argh. international travel. help

[kaybee]

Hey--I'd be grateful if anyone could offer any suggestions...

Im going to Ireland for the summer and was intending to take a couple bags of raw almonds with me, preferably ones that I had soaked and dehydrated already since i wont have access to a dehydrator for the summer, and maybe a jar of homemade almond butter. Nuts are outrageously expensive there, and almonds are pretty important in my diet. However, I was just reading another post by someone traveling and it said that things have to be commercially sealed in order to pass customs....but I get my nuts from a local coop, where they are in bulk, so theyre just in bags with twist ties.... the only other sources around here are trader joes, which i believe have been deemed NOT RAW, and whole foods, which I am not sure about the rawness... besides, the co-op is so much cheaper...

1. i guess i have to forget about taking soaked dehydrated nuts, huh?

2. i guess i cant take the ones from the co-op either, huh? if not, any suggestions? are whole foods almonds raw?

Thanks

-kb

[PhoeniX]

If you are concerned, I would just keep them in my carry-on luggage. I have never been searched for food while going on a plane. The only time that I have ever had any problem carrying food across the border was entering the USA from Canada. They wouldn't let us bring in oranges, which was hilarious since they were stamped 'Florida oranges'! I really wouldn't expect you to have any problem bringing some nuts into Ireland.

J

[sport]

I have never had my luggage searched coming in to the country. Where are you going to be staying. I think that you said that you will be here for the summer. I have a spare dehydrator if you want the use of it for the summer. Unless you are staying somewhere out of the way I am pretty sure that I will be able to get it to you. It is a small country.
Are you going to be in a situation where you can prepare your own food

I can not tell you if the nuts are expensive here because I just have to buy them regardless but I am not sure that they are raw. The only nuts that I use at the moment are ones that I have bought on line from raw sites.

Get in touch and let me know what your plans are.

[Mookie]

Maybe you could ship them ahead.

[fallenangel]

hi K
where abouts are you going to in Ireland?? I live there and as SPORT said it is a small country!! maybe you would be near one of us?? Maybe I could help!

[shelah]

kaybee,
first of all -- lucky you! -- a trip to ireland sounds wonderful!
i get most of my nuts and seeds from http://sunorganic.com/
and they are in sealed bags.
then, once you're there, sport and fallenangel can help you out -- you'll be set!
many blessings to all!
shelah

[Abigail]

I have never had my carry-on bag searched myself, but it is generally understood that unpackaged foods (half-eaten, homemade, stuff stored in tupperware, etc.) are not allowed through customs. They're considered potentially hazardous agricultural products. Several international airports like Schiphol in Amsterdam (which is one of the major hubs) use cute little Beagle sniffers to look for those things. They search randomly. That means, yes, some people have gotten away with this, but if caught, you can be fined or asked to throw out everything.

Your best bet will be packaged raw nuts, packaged dried fruits, raw (or semi-raw) bars. Keep them unopened until you have gone through customs in your destination country. If you want something to eat on the plane instead of the awful airline foods, you can bring your homemade stuff. Be sure to finish them off or throw away the rest before you go through customs in Ireland.

I'm leaving for Europe in a couple of days myself, and being a seasoned traveler, I know how hard it is to stay 100% raw while on the road. If you have to stay with people, it's often impolite to refuse the food they prepare for you. I usually try to do my best to avoid cooked foods. But in circumstances where you absolutely cannot avoid cooked foods, I try to eat vegan.

Good luck and have a great trip.

[Guppy]

I was in Israel for 8 days last month and I really wanted to stay raw. Here was my strategy:
1. I brought several tupperware containers full of cut-up fruit on the plane. I made sure to finish it or throw it away before we landed. Now I had empty tupperware containers for the rest of the trip. I refused all the airplane food offered, which caused quite a scandal among the flight attendents, lol!
2. In my CHECKED LUGGAGE I packed a knife, a cutting board, pre-packaged flax crackers, nuts, dried fruit and bars.
3. I made sure the apartment we were renting had a small fridge and kitchen area.
4. I went to the market after landing and bought tons of produce.
5. My dh got up every morning and while I was running, he cut up fruit and made salads for me and put them in the tupperware containers. (I know, lucky me with the spouse there!)
6. We did loads of visiting to people in their homes. I tried to eat my foods in the car before we got there. That way I could say "no thank-you, I already ate" and it would be true!
7. Sometimes I was in the situation where I had to pull out my own salad and eat that i/o the meal provided. This did hurt my MIL's feelings and that was really too bad. But she was the only one who was offended. Most people were perfectly happy with the explanation "I'm on a diet" with a roll of my eyes. People understand that sentiment! I never told anyone about being a raw vegan.
8. There were a few times when people had us for a meal and remembering that I am a vegetarian, cooked me something special. I really did not see a way around that, so like the previous poster, I gratefully ate what they offered and tried not to worry about it.

Traveling is often about accepting new cultures and lifestyles, trying new things, and being a little more flexible than you might be in your day-to-day life. I'm sure you will be able to find a balance.

Have a great trip!
emily

[sport]

Several international airports like Schiphol in Amsterdam (which is one of the major hubs) use cute little Beagle sniffers to look for those things. They search randomly.
They have these in some U.S. Airports as well because one singled out my bag once. The lady handler asked me if I had any fresh fruit in the bag and I told her that I did not but that the dog should be rewarded anyway because I had brought lots of it but had eaten it on the plane. I showed her the empty containers which had lots of residue that the dog had picked up on.

[kaybee]

hey--thanks for all the suggestions; these things should help.

SPORT and FALLEN ANGEL-- if you can advise me further, that would be GREAT. I'm going to be in DINGLE, KERRY for the summer. I spent last summer there as well, but wasnt raw and was living with a family and it was hard to stay vegetarian, let alone vegan. I sort of know what steps I need to take to have some of what I need--I know I need to find somewhere to have a garden, as large amounts of fresh produce in sufficient variety were hard to get and expensive compared to here, and organic was tough to get as well, compared to here. But I dont know where Im going to find to have a garden... I have some contacts in Dingle, but dont know where I'll be living,etc. Sport-- I found your email on this site, but Fallen Angel is there a way I can contact you besides the direct posts here? might make more sense to send private emails for specific details on availability of stuff in the country, sources, etc. Thanks a lot

-kaybee

[sport]

Send me an email.
I am sure that we can take care of you OK. It would be a bad example of Irish hospitality if we did not.