Travelling with Food Allergies

When you live with food allergies, you’ll be only too familiar with heaving to tread carefully when it comes to trying new foods or eating in unusual places.

There is no one who understands your condition better than you do, nor who will experience it like you do.

In controlled environments, you have the ability to identify, avoid and even take action should an allergen be present in your food, but when you’re travelling things can be a little bit more complicated. If you are about to embark on a journey and you have a significant allergy, make certain you are well informed before you leave about what you will encounter.

Will language be a barrier?

Armed with sound knowledge, you can enjoy tasting some of the world’s finest cuisines without making yourself sick.  Here are our top tips:

– Learn how to communicate that you are allergic to certain foods by learning the local terms for your allergen.

– Write the phrases down and carry them with you so that you never forget.

– Research local cuisine and the likely ingredients so you will know what to avoid.

– Ask your doctor or specialist for their advice on what will keep you safe.

– Use technology to your advantage. There are plenty of smartphone apps that can help you to translate menus.

– Download a traveller’s dictionary to your device such as Google Translate, iTranslate and Universal Translator.

– For more information on how to get the most out of your smartphone have a read of our Great Travel Apps series, covering the UK, China and the USA.

Take all the precautions you do at home, and then some, when you are in an unfamiliar place. If your allergy extends to contact with surfaces, keep sterile wipes with you to ensure your eating surface is decontaminated. If in doubt, you are much safer taking care of hygiene yourself.

Food Intolerances
If your symptoms are less extreme, you may suffer from food intolerance instead of an allergy. For travellers wanting to avoid specific ingredients or food groups the Food Intolerances app is a great way of tackling unfamiliar cuisine and includes some 700 items. It is a good idea to pack extra antacids or products that offer relief from symptoms of intolerance in case they are hard to find at your destination. They are best packed in your checked baggage.

Airline Food
Aircraft carriers rely on a vast network of suppliers to prepare, cook and ship their on-board meals, which means that consistent testing for allergens in food is simply impossible. If you suffer from an acute condition it is advisable that you prepare your own meal at home. Due to the potential of cross-contamination, you won’t be able to refrigerate or heat your meal using the aircraft kitchen, but it is the only way to be 100% sure of the contents of your meal.

All airlines are required to list the ingredients of their meals, which can be accessed on-board by asking a flight attendant. Most carriers will also have this information listed online. In the event that your allergy is to gluten or wheat products, there is often a gluten-free meal option available, which you must select when booking. Same goes for lactose-free options. The important thing to do is give your airline plenty of notice to ensure they can accommodate your request.

Talk to your travel insurance advisor, as well as your doctor. Both can offer sound advice about travelling with allergies, and there can be provision for allergies included in policies.