Hello all,
There is a person in the family
with a bad case of hay fever. We're
here in the Atlanta burbs.

I was wondering which travel
destinations are not likely to make
someone's hay fever get worse.

We plan on travelling early summer
for 3-4 days.

I need some advice on the Rock City/
Lookout Mountain area in TN/GA boundary.

Also, are the Smokies out?

Finally, what about places in
Colorado?

Thanks for any advice!

This answer is as an RN, not as a traveler (although I am both). "Hay fever" is a general term used to describe environmental, usually inhaled allergies - such as trees, pollen, dust, etc. Most people find their hay fever is seasonal and specific to certain types of plants and this may be specific to a region or time of year. For example, I live near Boston and am currently suffering from maple tree allergies. If I had come down to Georgia a month or so ago, they would have hit me then. By June I am fine here. But for those with ragweed allergies, August is awful in New England. So unless this person really knows to what they are allergic, this is an almost impossible question to answer. Their allergist, if they see one, might have some thoughts. Also, if all else fails, get a prescription for Allegra or Claritin and have a good trip.

As someone allergic to most trees and grasses (and most over-the-counter antihistimines), I understand your plight completely. I personally would LOVE to move to the beach for the months of April and May! For me, the beach is my best vacation destination considering my allergies.

In Colorado, you may find that your hay fever is less severe above about 8000 feet. This is just personal observation by an allergic person, nothing scientific. Ragweed seems to grow everywhere, but maybe higher elevations are free of it. I live at 7400 feet, and we have plenty of ragweed up here. I breathe better above 8000 feet.

I have been told by an allergist that Durango is particularly bad because we have so many tree varieties here. He says that places with a lot of imported trees will be worse throughout the year than places with mostly native plants.

There is nothing better for allergies than sea air! It clears you right up.

I've also heard of alot of people moving "out west" (usually Arizona) because their allergies are so bad...I think the key is to find a place with very little foliage...or at least the type of foliage your relative is allergic to.

The problem with moving to Arizona is that the people moving there to get away from their allergies missed their old plants and brought them there so now allergies are actually worse in Arizona due to that and to the weather conditions.

I agree that the beach is the only place I never have allergies. I've had "hay fever" all my life, from Michigan to North Carolina to DC (it's really bad here, although I love DC), and on vacation in Texas, Arizona, California, Maine, Canada, and even in Europe. I agree that it all depends on what you're allergic to though.