As of June 20, it’s been summer - ah, summer. The season of rising temperatures, a three month (or longer) vacation for students and possibly lazy relaxation, at least for those not working over the summer. Many families also use this time to go on vacation, since the students aren’t in school.
My family loves to travel and I’ve been fortunate to be able to go to places all over the world. However, (and I’ve mentioned before that I have food allergies) sometimes having food allergies can make travelling difficult. For starters, many people love to travel because they get to try a plethora of authentic dishes from different cultures. For those without food allergies, this isn’t a problem - they just see what looks/sounds good and then order it. However, for those with food allergies, we have to exercise more caution when ordering food.
My food allergies tend to limit what I can and can’t have, so I am unable to try the wide variety of ethnic foods that I would like to. While my allergies may not be as problematic as some others, I still have restrictions on the food that I can’t have and some that I don’t want to, in order to avoid the risk of cross contamination with my allergens.
Cross-contamination is harder to avoid in restaurants, as there is only so much preparation, cooking and grilling space that they have to make a whole list of dishes. With that shared space, you can’t guarantee that cooking utensils are clean of cross-contamination, or that something cooked in a pan or grilled on the grill hasn’t come in contact with an allergen. This can be a problem, since when you are on a vacation, you often go out to a lot of restaurants to eat. One time I wasn’t sure what was safe for me to eat, so I had a couple of soft pretzels for dinner. When that happens, I just have to remember that, for me, food while traveling isn’t necessarily for trying the cuisine, but rather just necessary to get energy to do other fun activities. As such, I’ve recognized that while I can’t make food a big part of my traveling experiences, I can still obviously have plenty of fun on vacations.
Most of the vacations I’ve been on have been within the United States, so communicating my allergies isn’t too much of a challenge. Even so, with the times that I’ve travelled internationally, I’ve either travelled to a place that speaks either English or Chinese (the latter of which my parents have fluency in as well and I can kind of speak it) or vacationed at a resort where most people spoke English anyways. The one exception to this was in Costa Rica, where we interacted with a lot of locals who spoke Spanish. However, this wasn’t even a problem because we were vacationing with friends who were fluent in Spanish and they helped with the communication.
Eventually, I will want to go to other places where they don’t speak English and I may not be going with people who can speak the native language. This will make communicating my allergies a little trickier, but it’s not impossible.
One thing that you can do before you even reach your destination is look up common dishes that are served in the country you’re visiting and the ingredients that they may contain. That way, you can get a very preliminary idea of what you might be able to have and even which ingredients are frequently included in many dishes. However, different restaurants may make the same dish slightly differently, so always check with your server before you order -- never just assume that a dish is safe to eat, especially when traveling.
When you go out to eat, it may be difficult to explain that you have a food allergy, particularly if you don’t speak the language. To help ease communication, create a translated food allergy card, which lists your allergies (pictures help too) in the foreign language. But still, even with the allergy card to speak for you, you should still know how to verbally say something along the lines of, “I am allergic to (list your allergies).” That way, if you forget your card or lose it, you still can communicate to the restaurant staff that you have food allergies. I also suggest that, if you can, find someone who speaks the language fluently and have them help you translate what you want to write and say. Google Translate may be quick and convenient, but it isn’t always accurate! Before I went to Costa Rica, although I knew that I’d be going with friends who spoke Spanish fluently, I asked a friend who had taken Spanish for almost 10 years to help me out with my allergy card and the pronunciation of the words.
As another level of caution, if you’re staying in a hotel that has concierge service, use it! You can simultaneously get a recommendation for a good place to eat and request that the concierge make a reservation for you. More likely than not, since they will be able to speak both English and the local language, ask them to tell the restaurant staff that you have a food allergy. That way, when you get to the restaurant and say your name for the reservation, they will know that you have a food allergy, without you even having to say anything. Just in case though, it can’t hurt to show them your food allergy card.
I’ve also packed allergen-free foods in my luggage, whether carry-on or checked, so that I have food to eat on the airplane, as well as when I get to my destination. Usually it’s something that’s a grab-and-go snack like a granola bar or a breakfast bar. These come in handy if I’m having trouble finding food that I can eat. However, they’re also good just as energy boosters or late-night snacks anyways! Just be sure that your food is permitted according to TSA guidelines. You don’t want to have to get rid of your allergy-free food during the security check.
If you’re really worried about finding something to eat, you can also try to find a place to stay at that has a kitchen. This could be an apartment, someone’s house that they’re renting out or even a hotel room that you can cook in. This way, you just have to find a supermarket and can cook for yourself. Of course, that means that you also have to know how to read the ingredient labels for your allergen.
Another thing is to make sure that you always have your Epipen (epinephrine auto-injector) and Benadryl (antihistamine) with you and make sure that someone travelling with you knows how to use it. If you’re flying to your destination, you’ll have to get a note from your allergist saying that you have a food allergy and that it’s crucial that you have your medication with you at all times. This is so that you can get your medicine through security, considering the strict rules regarding liquids.
Furthermore, you want to make sure you know where the closest hospital and/or urgent care center is, in the event that you have an allergic reaction. Even though you may have your medication, if the reaction is severe enough, you may still need to go the hospital. It’s scary enough to have a severe allergic reaction back home, where you know where you are, but add on top of that the fact that you are in an unfamiliar place? Terrifying and very dangerous. Besides, it can’t hurt to be a little over prepared.
I have yet to experience an allergic reaction while on vacation (knock wood!). The only times that I’ve eaten a food with my allergen in it has been while I’m near home or visiting relatives. As such, you can have a great, allergic-reaction-free vacation if you’re sure to watch what you’re eating and take cautionary measures to avoid cross-contamination.
Be careful, carry your medication, and have a great vacation!
