Welcome!
Travel has been a passion of mine since childhood. I’ve lived with life-threatening allergies to numerous foods (including peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, potato and more) as well as having environmental allergies and asthma my entire life. As a writer, content creator, educator and consultant, I share travel through the lens of living with severe food allergies. My social media, blog, consulting services, and online courses empower others to embark on allergen-safe journeys worldwide.
Even with severe food allergies, I never let them stop me from adventures near and far, including spending most of my twenties living abroad in Australia, Italy and other areas of Europe.
This travel and lifestyle website is for families and individuals with food allergies and was started back in 2008. Since then, I’ve taught for over a decade, worked at national and international food allergy nonprofits, spoke at allergy conferences, and traveled all over the world for meetings with others in the food allergy space.
My food allergy travel and lifestyle expertise has led to numerous speaking opportunities at global conferences as well as being interviewed by a number of media including the New York Times, Washington Post, BBC Scotland, NPR, The Points Guy UK, USA Today, Smarter Travel, SheKnows, Healthline, and Quartz.
Now, I have a consulting company that specializes in helping travel brands and businesses meet a growing travel market for the over 32 million Americans with food allergies.
I also have online courses for How to Dine Out with Food Allergies and offer 1:1 consulting for those who need guidance to travel safely at home and abroad.
A Bit of History
During my senior year of college, I did an independent study on the rise in prevalence of children with food allergies. I realized as I interviewed parents, that many were fearful and seeking guidance on how to teach their children to navigate the world safely with allergies. I was raised by parents who understood a child’s need for independence. My parents showed me how to become the self-reliant, adventurous, world traveler that I am today. I realized I could put my allergy expertise to good use by guiding others to live and thrive with food allergies. In honor of Allergy Awareness month in May of 2016, I created #EmpowerFAkids to build a space to share empowering allergy moments in the community.
When I started Miss Allergic Reactor, I saw a need and wanted to help others understand from the allergic child point-of-view. With a Bachelor’s of Arts in Journalism, I figured it was also a way to keep writing while pursuing other passions. Since I grew up without knowing anyone else my age with life-threatening food allergies, I also understood how isolating it can feel at times, but was also raised by parents who empowered me to see past that and to live life to the fullest. I hope to continue to inspire and empower others with food allergies to travel and explore the world.
My love of travel has taken me all over the world on irreplaceable adventures. With my Tuesday Travel Tips on Instagram and many posts about my adventures across the globe, I continue to pave the path for travelers in the allergy community. My extensive knowledge of Italy has also led me to assist numerous families with safe travels throughout the country in my consultations.