. It activated a really bad asthma attack; I couldn’t breathe and got a bad headache. They took me to the hospital.

But more recently, in 2006, I was producing a movie – Woody Harrelson was in it and a bunch of other movie stars. We were on a studio lot in L.A. and it was late at night, maybe 10:30 p.m. Because it had been such a successful shoot, the crew ordered chicken-salad sandwiches from some famous L.A. restaurant. This is what they always did to celebrate.

The sandwiches came, and I took one. After a couple of bites, I noticed something crunchy. It was cashews. Immediately I started to get hives on my hands, then my ears, then my tongue. And I thought, “Here it comes.”

Next page: “They’re going to find me dead in this bathroom!”

Ask for what you need. If you have a life-threatening allergy, tell the check-in clerk so he or she can put it on your file. Also double check that if you asked for a room with a kitchen, that’s what you’re getting. If you’re not sure where the closest medical facilities are, ask for that information as well.

Wipe down surfaces. Don’t assume that the cleaning staff have done a stellar job. Make sure to wipe down counters, tables, phones, TV converters, faucets, etc. to avoid accidental contact with traces of the food you’re allergic to.

Call ahead. If you eat at the hotel restaurant or order room service, call ahead and tell them about your dietary restrictions. Many hotels are accustomed to dealing with allergic travelers, and can accommodate your needs. If they can’t, don’t risk it – hit the local market and whip up a stellar, and safe, meal.

Talk to the concierge. If you stay at a hotel that has a concierge, tell him or her about your allergies and ask what resources are available in the hotel and surrounding area. It may be that there’s an allergy-friendly restaurant, bakery or shop just around the corner.

Pack your medications. Always remember to bring your allergy and asthma medications with you – and if you’re flying, don’t pack them in your checked baggage. Keep them with you at all times.

Pack food. If you’re not sure what foods will be available on the road or in the air, bring some of your favourite safe foods and beverages along for the ride. Always bring plenty of non-perishable snacks that don’t require any preparation. And if you’re taking a car trip, pack a cooler and keep it in the trunk. Travel cooler bags come in many shapes and sizes, and are a cheap and simple way to make your food portable.

Pack cooking supplies. If you’re staying in a hotel or even with friends, it never hurts to travel with a basic cooking set. Lightweight, compact sets are available at any major retailer that sells camping supplies. While you’re there, pick up a lightweight cutting board, and a small cutlery and dish set, and you’ll be all set to go.

Pack wipes. Hand wipes can be wonderfully convenient when you’re traveling. Use them to wipe your hands and other surfaces.

Talk to the staff. If you’re flying, mention your allergies to all airline employees that you deal with – in particular the employees at the check-in counter, at the gate, and on the plane. That way it’s less likely there will be any crossed wires.

On the Plane

Pre-board. If you have a serious allergy, you can take advantage of pre-boarding, and use the extra couple of minutes to wipe down the table tray and the arms of your or your child’s seat, and to cover the seat with a sheet, blanket, or seat cover.

Ask if they can make an announcement. Some airlines’ official policy is that they will not make an announcement asking other passengers to refrain from eating foods that could cause you trouble. But sometimes the crews at the gate and on the flight are more flexible, do don’t hesitate to ask.

See Chart: Comparing Airlines

Wash your hands. Before you eat, make sure to wash your hands to remove any allergen that you may have picked up in the airport or on the plane.

Only eat your own food. If you’re thousands of metres up in the sky, you don’t want to experiment with new foods. Bring foods that you know are safe and stick with them. And even if you bring foods that have been safe for you in the past, make sure to re-read the ingredients in case they have changed.

Talk to the flight attendants. If there is anything that causes you concern, or if you experience any reaction in-flight, tell the flight attendant. They are trained to deal with all kinds of medical emergencies and are generally happy to help.

In her experience, airlines had stopped serving nuts years ago – pretzels were the norm now – so she didn’t think to contact Air Canada in advance.

But 10 minutes after takeoff, Humphreys’ tropical vacation became an allergy nightmare: Thousands of feet in the air and locked in the thin metal tube with nothing but hours of ocean ahead, the flight attendants began handing out packages of cashews – by far Humphreys’ worst allergy.

The 43-year-old knew she had to speak up, so she tapped one of the flight attendants on the elbow and explained that she was extremely concerned about the possibility of a serious reaction.

“The flight attendant was nasty. She said, ‘Well, we just can’t take care of everybody,’” recounts Humphreys. The crew continued to dole out the nuts. “So I had to bide my time and hope that nothing happened.”

