Traveling with a Food Allergy

Traveling with a food allergy requires extra care for those tormented by certain dietary dangers. On the surface, food allergies are a minor inconvenience. To those of us who can be vanquished by something as small as a pistachio, food allergies dictate significant portions of our lives.

Having a serious food allergy is a malady that afflicted individuals must constantly consider in their daily lives. I can personally attest to this. Food allergies suck. Traveling with food allergies requires extra care, but it doesn’t have to be a deterrent to seeing (and tasting) the world.

There is no cure for food allergies, and thousands of people die each year from allergic reactions to food (about 200 in the USA alone). Traveling with food allergies changes things.

How a Food Allergy Can Change Travel

Food allergies are annoying. Traveling makes having food allergies even more aggravating. Whether that food allergy is to peanuts, gluten, fish or shellfish, eggs, dairy, soy or something else, ignoring it is not an option when traveling.

For me, traveling to countries/regions where tree nuts are prevalent in the cuisine is a headache. Well, to be clear, eating in these countries is a headache. And a possible death sentence.

Missing Out

Eating and enjoying local food is one of the best experiences of traveling abroad. For those with food allergies, sometimes this equates to missing out on that portion of local culture.

Personally, my allergy to tree nuts, described by my doctor as “deathly” in some cases, frustrates the hell out of me. First and foremost, the Hangry Backpacker is a food-focused travel blog. My love of eating cheap, local mystery food is not always wise with the risk of severe reaction.

Make no mistake. There are always tree nut-free options. No one needs to worry about my going hungry. When in doubt, there’s always shawarma and pizza. Plus, beer brewed with tree nuts is exceedingly rare. So, I manage just fine with a pint and pie.

However, that is not to say there is always an adequate nut-free alternative when traveling with food allergies. Often, there is not. You simply miss out on a local specialty.

I cannot eat Baklava in Greece (or other Eastern Mediterranean/Middle Eastern countries). There will be no macadamia nuts for me in Hawaii. In New Orleans, no pralines. Those heavenly-smelling roasted nuts in Christmas markets – nope, I’m running the other way. Pecan pie, pesto, biscotti – nope.

I can attest to the annoyances of traveling with a food allergy. When my stomach leads the way, disappointment occasionally lies ahead.

Don’t feel bad for me, though. I’ll happily raise a pint to your turkish delight! I’m used to it. I’ve conditioned myself to be cautious in spite of my curious taste buds, and there’s less to mourn when you don’t really know what you’re missing.

That’s how I choose to handle missing out on certain foods when I travel. Finding a suitable alternative (if possible) and accepting the situation is the only way. “Risking it” is not a viable course of action, so the best solution is to accept it and focus elsewhere.

Eating at Restaurants

Eating at restaurants brings a greater risk for those with food allergies. It’s difficult enough trying to determine the ingredients of most food in a foreign country, but that challenge is amplified in restaurants.

Restaurants are not required to list every ingredient in the same way as pre-packaged foods. Restaurant kitchens are also a prime spot for cross contamination, meaning that the nature of work in a restaurant kitchen is simply not as reliable to keep surfaces constantly cleaned and potentially deadly ingredients separated from other foodstuffs.

Finally, restaurant standards vary greatly around the world. Not only does food safety vary by region and country, so do the rules and laws requiring restaurants to list all ingredients, warn at-risk customers or employ methods to avoid cross contamination.

Travelers with food allergies should absolutely NOT skip out on restaurants abroad. They should, however, exercise caution when there is any uncertainty or questions around potentially harmful ingredients in their food.

Language Barriers

Language barriers are the most challenging part of traveling with a food allergy. When I’m in an English-speaking destination, there’s no issue. It’s easy to determine whether or not a dish is safe to consume. When English is not the predominant language, it gets tricky.

When I was in Spain for a few weeks, I was never able to determine the actual Spanish word(s) for “tree nuts.” It sounds absurd, but I had a hell of a time trying to find that (seemingly) simple translation.

