Rafting with Food Allergies
In today’s day and age, food allergies are more common than ever before. Many people both young and old suffer from reactions to dairy, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, and/or soy. These types of food products are found in millions of different recipes. This poses a severe problem when planning an activity, trip, or vacation. In fact, many people do not stray far from their own kitchens for fear of accidental consumption of an item they are highly allergic to. At Arkansas Valley Adventures (AVA), we strive to provide the comforts and convenience of home on all of our whitewater rafting and ziplining trips. Here are some general guidelines and tips for those rafting with food allergies.
First, always make anyone and everyone you speak to during the reservation process know what food item(s) you are allergic to. It may also be helpful to provide possible symptoms you experience during an allergic reaction. This allows agents to put notes in your reservation stating that a particular food item needs to be non existent in any food that you consume on your trip. Knowing your symptoms will also help AVA guides to be quick to react in case of an emergency. If a meal is provided on your trip and it contains one of your allergens, AVA will find a substitute that best suits your needs.
Second, mention your food allergy once again when checking in and under “medical conditions” on your waiver form. Your guide may speak with you about the allergy and will once again ensure that any food product you will be consuming does not contain the product(s) you are allergic to. Your guide will also ask if you have any medication or an epipen that will be necessary to take along on the trip. If so, your guide will place the medication in their dry bag so it will be secure and ready for use in case of an emergency.
Food allergies can be a nuisance, but with AVA they don’t have to prevent you from having an amazing whitewater adventure. Our guides are well trained and many have their EMT licenses. You can rest assured that your food allergies will be taken very seriously and every effort will be taken to provide you with a safe trip.