When you know your vacation destination, get recommendations from your physician for asthma and allergy specialists in that area, or contact the local state medical society at the destination for recommendations on area specialists. In relatively populated areas, ask for several potential healthcare providers, to allow for comparisons.

You can also write, call or visit the web sites of the following organizations:

American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology
611 East Wells Street
Milwaukee, WI 53202
800-822-2762  website: www.aaaai.org

American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology
85 W. Algonquin Road, Suite 550
Arlington, IL 60005
800-842-7777  website: www.allergy.mcg.edu

If your vacation takes you to a foreign land, you might consider contacting the International Association for Medical Assistance to Travelers. For a low-cost donation to this nonprofit organization, you can receive a directory of English-speaking physicians worldwide who have trained in either the U.S., Canada or the United Kingdom. It can also provide forms for your own clinical records, immunization information for specific countries and worldwide climate charts. For further details call: IAMAT at 417 Center Street, Lewiston, NY, 14092; or call (716) 754-4883.

Sensible Behaviors and Actions

• During the hot weather season, people with asthma and allergies should drink plenty of fluids.
• Avoid exposure to tobacco smoke whenever possible.
• Call ahead to order a special meal on the airplane. Or pack your own "safe" snacks.
• When eating out, ask the waiter if sulfites have been used as a food preservative. If so, find out whether special preparations without sulfite additives can be ordered. If eating out in a country where you don't speak the language, have a warning note drafted in the local language that alerts wait staff to your allergy.
• Prior to beginning a lengthy auto trip to your vacation spot, take appropriate measures to rid the vehicle's ventilating and air conditioning system of mold and mildew.
• For those prone to exercise-induced asthma, it may be a good idea to keep prescribed emergency medication on you at all times.
• Request a hotel room that is nonsmoking and mold-free.
• If you have questions about the primary allergens and pollen count in the area you are visiting, contact the local Chamber of Commerce. Or you can call the National Allergy Bureau at 1-800-9-POLLEN or visit the Asthma and Allergy page of our website. AAFA also has a national network of educational support groups. One may be in the area you are traveling to and could provide you with useful local information. Call 800-7-ASTHMA for support group contacts.

SOURCE: This information should not substitute for seeking responsible, professional medical care. First created 1995; fully updated 1998; most recently updated 2005. © Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) Editorial Board