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Today I am doing a happy dance because two of my children come home from nearly two weeks away at camp – over a thousand miles away!
The last time one of my kids was so far away for this long was 3 years ago. I learned a lot about summer camp survival from that experience. I was determined not to repeat the same mistakes this time.
The biggest mistake I made with our summer camp experience in 2010 was that I relied primarily on phone conversations with the camp to determine if the food situation was going to be appropriate for my child. I heard what I wanted to hear and that proved to be disastrous.
This time, I took nothing for granted and made sure that all the bases had been covered upfront.
The verdict is in and I’m so happy to report that the results are good this time – no tearful calls home with complaints about being so tired from the processed carb-heavy camp food that they can’t get out of bed (normally my kids are up and at ’em very early every morning – even on weekends – no morning brain fog on a Traditional Diet!).
Here’s what I did this time. Totally hardcore, I know, but sometimes you have to go that route to get the job done.
Flying on a Major Airline With Raw Milk
Yes, it’s true. I actually successfully dared to fly on a major airline by checking a (very) large cooler jammed full of (gasp) 5 gallons of raw milk and a pound of raw butter.
Horrors! And to think TSA didn’t lock me up! I didn’t even get a strip search!
How did I do it?
It’s not too hard actually. The trick is to be totally cool about it. If you start sweating profusely and acting nervous at the checked bags line, you’ll likely cause the TSA’s laser focus to zero in on you and cause you problems.
There’s nothing wrong with raw milk, is there? No, there isn’t. It’s still a free country. If we want to drink raw milk as free citizens of the United States, we can and there’s no law against flying with it in your personal possession even across state lines.
I did take precautions and remove the raw milk and raw butter labels from the containers. If TSA chose to open the cooler (which they did not), then the items would just be containers of milk and butter to them.
The bag check agents were totally professional and courteous and asked all the appropriate questions. They asked what was in the cooler and why. I told them the (goat) milk was for my children’s special diet at camp. Some of the half gallons were frozen milk and some were fresh.
They didn’t ask if it was raw, so I didn’t offer. If they had asked, I would have been truthful and said yes. Again, flying with raw milk is legal, so even if they had asked, it shouldn’t have been a problem. It might have delayed things, however, and since I was in a time crunch getting to the gate as it was, I am glad they didn’t choose to inquire further.
When they heard it was goat milk, one of the bag agents started raving about how healthy goat milk is and that folks who drink it never get sick.
Exactly the response I was hoping for!
The cooler was checked and away it went.
Practical Tips for Flying with a Cooler
The most important tip for flying with a cooler is to buy a styrofoam one that you don’t have to fly home with. The airlines are charging hefty fees for checked bags these days, so you don’t want to have to pay to fly home with an empty cooler.
Here’s the large styrofoam cooler I used which only cost me $8.00 at a local discount store. Note: some airlines require that styrofoam coolers be inside a cardboard box.
Another advantage of a styrofoam cooler is that it is much lighter than a heavy-duty plastic one. If you go over 50 pounds with a checked bag, the cost goes up astronomically. So, the lighter the cooler, the better. The bonus with a light cooler is that can pack more food into it and still stay under the 50-pound maximum!
Once you pack all your dairy into the cooler, place some lightweight ice packs in there and tape it shut with heavy-duty packing tape. Write your name, address, and phone number on the lid of the cooler with a permanent marker and also write fragile and “this side up” on the lid. Write the word “fragile” on the four sides of the cooler as well.
One more word of advice. You cannot check a cooler at the curbside. You must check it inside with an airline agent who will ask you questions about it, so be sure to allocate extra time in case the line is long at the indoor check-in.
Additional Items Packed
Besides ensuring my kids had plenty of raw milk and butter to tied them over at camp, I also did a few other things to keep them happy for the two weeks they were away from Mom’s home cooking.
Once we arrived at our destination, I rented a car (we had over an hour’s drive to camp from the airport) and we stopped at a supermarket so I could buy some real maple syrup for them to use for pancakes and waffles. This way, they didn’t have to use the GMO high fructose corn syrup laden fake syrup. They were very happy about this as they really hate fake syrup.
I also bought a few cases of Virgil’s cream soda at the supermarket so they could have a soda treat and blend in with the other kids without being tempted by the commercial sodas and drinks with GMO high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) in them. My teenager especially was happy about this as HFCS makes him break out terribly and he made it very clear to me that didn’t want to eat any of it at camp.
For a healthy protein snack, I packed 5 – 1 lb bags of buffalo jerky which they kept with their personal items to snack on whenever they wanted to.
With regard to supplements, I sent capsules of high vitamin cod liver oil, butter oil, soil-based probiotics, and desiccated grass-fed liver capsules.
