As I mentioned in a previous post, I recently escaped the cold Michigan winter weather and visited Florida for a few weeks.
While much less difficult today than it was a few years ago, if you have to eat gluten-free, or want healthier food options, traveling can be a little bit of a challenge. However, besides food, chemicals and toxins are a concern for me when traveling because of Multiple Chemical Sensitivity. Fortunately, my symptoms have lessened in recent times, but I still have to be diligent about taking precautions when I travel. Actually, my symptoms had lessened so much so in recent times that I had blocked out how awful it was to live with MCS. I am to the point that as long as I have a “safe” environment to regularly live in, I am able to live a pretty normal life. I still get perfumed bombed at church, and can’t walk down the detergent aisle at a grocery, but my reactions don’t last near as long as they once did.
Traveling with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity Can Be a Challenge
Even though I experience less symptoms today than I once did, traveling can still be difficult and it reminds me how absolutely awful it is to live with MCS. Unfortunately, my symptoms really flared up while at one of the destinations we were staying in Florida. My husband and I had to put on our detective hats to try to figure out what was causing my reactions. There was an air freshener which had been plugged in. The scent of toxic fragrances from the years of soap that had been used in the bathroom lingered. I washed the towels to try to remove the prior detergent smell. The sheets smelled of fabric softener and dryer sheets (when traveling, I bring my own sheets, but I still have to remove the “toxic” sheets from the room). I tried multiple mattresses in the condo, but they were giving me reactions. Not sure how new the mattresses were, but I can get reactions from the flame retardant.
I ultimately spent a night sleeping (or trying to sleep) on the floor with my head as close to a window as possible. The reactions continued to be awful. My husband and I couldn’t figure out what was physically in the room that was causing the problem. We thought we had removed everything possible. With such terrible reactions that I was experiencing, and having taken care of everything we thought might be causing them, I concluded it had to be either mold, or something in the actual structure of the unit.
Needless to say, I couldn’t spend an entire week staying there being miserable. We had previously stayed at a Westgate Resort and I didn’t experience major reactions. Fortunately, I had a contact at the resort. I called him and explained my situation in regards to MCS and that I couldn’t stay at the condo we were visiting. He was able to get us a room so I could enjoy the rest of our vacation. I want to give kuddos to Westgate. Both times I have stayed with them, I have asked them not to clean our room with harsh chemicals before we arrived. Each time we stayed there, the rooms were not strong of cleaning chemicals and worked well for me.
Travel Suggestions for those with Chemical Sensitivities
Traveling with MCS can be difficult, but it is possible if you take extra precautions. I recommend searching for accommodations which are eco-friendly, or environmentally safe. However, if you are unable to find a place, here are some suggestions which may help:
- Call the hotel/condo/resort ahead of time to make sure they don’t have new carpet, or have recently done a new renovation.
- Ask if they use air fresheners
- Ask them not to clean your room with harsh chemicals
- Ask to have a room with a window that opens (so you can air it out)
- Ask to have a non-smoking room – one that has never been used as a smoking room
- Ask to have an end unit
- Ask for a room with a couch or over-sized chair (in case you can’t handle the mattress)
- Bring your own towels and sheets
- If staying at a resort or for an extended period of time, bring your own dish and laundry detergent
- If you have a travel air filter, don’t forget to bring it!
- Don’t forget your supplements or other items which help keep your chemical reactions to a minimum
By taking precautions ahead of time, hopefully you can enjoy your entire vacation!
Read Next: Multiple Chemical Sensitivity and Toxins with Dr. Pompa: Radio Episode #1 Recap
Living Natural Today Wants to Know
- If you have MCS, do you travel?
- What additional travel suggestions do you have to make your vacation tolerable?
Additional Post You Might Like:
France-Marie Martikonis ND says
Hello,
I am a retired naturopathic physician with 30 years of practice around the world, and well aware about chronic diseases, MCS, and EMF’s sensitivity. I have created Retreat Soleil, a special vacation rental that is fragrance-free, low EMF – no smart devices, Ethernet, no WIFI – mold-free, chemical free, including outdoors, organic bedding, and more.