Luckily, nothing did. But Humphreys and her husband spent much of their vacation trying to figure out how to get Paige home safely. Air Canada told them, as they do all allergic travelers, that it would be “unfair to other passengers” to withhold nuts, and that it was the couple’s responsibility to “bring the proper medication and to have the proper protection.”

Problem was, the “proper protection” included not being surrounded by people eating cashews. Humphreys began looking into other options. “But the other airlines serve nuts, too,” she says. So I thought, ‘I’m no better there – and I would be alone, too.’”

When it comes to nerve-wracking and sometimes dangerous experiences of flying with food or environmental allergies, Humphreys is definitely not alone. In the past decade, allergies themselves have taken off: roughly one million Canadians and 11 million Americans now have food allergies, and approximately 23 million North Americans have asthma.

Still, airlines have not adapted to this new reality. Few have clearly defined policies and procedures in place for allergic passengers, and they continue to serve some of the most highly allergenic foods, including nuts, sesame, fish and shellfish. Some even still hand out peanuts, the most prevalent trigger of serious reactions.

But many allergy sufferers and parents of allergic kids think it’s high time airlines made the skies safer for the millions of travelers with allergies. Dozens have filed formal complaints with airline regulators such as the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Canadian Transportation Agency.

WestJet, however, remains cautious in what it tells passengers. “It should be noted that we cannot confirm all of our snacks are free of trace amounts of peanut or nut products,” a WestJet spokesperson told Allergic Living. While WestJet won’t serve any nuts or peanuts, other travellers are free to bring them on board.

Still, an optimistic Rousseau is asking people to contact the airline: “We need to encourage WestJet to keep the policy, and let them know the positive impact it has. And maybe other airlines will follow suit.” To provide feedback, write to Lorne MacKenzie, lmackenzie@westjet.com.

First published in Allergic Living magazine, Summer 2008
(c) Copyright AGW Publishing Inc.

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In 2002, we took our first summer vacation in Europe with two children. Kieryn was not yet 3 years old and Taya had just turned one. We flew into Toulouse in the south of France and rented a car for what should have been a simple two-hour drive on the motorway to our villa near Perpignan.

We were barely onto the motorway when Kieryn called out: “I have to go pee!” Fortunately the French have a lot of rest stops, and we pulled over briefly. Back on the motorway, we’d only driven 15 minutes more when Kieryn again had to go.

She was toilet training, and we were trying to encourage that, so I pulled over at the next rest stop. Back under way and, you guessed it, 15 minutes later, Kieryn “had to pee”. I was a bit frustrated, but once more pulled over.

While my wife Keely and Kieryn were in the bathroom, Taya, our younger daughter, woke up crying; she’d soiled her diaper and it had leaked right up her back. I got her out and began cleaning up the mess. Keely returned to help, first giving Kieryn some bread with cream cheese to keep her occupied. We had Taya cleaned up and dressed when I noticed Kieryn had just spread the cream cheese all over the front seat.

At this point I lost it, asking Keely, whose bright idea was it to go on vacation to Europe with two small children. She calmly pointed out that it was all mine, to which I replied, “That’s why I married you, so you’d talk me out of these crazy ideas.”

Traveling with children, even without food allergies can be challenging, but it is also highly rewarding. Despite that rough start, we had a great first trip with two kids, and we find that enjoying new experiences as a family can be uplifting.

It does, however, take careful planning to travel with children with life-threatening food allergies. The good news is that our food requirements are complicated – so if we can do it, you can, too. Taya has multiple allergies, including peanuts, nuts, sesame and kiwi. Keely and I are vegetarians, and Keely is allergic to eggs. As well, I have allergies to dust and cats.

Our fundamental approach explains the “Have Kitchen” title of this series: we always stay in places with a kitchen, and prepare as many of our own meals as humanly possible. Not only does this keep us safe, it also saves money, especially in Europe where eating out can be expensive.

City or Countryside?

Europe has a wonderful selection of self-catered villas and apartments for rent, usually for a minimum of one week. While many people think villa vacations are for the wealthy, in fact, there are villas in every price range. Sharing these acommodations with family or friends makes them even more affordable.

If you want to spend your time sightseeing at museums, churches and landmarks, then look for an apartment in a city. If you want to spend it relaxing in the country or at the seaside, then there are lots of villas to choose from as well. For the best of both worlds, consider one week in a city and one in the country. (Remember that if you are renting outside a city, you will need to rent a car to get around for sightseeing day trips and for groceries.)

The Internet is a great source for finding villas. If you can travel outside of high season, you’ll find the best selection and prices. It’s possible to rent directly from an owner, but I recommend that first-time renters book through an agent. Check that the agent has seen the properties recently, and have a list of questions ready to ensure you get a villa that suits your family.

