How To Travel With Multiple Food Allergies

Don’t let multiple food allergies stop you from exploring the world! Travel safely and confidently with these smart travel tips.

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Are you someone who wants to travel with your multiple food allergies, but you’re not sure it’s safe or realistic?

If just the thought of traveling with your food allergies is overwhelming, I totally get it!

Going to new places means being out of the safety net that you can often rely on to keep yourself safe and healthy.

When I was first learning to manage my food allergies, I took trips without really considering the full picture of what I was getting myself into. I didn’t plan well, and as a result I was often sick, miserable, and counting down the days to come home.

I remember considering that traveling might just not be something I could do in my life. As someone who has always loved to explore and experience new things, it was a really dismaying thought! Thankfully, I soon realized that only staying in my Midwestern bubble did not have to be my fate.

Through my own trial and error, I have learned ways that I can ensure a more positive experience while traveling. Using these tools has continued to benefit not only myself, but also my travel companions.

1. Prepare Thoroughly When Traveling With Multiple Food Allergies

Preparation is everything when it comes to traveling with multiple food allergies. For me, that means doing all of the following items before stepping one food on an airplane:

• Create a travel first aid kit – It is very important to check on all allergy medications and epinephrine autoinjectors to make sure they are not expired. You’ll also want to check there are enough of them in case of emergency!
• Make the allergies known – That includes informing the airline, hotels, and any tours I am taking where food will be provided of my food allergies. Sometimes that means they will be able to accommodate them, sometimes they cannot. Either way I can be mentally and physically prepared.
• Create a food plan – This process is very detailed and breaks down what I will do each day. It allows me to vet each potential restaurant option to see if they really could accommodate my food allergies.
• Pack allergy-friendly meal replacements and snacks – So important in a pinch! I always carry my favorite allergy-friendly snacks to get me through the day. They are absolute lifesavers in case something happens and I am unable to find a place to eat.
• Check the local emergency numbers – In case something goes wrong, you want to know to get help quickly. My favorite way to manage emergency numbers is through this app that can call for you and give your location, even when you aren’t familiar with the area.

2. Communicate Effectively When Traveling With Multiple Food Allergies

When someone else is in charge of the food you eat, communicating your needs effectively is of utmost importance. This gets especially tricky when you’re unfamiliar with the food and/or don’t speak the language!

“How To Effectively Communicate Your Food Allergies When Traveling” is specifically about this topic. It really dives into the best ways I have found to handle communication about my multiple food allergies.

Another difficult situation for those of us with multiple food allergies is sending back food. “How To Tactfully Send Food Back At A Restaurant“ discusses the way I have learned to tackle this tricky situation. They work no matter where in the world you’re being served. I believe communicating calmly and clearly will always help get the best outcome.

Practicing these skills really does make all the difference when traveling!

3. Be Flexible When Traveling With Multiple Food Allergies

After all the planning that goes into a trip, it’s normal to have expectations for how things should go. Unfortunately, life in general in unpredictable and having multiple food allergies only adds to that unpredictability.

I’ll admit I get frustrated when things have not gone my way. In those moments I try to focus on practicing positive thinking and problem solving. This means working on finding solutions in the moment and not getting stuck in a negative thought cycle.

Thankfully the preparation on the front end can help aid this process. Packing allergy-friendly snacks can mean I am never without a meal when I am hungry. Even if the restaurant I wanted to eat at is closed. Having my first aid kit handy can help if I do get something that makes me sick. That includes reacting to some new environmental allergy I haven’t encountered before.

Of course, having an allergic reaction is always a real possibility, and if that does happen, make sure to take the time to get help and feel better. Don’t try to push hard to keep on schedule with the trip. I try to remember to always prioritize my health over something I have planned for the day. You can always reschedule an activity!

Conclusion

I hope you can see that with thorough preparation, practice at effective communication, and increased flexibility, traveling with multiple food allergies is possible!

Now, I want to hear from you! Have multiple food allergies been holding you back from traveling to your dream destinations? What would help make traveling a more enjoyable experience for you?

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