As far as I know, neither of them suffered any illness at camp, so it seems the strategy for having a few key traditional foods/supplements available along with buffalo jerky for snacking and old fashioned sodas for treats worked well – they stayed happy and healthy while enjoying their summer camp experience.
By far the hardest part was being female flying alone on the leg back home after dropping them off!
What is a good alternate if you can’t get raw milk? I find I feel horrible if I don’t have some.
Last trip I took it with me, car, going to a state that sells it at private dairies, Oregon. Washington had it right in the store.
But what if your flying to Hawaii where it is illegal? Same way then? And then, what would be a good substitute when you don’t have any?
Coconut milk tonic is a good one. There’s a recipe in the article “The Three Best Alternatives to Milk”
Thank you for the response. I’ll check it out.
I have also flown with raw milk and I took it on the plane in my carry-on. It was after 9/11. I made a special request after they inspected the cooler – a fabric one specially designed for airline employees – that it not go through x-ray. There was no problem.
Sarah, did yours get checked as baggage or did it go on with you?
Sending raw goat milk to camp? Haha that’s hardcore!!
I’m surprised styrofoam survived the trip after all the damaged baggage I’ve received from traveling..
It must be so nice to see your kids again. Congratulations for finding a way to give them decent nutrition while they were at camp. It is wonderful to see that they are actually eating the healthy food!. You have some smart youngsters there, and you have done a wonderful job of educating them about food, which is probably the most important thing they will ever learn.
You are one terrific mom!
What I really think is great about this is you’re setting up your kids well for when they eventually leave home. They will have other options, but teaches them how to deal with outside food influences and stay healthy.
Hi Sarah, I have an unrelated question to ask you. I have a vibrant healthy 22 month old who LOVES nursing still. She is eating 6-8 times a day. I would venture to guess that I am still about 75% of her food supply. She loves soup, eggs, avocado, vegetables, and fruit. She is okay with grain but not thrilled with them. She is allergic to dairy (hives on contact). I am a stay at home mom and am with her 99% of the time dad being the other 1% when I am not around. She is on the petite side but that is all. Should I be concerned with how much she still wants to nurse?
That’s really your call on that one. 22 months is almost 2 years old .. it should be based on mother and child’s optimal balance at that point. If you enjoy it, then keep on. If you are finding it a bit much at that age, then you can gently ease it off a bit. Find the balance that works for both of you.
I nursed my youngest until about 30 months. She is a well balanced eater at a healthy weight. When people asked me when I was going to wean her, I always said when she is ready. My first child weaned her self around 8 months and starting walking at 9 months. Every child is different, if you are both comfortable than just continue. Enjoy the special bonding, they grow up fast. (mine are 12 and 17)
One thing though about checking the cooler of raw milk: it may have been x-rayed with all the other checked baggage. The Checked bag Xray is much stronger than the carry-on Xray. The radiation may affect the live culture in the milk, which in turn may affect how the milk sours.
I once went through a great length to carry kefir grains in a bottle of milk (small bottle). I refused to get it X-Ray all the way through. A lot of struggle, the officers kept saying that X-Ray is safe, etc. But, I persisted. I managed to get it through, without any X-Ray. Phew! But, it was hard work!
Sarah, do you have any tips?
Sarah, how many fermented cod liver oil and high vitamin butter oil capsules do you have your kids take a day? I’m always concerned they’re not getting enough. My son really resists the capsules as he says the make him have fish oil burps! We also occasionally do the peppermint flavor oil washed down with a bit of juice but they complain about that too.
The kids normally take the fermented cod liver oil off the spoon at home. Capsules are just good for travel. It’s hard to get enough with capsules though as you have to take so many. I told them to take 2 fermented cod liver oil capsules and 2 butter oil capsules with breakfast and again with dinner while at camp.
Thank you so much for sharing how you help your kids survive camp! My oldest son is two years away from starting to go to church camp and I was sweating it already! Junk food makes him so sick. You have some great ideas that I will be tucking away. THANK YOU!!
Did you have to send the food through the x-ray machines? I’ve heard w/ a doctors not you can get away with not having it x-rayed. I’m not sure, but my raw cheese and honey tasted differently to me after having it x-rayed at the airport.
Sarah, I’d be interested to know as well about how to avoid X-Ray Machines on the food we take. You go through great length (& cost) to buy organic food/nuts,etc (which has not been irradiated), then, having to put it through X-Ray machine (radiation). Defeats the whole point, isn’t it?
It’s not optimal for sure, but it doesn’t “kill” it anymore than it kills us if we get x-rayed. It’s still very much raw milk.