Our European Trips

England/Ireland – England is the most accessible of the European countries for English speakers, and what better way to experience it than to stay in an historic building. The Landmark Trust is a charity that rescues heritage buildings and gives them new life as places to stay. There are 185 “Landmarks,” including forts, manor houses, mills, cottages, castles, follies, gatehouses and towers (www.landmarktrust.org.uk).

We stayed in a 17th century house called Shelwick Court near Hereford, with beautiful countryside. The Irish Landmark Trust is a similar organization with properties throughout Ireland (www.irishlandmark.com/home/self-catering-ireland.html). You can also rent apartments in London and other major cities in the U.K.

Next: France, Spain, Italy

IN 1993, BEFORE having children, my wife Keely and I went trekking in Nepal. We felt so adventurous, traveling with just a guidebook. We walked from village to village, staying in huts without electricity or running water, and eating at local restaurants.

Keely and I knew when we had children that our days of backpacking through Asia, Africa and South America were over, but we still wanted to travel and to instill the love of travel in our children.

When Taya, our second child, was diagnosed with multiple food allergies, including peanuts, nuts, dairy, eggs, barley and kiwi, it seemed like travel was going to be impossible.

Our food requirements were already complicated since Keely and I are vegetarians and she is allergic to egg yolks. As well, I have environmental allergies to dust and cats to consider.

However, we have discovered that you can travel safely with anaphylaxis and allergies. With careful planning, by always staying in places that have a kitchen, and by bringing our special foods with us, we have been able to continue to travel, albeit in a different style.

So far Taya (who’s now 6) has been to Jamaica, Grenada, England, France, Spain, and even Morocco.

Next Page: Villa Vacations in the Sun

Owl’s Head – For more than 20 years now a large group of 50 family and friends has gone skiing every spring at Owl’s Head (www.owlshead.com) in the Quebec Eastern Townships, about 1.5 hours east of Montreal. Owl’s Head is one of the last family-owned ski resorts in Canada and also one of the best values. The resort offers one- to three-bedroom condos with full kitchens with excellent ski-in, ski-out access. It is rarely crowded, has a good mix of runs for all levels, but après ski activities are limited. Views of Lac Memphremagog are stunning.

Mont Tremblant – We have been to Mont Tremblant (www.tremblant.ca) in both winter and summer. It’s located 132 kms north of Montreal and consistently rated the Number One ski resort in eastern North America. It is pretty much the opposite of Owl’s Head, and is a full fledged four-season resort with shopping, swimming and lots of restaurants. It also has golfing, swimming, boating and biking in the summer. Tremblant has studio to four-bedroom condos with good ski-in, ski-out access. There is a good mix of runs and lots of après ski activities. But it can be crowded, and sometimes very cold.

Smugglers Notch – Smugglers Notch, Vermont (www.smuggs.com) is about 165 kms south of Montreal and is consistently rated the Number One ski resort for family programs in North America. Accommodations range from studio to five-bedroom condos with full kitchens and good ski-in, ski-out access. There is an excellent learn to ski program for children as young as 2½ years old, as well as more non-skiing activities for children than any resort I have been to. These include: a fun zone with inflatable slides, bouncy house, pools, basketball and mini-golf. Resort has a good mix of ski runs for all levels, but can be crowded on weekends because there are no high-speed chairlifts.

Sugarbush – My favourite ski area in the east is Sugarbush, Vermont (www.sugarbush.com), 235 kms south of Montreal. It has studio to five-bedroom ski-in, ski out condos with an outdoor, heated swimming pool and hot tub. There is a great variety of skiing, with lots of easy and intermediate runs as well as among the best expert terrain in the east. The luxurious new Claybrook Residences have a valet to park your car, a ski valet to stow your skis and a boot valet to dry and warm your boots.

Silver Star – My daughters’ favourite ski trip was to Silver Star Resort (www.skisilverstar.com) in British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley, about an hour from Kelowna. There are reasonably priced studio to six-bedroom condos and chalets with excellent ski-in, ski-out access. The chalet we stayed in was so close to the run at Silver Star that the kids could ski right onto the back porch. It has a good mix of runs for all levels, lots of après ski activities and rarely gets crowded.

Big Sky – My wife Keely’s favorite ski area is Big Sky (www.bigskyresort.com) in Montana, 70 kms from Bozeman. The village has ski-in, ski-out studio condos to five-bedroom homes. It features lots of groomed, intermediate cruising runs as well as easy and hard runs and never has crowds. There are swimming pools, restaurants, a spa, shops and it’s also near Yellowstone National Park.