Here is the link: https://www.vrbo.com/1864463?unitId=2426972
Heather says
I’ve never done traveling outside of the US, however, about every other year I go on a cross-country road trip to visit family. My symptoms can be debilitating. I get everything from Migraines, pain, to a really drugged out feeling with fatigue and can barely stay awake. It also effects my breathing. It’s very difficult for me to shop anywhere, even for groceries sometimes, especially for clothing. Since I’ve developed these symptoms, I’ve traveled via camping. Mostly I try to travel by myself, so I can control almost everything about it. The thing that gets me the most though when I travel alone are rest stops and any public bathroom. I can’t go into convenience stores most of the time since they have overwhelming smells of chemicals or deodorizers. So I’ll try to find a store that I feel may be safe-natural food store if possible, small grocery stores. If it’s not, then I drive a ways out of town and stop on the side of the road. I’ll also just sleep in my car, I have a small SUV so I made a bed out of patio cushions and a camping air mattress and crawled in the back, granted it’s not the most comfortable, but it saves money and it saves my health–which enables me to keep moving the next day. (I’ve encountered the same problem with bathrooms/showers at campgrounds.)
When traveling with others, I have to make sure they are not wearing scented laundry detergent, or any scented products. Mostly they’re really good about it, but people can be stubborn about wearing their deodorant. I also react to some essential oils and onions, so I have to be careful there, too.
This summer, I’ll be taking another road trip, this time my mom will be joining me one way, and we’ll be staying in hotels the entire way. This is causing me untold stress just to find places that don’t use air fresheners, scented laundry, or other chemicals. Next to impossible by the way. Not to mention exposure to other guests and their odors. **I’ve found one place in Dodge City, KS that completely understands my circumstances and says they use eco-friendly cleaners, but has agreed to use vinegar and water, will put an air purifier in the room and said they won’t even rent it out for the entire week before I arrive. I just have to call and remind them the week before. They also do not use scented laundry detergents. (It’s the Dodge City Hotel Convention Center if anyone will be traveling in the area. The manager’s name is Kim.)
Many of the other places have said that they can’t guarantee their maid service won’t use chemicals and can’t tell them not to use the air fresheners. I’ve also been looking through VRBO, Homeaway, and AirBNB–with similar results.
Hilton’s have what they call Pure rooms, in some locations, that are asthma/allergy friendly and supposedly scent sensitive with built in air purifiers in the rooms. However, they also use tea tree oil in the purifiers, so not 100% clean. They’re also really expensive.
I’ll be taking along my own sheets/towels and other linens to be on the safe side and am prepared to sleep in my car if I have to. I’ve also decided to invest in an air purifier that I can bring with me. I also have an RZ mask that I use. It has a replaceable activated carbon filter and is reasonably priced. I’ve even had to sleep in it when staying at my dad’s house because of mold.
I’d love any recommendations on good air purifiers that work for VOC’s and other irritants. One that is small enough to travel with in the car, most importantly is effective, and not going to cost me $1,000’s of dollars?
Teresa says
Hi Heather – Thanks for all of the information you provided as you begin your travels. That’s great to hear about the place in KS!
Staying at hotels can definitely be a challenge. I rarely stay at hotels anymore, but anytime I do, I bring my own bedding and towels. A lot of times I have to take all of their bedding off and put it in a closet. I also call ahead of time to see if they have windows in the room that can be opened and rooms that are away from their smoking rooms or an outdoor smoking area. I also ask about their cleaning process. A lot of places spray an air freshener over the carpet. I ask them not to use any of that in the room I plan to stay in. I also ask them to clean differently (without the chemicals). Of course, I have to call again a day before I arrive to make sure it happens.
A few air purifiers that I’ve heard are good are Air Doctor and Molekule. I use an Air Oasis (which has been great for mold spores and VOCs).
Hope your travels go well.
Elizabeth Whitney says
My friend with MCS needs to go the the Washington DC area–is there any way we can network with a group there for her housing needs?
Teresa says
Hi Elizabeth – I don’t know of anyone in the DC area. You might want to check on the Canary Facebook group.
Daisy says
Hi Elizabeth,
Did she find somewhere in the end?
Thanks for sharing!
Catherine says
This is coming from a person with fragrance sensitivities that interfere with my life, e.g. I can go to church as long as I don’t sit near people, can’t go to the mall, that kind of thing. I get serious migraines which you don’t want to hear about and I won’t describe, but not some of the more dire symptoms. Until the grandchildren and their parents moved in with us, I was flying to Rome about twice a year for seven years. Grandmothers are determined that way.
