Excusing yourself from a conference room between the tenth and eleventh sneeze will probably result in some sympathy. Explaining to your mother-in-law that you need your own hotel room when you come for a visit probably won’t. Be strong. Turning down an invitation to sleep over isn’t easy, but when you take allergies or asthma on vacation, a clean room retreat comes right after “toothbrush” on the must-have list. Your goal is to create a place with the best possible conditions for holding off an allergic episode.

Call local hotels ahead. Explain that you have allergies or asthma, and ask questions specific to the allergens and irritants that trigger your symptoms. Most hotel personnel are happy to meet a reasonable, health-related request. Give your business to the most cooperative establishment.

Dust mites

Dust mites and their waste are among the most common allergic triggers. Fortunately, your best protection is very portable — an anti-allergen mattress encasement. Bring your own, plus your own anti-allergen pillow (or pillowcase) from home. Ask how much time the staff needs to put the encasement on and make the bed up for you after check-in. If you’re staying more than one night, you’ll probably need to handle laundering the linen yourself (but it doesn’t hurt to ask). Ask for a room with blinds or shades instead of drapes, and for linoleum or hardwood floors instead of carpet. Make sure blankets and pillows are not filled with down.

Mold and mildew

If mold and mildew are triggers for you, ask how the room is cooled. Evaporative (swamp) coolers are common in hot climates and older hotels. Their filters can harbor the mildew and mold spores that provoke an allergic episode. Choose a hotel with central air conditioning or an in-room air conditioner. Ask that the in-room air conditioning filter be changed or vacuumed before you check in.

Smoke

Most hotels offer nonsmoking rooms. Be clear about reserving one, and tell the hotel you are sensitive to smoke. When you arrive, check your nonsmoking room before you turn down the sheets. If you smell smoke, don’t hesitate to ask for another room.

Strong odors and chemical fumes

It can be a real challenge finding a safe room for people whose symptoms are triggered by chemical fumes. Ask that no aerosols be sprayed in the room, and that in-room solid air fresheners be removed. The staff may be able to open a window before you check in, to get air circulating.

Indoor air quality

Take care of airborne allergens and irritants (including dust mites and their waste, pollen, molds and mildew, chemical fumes, and smoke) with a portable air filter. Check the number of air exchanges the unit delivers each hour. This number measures how often the total volume of air in the room moves through the filter. If the unit delivers four exchanges per hour, then after 15 minutes (without opening a door or window) most of the air in the room will be filtered air. After check-in, get the unit plugged in and working as soon as possible. Allow time for at least one air exchange before you occupy the room.

Humidity has an effect on overall lung function. Bringing a humidifier or dehumidifier along may be going too far for those with hay fever or milder allergies. However, if you have asthma and your episodes are severe, or if you expect to be exposed to known triggers during social or business engagements, maintaining the best level of humidity (about 50%) may be worth the extra suitcase.

Comfort

Along with bedding encasements, anti-allergen pillow, and a portable air filter, stock your clean room with any complementary care products you find useful. Herbal teas and hot or cold sinus packs can help relieve sinus symptoms. Sneezing and coughing can leave your muscles aching, so bring along your favorite mineral bath salts to ease them. Steamy baths and showers can also help relieve congested sinuses and soothe muscle aches. Don’t forget to bring tissues (or ask at the front desk if there are none in your room), and move your medications out of your suitcase to where you can reach them easily.

Don’t let your allergies or asthma stand in the way of travel. Planning ahead, collecting the information you need, and getting help from others at your destination can allow you to keep comfortable when on the road.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 30th, 2007 at 9:58 am and is filed under Seasonal & Travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.