I was told one translation for tree nuts by a friend, a Spaniard. When I repeated that later in a shop, the attendant looked at me completely befuddled. So, I went to Google for an answer. Again, the expressions I received were pure, sincere, absolute confusion. No one had any idea what I was asking.

In instances like this, language barriers are frustrating and even a health hazard. My solution, if unable to ascertain a confident answer, is to play it safe. When I travel with my girlfriend, she’s my own personal cupbearer. But with food.

Even a personal food tester is not foolproof, and I usually travel alone without that benefit. The wise course of action for traveling solo with a food allergy is to be cautious, do your own research and be prepared.

Do NOT let a language barrier scare you and your food allergies away from traveling. There are resources worth your investment, so you can travel with peace of mind and enjoy the local food, too.

Tips for Traveling with Food Allergies

My tendency to eat like a starving barbarian comes with risks. Through the haze of shoveling who-knows-what down my gullet, I manage to take precautions.

At this point, I think it is largely something I do subconsciously. Thus far, after eating strange foods on a whim across dozens of countries and five continents, I haven’t had a single allergic reaction abroad. Though rare, it tends to happen at home when I’ve let down my guard.

To ensure safety – by the way, that also results in saving time and cheaper travel in the long run – I follow a few simple rules and tips:

Cuisine Research

Before I go anywhere new – particularly, when I travel where English is not the local language – I research the local cuisine. My motivation for research is to eat good, cheap and local food, but the benefits of cuisine research go beyond what’s for lunch and dinner.

Knowing a little about food before reaching a travel destination makes it easier to delve into local eats and start my search for those elusive delicacies. It also helps in understanding a little more about local culture.

The most important part of travel cuisine research has to do with food allergies. It’s not so fun as figuring out what I want/hope to eat, but it’s necessary. Learning what ingredients are popular in local food is the first step in safely traveling with a food allergy.

Cuisine research is as simple as a quick web search to determine what ingredients are prevalent in any local/regional cuisine. From there, you can look further into specific dishes to determine what ingredients may or may not be a risk to you.

Excessive research prior to a trip is good and bad. For many travelers, it’s also not fun. On one hand, too much research can diminish the excitement and the feeling that you’re discovering a new land. On the other hand, it’s good to be prepared to avoid wasting time figuring out minor details on the ground. Additionally, for those traveling with a food allergy, prior research is not a matter of fun or discovery. It’s a matter of safety and necessity.

The Local Language

The best way to ensure you travel safely with a food allergy is to attain fluency in the local language of your destination. If you are able to seamlessly communicate with your cook or server, it will be easy to avoid ingesting harmful ingredients.

Unfortunately, the reality is that most of us are not polyglot savants. Personally, I am attempting to learn other languages, but that is typically a long, slow process. Thankfully, there are other ways to navigate the language barrier of food allergies.

If languages aren’t your thing or you want to be more comfortable, invest in your health and well being. You can never be too certain about the ingredients in your food, especially when you have a serious allergy.

Food allergy cards designed specifically for travel are the answer. These cards have pictures of the food or ingredients in question, along with words in the local language of that food and your allergy.

For example, let’s say you have a gluten allergy and are in Japan. You can purchase a card with pictures of gluten/gluten-containing food and the words describing your condition in Japanese. The same can be applied to a variety of allergies, such as dairy, fish, shellfish, peanuts, soy, tree nuts and so on.

These cards are available in dozens of languages from Arabic and Mandarin to French, Spanish and even Zulu. Travel food allergy cards are an affordable, one-time cost that could save you a lot more money by preventing a reaction.

Obviously, this simple, small, pocket-sized card can save a lot more than money. When you’re traveling abroad, there is no price too high for your safety and peace of mind. Whether you’re traveling to Hong Kong, Paris or Rio, this is the easiest preventative measure for those of us traveling with a food allergy.

I’ve had numerous instances traveling where I chose not to eat something based on what I assumed might be among the ingredients. Safety first, of course, but why not make sure. I would hate to find out later that I missed out on a spectacular local delicacy that was actually nut-free.

