(BPT) - Traffic delays, long wait times and hungry little tummies – for all the rewards of spending time with your children, traveling with kids can be a challenge. But when the child has food allergies, those challenges can start to look like insurmountable - and even life-threatening - obstacles.

“It is possible to travel safely and happily with your food-allergic child,” says Lynda Mitchell, president of the Kids With Food Allergies Foundation. “Families don’t have to give up on travel because of the challenges. Extra planning and some hard work can help ensure a family trip is safe and fun for everyone.”

More than 12 million Americans, including 6 million children, have food allergies, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. Many of those children have allergies to foods and ingredients commonly thought of as “go-to” foods for trips and vacations, including milk, soy, eggs, wheat, peanuts, tree nuts, fish and shellfish. These allergies mean convenience foods, fast foods, restaurant and airline meals are often unsafe for food-allergic kids.