Serious Food Allergies

HELPFUL TIPS

Picnic bench with group of people eating nearby a farming garden

Serious Food Allergies

HELPFUL TIPS

Backroads guests dinning al fresco in a garden

At Backroads we want to work together with you to support your health and safety on your trip. What follows are some helpful tips if you have serious food allergies.*

Generally Speaking

Please be as cautious as you would otherwise be when traveling alone. No one knows you or your health matters better than you.

Straight Talk

  • Backroads works with hundreds of outside vendors. We cannot guarantee an allergen-free experience.
  • Restaurants: Restaurants on Backroads trips are not allergen-free facilities. We cannot guarantee compliance with your requests by restaurant employees.
  • Van Snacks: Backroads does not control personal snacks that guests bring or purchase on trip (e.g. if a guest buys a Snickers at a market).
  • Equipment: Allergens may be present in bike trunk bags, in storage bags used to transport equipment including helmets, walking sticks and map cases.
  • EpiPens: Backroads leaders are certified in First Aid and CPR. This training does not include EpiPen administration. As with any medication, we ask that you come prepared. EpiPens are not stocked in Backroads First Aid kits.

What We Ask from You

Before your trip, share all allergy details and cross-contamination concerns in your Personal Information Form or speak with a Backroads Trip Consultant.

  • If your restrictions are extensive, please also share with us what you are able to eat. We’ll do our best to accommodate, although that may be difficult in some locales.
  • Bring your favorite snack bars from home for quick energy on the road.
  • On Day 1 of your Backroads trip, talk with your leaders and discuss strategies and dietary needs.
  • Also on Day 1, let your leaders know if you’d like them to alert fellow guests of your severe allergies.
  • At restaurants, confirm the suitability meal choice directly with your server.

What Backroads Trip Leaders Will Do To Support You

  • We alert every restaurant to dietary restrictions during pre-trip confirmations, and then again at the time of dining.
  • We will strive to offer suitable snack bars. However, options may be limited in certain regions and may contain common allergen-trace elements.
  • We will have fresh fruit and allergen-free bulk treats available daily.
  • To avoid cross-contamination, we will try to offer a separate snack table where feasible.

For Guests on Backroads Family Trips

For Kid Meals, where kids and adults eat at separate locations, we ask that one parent join the Kid Meal, or one sibling (trained to administer an EpiPen) be present with the child. Alternatively, your family can opt out of Kid Meals and leaders will arrange for your family to eat together.

For Kid Activities, parent attendance is not required if your child brings his or her own appropriate snacks for the planned activity. Parent participation is encouraged if there is any concern about possible allergen exposure.