Naturally, I would also hate to find out the wrong way that an inadequate attempt at navigating the language barrier resulted in an emergency room visit, a costly trip to the hospital trip that could have easily been avoided with travel food cards.

Consult a Physician

This is potentially the most important part of traveling with a food allergy. Prior to setting off to faraway lands, talk to your doctor.

It is important for people with a food allergy to consult with a doctor, take the proper measures to determine precisely what they are allergic to and also understand the seriousness of that allergy. For instance, on a personal note, while I am allergic to tree nuts, allergy testing showed that I am more allergic to pecans (and others) than almonds.

After determining your precise allergies, get a fresh prescription for your epipen or other necessary aid. Most medication has a shelf life, so you’ll want to be sure you’re traveling with a new prescription.

This is especially true in foreign countries. Local laws, availability of medication and language barriers can make procuring the right medication tedious, if not altogether impossible.

Consider costs as well. Even if you are able to find the correct medication abroad, it may be prohibitively expensive. Without good insurance or deep pockets, you really don’t want to foot the bill for an epipen in the United States.

Assess Your Risk

Be honest with yourself. How serious is the allergy?

For example, if you have a peanut allergy, maybe think twice before flying to Thailand in hopes of exploring the country through food. People with a rice allergy – yes, though less common, this is a real thing – might want to reconsider a culinary adventure in rice-heavy Asia – from bread to liquor, rice is in pretty much everything in East Asia. Someone with a deadly fish allergy might want to reconsider traveling to a place with seafood-dominant cuisine.

I don’t want to discourage anyone from traveling to somewhere new, and there are almost always safe alternatives for food allergies. Rather, if you’re traveling with a food allergy, and that allergy truly has deadly effects, consider the dominant cuisine in a destination before visiting.

If you feel you can safely navigate the cuisine, by all means, pack that epipen and go! I certainly never let it stop me. However, if you’re doubtful or uncertain about comfortably monitoring your diet, perhaps it may be best to consider another destination.

To be clear, the perfect destination for traveling with a food allergy does not currently, nor will it ever, exist. Every cuisine, every destination, will have an unexpected dietary roadblock.

Assess your comfort. Assess the seriousness of your allergy. After thoroughly covering the bases and talking to professionals, decide the best course of travel for you.

Note Medical Facilities

For travelers who want a little peace of mind, take the time to note where medical facilities in your destination are located. Just in case of a worst case scenario – this logic can also apply to all travelers – bookmark medical clinics, hospitals and pharmacies in the area.

Hopefully it does not come to the point where seeking medical attention is necessary. However, should an emergency arise, not having to waste precious time doing research figuring out where to go can be a literal lifesaver.

There is one problem that often arises when seeking medical attention in foreign countries: the language barrier. Trying to explain symptoms and causes to someone when you don’t share a common tongue, especially when you may be frantic or feeling unwell, can be maddening.

Seriously, purchase and pack food allergy safety cards. Translation apps are unreliable, and language barriers don’t expire. This is equally as important as travel insurance.

Travel Insurance

Speaking of travel insurance, it is always important to purchase travel insurance before an international trip. Some health insurances may include coverage abroad, but that is likely limited. Especially with the the uncertainties in travel and around the world, travel insurance is a must.

Travel-specific insurance will provide peace of mind. If someone traveling with a food allergy has a severe reaction, it will be nice to be reimbursed for medical costs. I travel with World Nomads coverage for their clear, straightforward language and top-notch customer service. An added bonus is World Nomads covers a lot more than a potential medical emergency.

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Traveling with a food allergy is a pain. It’s annoying, frustrating and occasionally puts a damper on the exciting and tasty parts of travel.

While food allergies can change the way we travel, they don’t have to limit or prohibit travel. We can take measures and prepare accordingly to ensure safety and peace of mind when exploring the world.

Travel insurance, proper packing and thorough research will help you minimize the risk of, and prepare for, a possible reaction. Above all, travel allergy food cards are a simple, tangible way to ease the burden of a food allergy on travel each day. There’s no reason to let a few bad fish or nuts get in the way of enjoying your travels to the fullest extent possible.