When vacations kick into high gear, allergies and asthma often follow suit. The good news? "There are steps you can take to minimize your symptoms," said Dr. Richard W. Weber, an academy leader and allergist in Denver, Colo. He recommends following these tips from the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology:

  • Consider visiting your allergist or immunologist for a physical if you're planning to go on a long vacation.
  • Turn on your vehicle's air-conditioner or heater and open the windows for at least 10 minutes to flush out dust mites or molds before starting a long car trip.
  • Close your windows and turn on the AC during trips if you are allergic to outdoor pollens and molds.
  • Travel in the early mornings or late evenings to avoid excess air pollution. Air quality is better at that time of day because the traffic isn't as heavy as at other times.
  • Stay in a hotel that offers "allergy-free" guest rooms.
  • Request a sunny, dry hotel room away from indoor pools.
  • Use extreme caution when eating airline or restaurant food to keep from setting off your food allergies. The ingredients that bring out your allergies may not be listed on the menus.
  • Make sure to carry your portable, injectable epinephrine in case of a severe allergic reaction.
  • If you're traveling by air, delay your trip until your symptoms of sinusitis or a sinus or ear infection get better. Air travel can cause significant pain.
  • Take a short-acting oral decongestant or use a nasal spray decongestant about one hour before takeoff if you believe air travel will cause pain.
  • Use saline nasal spray once every hour to keep very dry air on airplanes from drying out your nasal membranes.
  • Make sure you bring along more than enough medications and store them in their original containers with instructions on how to take them and obtain refills.