Did you know that more than 50 million Americans suffer from some type of allergic disease, and that 4.8 million asthma sufferers are children under 18, (a number that accounts for 11% of school aged children)?  Did you know that dust mites can't survive above 2,500 feet?  Or that the beach is generally allergen free? 

Here are some tips to help you reduce conditions and situations likely to aggravate the discomfort of asthma and allergy sufferers. 

Lodging:  What to Watch Out For

Surveys show that 45% of U.S. residents stay at a hotel/motel when traveling (statistics provided by Travel Industry Association of America  "TIA"). Here are some things you can do to avoid aggravating conditions. 

Book reservations at hotels that offer guests clean, smoke free, air and water filtration systems. (For example, Best Inns and Suites was the first national chain to offer these amenities.) 

Request fiberfill pillows or bring a dust mite-proof encased pillow from home.

Prearrange maid services to occur when leaving your room each day or no less than 20 minutes before you expect to return.   This lets the dust settle after vacuuming and changing sheets.

Automobiles:  What to Watch Out For

Nationwide, 80% of U.S. residents use an automobile, truck or RV when traveling (TIA).

Before leaving home, have the air conditioning tested and the air-filters replaced to improve efficiency and keep indoor air as clean as possible.

Keep windows tightly shut and the air-conditioning set to "re-circulate" when traveling in slow traffic, dusty areas, or when behind a truck or bus with heavy exhaust emissions.

Air Planes:  What to Watch Out For

There has been a lot of press coverage the past years about the "bad air" inside airplane cabins, a sensation primarily caused by the fact that many airplanes recirculate the air within the cabin at takeoff, rather than drawing in "fresh" air from the outside. Here are some helpful tips to make the most of your breathing room.

Cabin pressure changes, stale air and re-circulating germs all contribute to priming the pump for sinus and ear congestion upon landing.  Use nasal spray and oral decongestants 30 minutes before take-off and landing and drink lots of water during the flight.

Keep emergency medicines in a small carry-on bag at your seat just in case your luggage winds up in a different airport than your destination.

If you have food allergies, prearrange special diet requests with the airline or travel agent or bring your own food. 

Some airlines use deodorizing air sprays that can irritate sensitive airways. And in certain countries, the entire airplane cabin may be sprayed with an insecticide upon landing, to prevent passengers from carrying agriculturally-destructive insects into the host country.

Trains & Land Transport:  What to Watch Out For 

Little more than 1% of U.S. residents use a train, ship or other mode of transportation (source TIA). Easier on the ears and sinuses, train travel might make sense for allergy and asthma sufferers now that smoking is not permitted on all AMTRAK trains in the US. 

However, the second-hand smoke in taxi lines at most metropolitan airports and train stations is still tough to overcome.

On a positive note: electric hookups on trains make it possible to take a breathing treatment using a portable nebulizer if needed.

Travel health tips provided courtesy of Mothers of Asthmatics, in partnership with Best Inns and Suites.  For more information, visit Allergy & Asthma Network Mothers of Asthmatics or pick up a copy of "A Parent's Guide to Asthma" by Nancy Sander (Plume).  Or visit The American Lung Association's website for at home and school tips.