Top Tips For Travelling Safely With Common Allergies

Common allergies such as pollen and nuts make life a lot more difficult to lead – you’re restricted with what you can eat, you have a harder time enjoying the summer weather and you have to bring some form of medication everywhere you travel. With this in mind, it can make travelling with allergies highly stressful, but there are ways to ease the panic when travelling abroad with common allergies. So, if you love getting a sun tan but you neglect the chance to jet off on a plane due to your unpredictable allergies, these are the tips you need to know.

Bring Your EHIC!

If there’s anything perfectly suited to those travelling abroad with a common allergy, it’s an EHIC card. By applying for your EHIC via https://www.ukehic.com/, you can receive discounted or even free medical care when an injury strikes within an EEA country. Therefore, should you be in a worst case scenario, you’ll be able to receive the medical attention that you need without paying eye-watering amounts for the treatments. Allergies can be highly unpredictable, as you never know when you might come in contact with the allergen, so always come prepared for the worst with an EHIC.

Plan Your Restaurants In Advance

For people who are burdened with food allergies, planning your accommodation and restaurants in advance is a great way to ensure that you have a wide variety of foods that you’re able to eat. Naturally, a peanut allergy is one of the most popular food allergies, however those who are gluten or lactose intolerant have an even harder time trying to find restaurants with a broad selection, which is why you need to do your research beforehand. Nobody likes going on holiday to then feel ill and unwell for the rest of it due to coming into contact with their allergen, so always take extra precautions.

Ensure Any Medication You Need Is Permitted

This one is quite difficult, as despite your medication being prescribed and advised in your home country, it could be banned in others around the world. Generally, European countries are very lenient when it comes to prescribed medications, and will happily allow you to bring them into the country should you need them. 

However, there are many Asian countries which are strict about the drugs that enter their borders, and several commonly prescribed drugs won’t be allowed past their borders. To prepare for this, always check their customs website to ensure that your medication is permitted, and always provide a doctor’s note upon arrival for a seamless approval. Otherwise, if your medication is prohibited, you might have to find an alternative that isn’t.

Help Your Services To Help You

Lastly, it’s very difficult to receive the assistance you need with your allergy if you don’t alert those around you that you have one. Regardless of whether you’re using an airline, ferry or taxi service, it’s always worth making them aware of any allergies that you have and precautions that you need to take in order to remain healthy. For example, if you suffer from a pollen allergy and you’re travelling in the height of summer, ask your taxi service to use the air conditioning as opposed to keeping the windows wide open, as that will only irritate your allergy more. 

Travelling with common allergies is always frightening at first, but providing that you get yourself organised and prepared in the event of an allergy attack, you’ll have the back up you need to restore yourself back to good health. With our top tips, it shouldn’t even come to that though, as there are ways to keep your allergy at bay to allow you to enjoy your holiday to the best of your ability.
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