Whistler Blackcomb – The largest resort in North America is Whistler Blackcomb (www.whistlerblackcomb.com) in British Columbia. This is a huge resort, 125 kms from Vancouver, which will host the alpine skiing event of the 2010 Winter Olympics. It features over 200 trails for every level of skiing. There are three villages at the base of two mountains with studio to six-bedroom units. Some of the accommodations are ski-in, ski-out, but others require you to walk or shuttle to the lifts. There lots of activities to keep you busy, regardless of whether you ski or not, but it is not cheap.

Next Page: More ski resorts.

1. Stick to countries where you speak the language. So far, that has limited my family to English- and French-speaking countries. It is critical that you can explain allergies clearly to people without any risk of miscommunication. When our younger daughter, who has multiple food allergies including peanuts, nuts, eggs, dairy, barley and kiwi, is a little older, we may relax this rule and there are allergy translation cards available. But for the first adventures, I recommend abiding by this rule.

I will never forget our trip to Italy when Kieryn (our older daughter who has no allergies) was a year old. She spiked a fever of 40 degrees C on the first night at our rented villa. We were staying in the middle of nowhere in Umbria and did not know where the nearest hospital was.

I called the villa’s agent for directions. She not only drove us to the hospital, but also translated what the doctor was saying. I can only imagine that this experience would have been even more stressful if we were dealing with an anaphylactic emergency in Italian.

2. With allergies in the family, it’s essential to know the distance to the nearest hospital before you book accommodations. We like to stay within an hour’s drive of a hospital, and to know that there is also a doctor or a clinic nearby.

3. Given my environmental allergies, we try to find places with tiled or wood floors instead of carpet. We look for wicker furniture or leather instead of stuffed couches. We always ask if the place has dogs, cats or other pets, as some villas and ski chalets are also people’s homes for part of the year.

4. Research local food labeling laws. If you’re thinking of traveling to the Caribbean this winter, I can report that much of the food is imported from the U.S. and Canada. So labeling on these products is not a problem. But you need to be more careful with locally produced items.

5. Check the import restrictions on the country you are going to as well as any countries you will be connecting through on flights. Like the U.S., many countries have restrictions on bringing in meat, fruit and vegetables, but most are OK with dry goods.

The Flight

We limit the number of flights to get to our destination, and avoid connecting via a third country. Since we’re traveling from Ottawa, this means looking for places we can fly to directly from Toronto or Montreal. We prefer not to fly through the U.S. because if we bring meat and fruit for the meal on the plane, we’ll have to throw them out if disembarking to catch another plane.

Time To Eat

1. Our motto and Number One rule for traveling with anaphylaxis is: Have Kitchen, Will Travel! We always try to stay somewhere that has a kitchen. There are a surprising number of options, including condos, villas, ski chalets and hotels with kitchenettes. We wash all pots, plates and cutlery on arrival, since we don’t know what foods were on them before.

2. We bring our own food for our daughter for every flight. We never let our daughter eat something if we don’t know the ingredients, and she never eats anything without her auto-injector on hand. We carry at least four EpiPens on every trip.

3. We pack and check one suitcase full of non-perishable food for every trip. You can’t count on being able to buy allergy-free foods abroad. Some items to consider (depending on the allergies): egg replacer; sesame-free bread; nut-, dairy- and egg-free cookies; nut- and dairy-free cereals; and gluten-free pasta. You can include a small freezer bag for perishables (like dairy-free margarine).

4. Bring enough food for your first day, so you don’t have to shop the moment you arrive. Think pasta and a can of pasta sauce for a first night’s dinner – or instant noodles for an overnight in a hotel room without a kitchen.

5. Are you staying longer than a week? Then bring allergy-free bread loaves and freeze some once you get to your destination. That way, the bread will last.

6. We eat as many meals as possible in our rental unit’s kitchen. When we go out for a day trip, we pack lunches and snacks to bring with us. If we absolutely have to eat out, we will not count on a waiter to communicate about the allergies. We try to speak directly to the person preparing the food and explain: the allergies, the fact that they are life-threatening, and to ask about possible cross-contamination. We prefer smaller restaurants because you have a better chance of speaking to the cook.

Stick with plain, simple foods (no sauces) to reduce risk. For example, plain rice, plain pasta, plain vegetables and grilled chicken or fish. Ask if an allergen has been on the grill before ordering.

Related:
• The scoop on air travel
• Traveling to sun destinations with allergies
• Tips for traveling with allergic kids

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