Airport duty-free shops are so horrible! If flying to Europe, absolutely avoid Charles deGaulle airport — French perfume permeates it, every duty free store reeks of it, and you can’t get a break anywhere. I was too nauseated to eat or sleep during a layover and arrived in Rome sick. Amsterdam or Brussels are better — Brussels needs you to be able to smell the chocolate . I never even saw perfume for sale in Rome airport, I think there’s a little in the big duty free store but mostly wine and cheese and again, they want you to smell the food and the espresso. I think it’s the German airports that have indoor smoking in supposedly airtight cages — they’re not as efficient as the designers might hope — leaky and horrible but at least they’re not near seating or eating areas. The German airports are also unfortunately getting more into the standard duty free stores we know and fear.
As for the actual flight it’s entirely up to luck how it goes. If someone decides to varnish her nails at 25,000 feet, there may be no recourse. In general I’ve been fortunate and any issues have usually lasted no longer than jet lag. My sensitivities are milder than some. Keeping well hydrated helps me a lot.
I always bring my own sheets (including a flannel sheet for the flight, I’m not about to use their “blankets” near my face) and for the most part try to stay with friends and family — and even so, I bring my own laundry soap.
Travelling within North America, my husband and I tent. I’m 60, he’s over 70, and we have this little backpacking tent that we can toss in the trunk, it’s just funny. But we’re in control of our sleeping space! We stick to what Michigan calls “rustic” campgrounds (i.e. unimproved) to avoid exposure to environmental contaminants and even so — well. At one campground last summer, I had to remove a couple of deodorizing things from the privy and set them out in the woods and prop the door open for hours to lose some of the scent — we were the only ones in that loop of the campground so nobody noticed!
Teresa says
Hi Catherine – Thanks for stopping by. Sorry to hear that you struggle with MCS. I can totally relate. Even though I am so much better today, then I was a few years ago, traveling can still be a challenge. Thanks for your warnings about some of the European airports.
Kathy Garthoff says
Hello. I, too, am struggling with travel options. I would love to visit Europe as I have friends who live there and a daughter studying there. I used to live in Spain, but since I have since developed severe MCS with Asthma, I don´t know if this is possible. Does anyone know about masks that might be helpful? I can´t use items that smell of plastic or rubber, of course. Has anyone found a successful way to fly with MCS? How else could I possibly cross the pond?
Thanks for any suggestions,
Teresa says
Sorry to hear that you struggle with MCS too. I’m typically leary of flying, but just did recently. However, I don’t suffer with MCS as much as I used to. When flying, there are so many issues we can encounter which makes it difficult for those of us with MCS, especially if you’re traveling a long distance. I don’t have a specific mask to recommend. Maybe someone else will respond with a suggestion. Also, I recommending asking that question to the MCS canary group on facebook. They might have some mask suggestions.
Win says
“I can breathe” masks are great, they’re washable and have a replaceable charcoal filter.
Teresa says
Thank you!
Heather says
I use RZ Masks. They have the no-return valves, the filters can be replaced instead of washed and they have activated carbon in their filters. They have neoprene and mesh masks, I avoided the neoprene for obvious reasons. And they are reasonably priced.
Teresa says
Thank you!
Danielle says
Hi Teresa, your article caught my attention , because I have dreamed of visiting Italy for longest time, and I have been wondering how I could manage this. It seems to me that taking a flght is an insurmountable barrier. The last time I took a plane from Montreal to Miami, the duty free shop was set up in a way that every traveler is forced to go through it. Not only was the entire concourse flooded with perfume, but many travelers of course tried the perfumes before taking the plane.
This summer, we drove down to Florida, and I noticed some of the hotels where we stayed had scented air condtioning (probably to keep us from noticing the smell of mold). So I wouldn’t be surprised at all if that is what was bothering you.
Not sure if I will ever be able to cross the pond in my condition, so we are considering other travel options in the meantime, perhaps RVing…
Teresa says
Hi Danielle – Thanks for stopping by. Sorry to read you experience MCS symptoms. It definitely makes travel challenging! I hope you’ll be well enough to make your dream come true of visiting Italy one of these days.
I didn’t realize they scent air conditioning, but it doesn’t surprise me since I know you can add add scent to paint too. RVing sounds like a good option since you can control your environment that way. I would recommend a used RV since you don’t want the issues of off gassing in a new one. My parents have had a couple of RVs. I was able to tolerate one brand better over the other. Make sure you do your research and test it out beforehand. Maybe you can even find an RV made with eco-friendly materials:)! Best wishes.