I love to travel. I think I always have. Someday I would love to be able to say I’ve traveled the world. While I have been to several places, there is still so much out there I want to see. And I’d really love to be able to show my kids as well. France, Spain, Germany, Ireland, and Aruba are just some of the international places I’ve been, plus tons of domestic trips. As we are getting ready for a busy summer bouncing around a few states, I’ve had to take a closer look at how we travel with my daughter. Tasha has a lot of allergies, some pretty unusual ones too. Thankfully none are life-threatening, and even though she doesn’t complain much, she can be very uncomfortable. A few are food allergies, like wheat, but most affect her skin and cause severe eczema. We’ve learned to make several changes at home, but we can’t expect the rest of the world to only use specific cleaning products!
Bad Experiences
We’ve had some not great travel experiences. By no means were these a result of our accommodations, but more of my failure to prepare ahead for her needs. There is only one laundry detergent Tasha isn’t allergic to. The whole family uses it. When we get hand me downs, no matter who they came from or how clean they may be, they get washed in our detergent.
What does laundry have to do with travel? Well, last summer we stayed in a quaint little place in Maine for my husband to compete in an Ironman. Upon walking in, I could smell the cleaning products. Some would think that was great… I realized she was going to react.
And she did…
The towels and sheets caused her to eczema to flare up! Not to mention the products used to clean the bathroom and kitchenette had her eyes red-rimmed and swollen. In typical Tasha fashion, she assured me she was fine. While she thinks she’s fine and she doesn’t really complain, I’ve noticed “flare-ups” cause her to be easily irritated. She’s quicker to snap at others and more likely to want to be left alone. Something that isn’t easy when we’re all in one room for a long weekend!
Packing for Allergies
Making a few changes to what we pack made a more recent trip much more enjoyable for Tasha. Silk sleep sacks are supposed to be great for allergies. Before I spent the money on a silk one, we decided to start with a cotton version that we would wash at home first. Selecting one in her favorite color made using this in a hotel room with her friends much easier. We had to request non-feather pillows but the sleep sack allows her to put the pillow in the pillow fold.
Likewise, she is limited in the personal care products she can use, but that’s the easiest thing to handle! She brings her own shampoo, conditioner, body wash, toothpaste, etc wherever she goes. Even handsoap! We really like these silicone travel bottles. The suction cups allow her to secure the bottles to the wall of the shower. Plus, they can be rolled to squeeze out every last drop of product and have changeable labels in the lid.
Of course, once she gets out of the shower, she’s back to the same problem as the sheets… hotel towels are never washed with her special detergent either. So we started packing her own towels. Since I always prefer to travel as light as possible (IronFish would probably disagree though!) she takes a set of microfiber towels similar to these.
Finally, we all use packing cubes. Packing cubes make packing so much easier for everyone! First, they help us stay organized while packing and once traveling. For Tasha, if we are going to be someplace for several days, I don’t want her clothes touching drawers or other things in the hotel, or, even other people’s homes. Not that I think other people’s homes are dirty, just that aside from my mom, I can’t expect everyone in the world to wash and clean only with the products safe for her. I’m ok with her putting her belongings inside the packing cubes into drawers, as long as the clean clothes stay in the packing cubes.
We’ve acquired quite a few of these over the years, so we don’t have a pretty matching set, but we do have a variety of sizes like this set has.
Taking Special Care
Tasha’s list of allergies is quite extensive. Some are things most people have never even heard of. Most of her allergies are “chemical allergies” and affect her skin. I do wish I’d realized earlier that it wasn’t just eczema. Eczema is the byproduct of what she is allergic to, but it causes her to be insanely uncomfortable in her own skin. Had I known at a younger age what was causing her eczema, she might not have hyperpigmentation on her arms and legs or the scaring she has from scratching until it bleeds!
But, hindsight is 20/20 and I can only do my best for her moving forward. Now I make sure we are only using products that are safe for her.
Yes, I can make some safe cleaning products, which I do in some cases. But, there are quite a few things I just don’t have the time to spend making from scratch. Thankfully, we were given access to an app with a special code so we can see what products exactly are safe for her to use.
If I run all over town, I can find most of them. However, I’ve discovered the best way to get the products we need at the best prices is through Grove Pantry. (Brace yourself, next comes an affiliate link… but it also comes with a free gift with purchase). As of writing this, if you shop at Grove Pantry through that link, you get a 5 piece gift set free with your first purchase!
Not everything Grove has is safe for Tasha, but I can get almost everything we need in just a few clicks. Shipping is free and our orders always show up in just a few days. Plus, I have laundry detergent scheduled to show up every other month so we don’t run out (again, oops!).
Enjoying Travel with Allergies and Eczema
Making these changes to our travel habits means Tasha doesn’t have to miss out. It’s not easy to deal with her extensive list of allergies and still be a kid. But we make it work.
If you have experience traveling with allergies and eczema, I’d love to hear what has worked for you!
Looking for more travel into, check out this gift list for the traveler.
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