How to travel safely when you have a food allergy

By Kimberly Gillan|

There's no need to stay home just because you have a food allergy.

With a bit of advance preparation and some careful packing, anyone can dive into other cultures.

1. Take the focus off food

For many people, the joy of travelling is in sampling different cuisines. But if you have a food allergy, it might be wise to shift your attention to the natural wonders, history and architecture of your destination.

"It's best to focus on the other wonderful bits of travelling," suggests Maria Said, CEO of Allergy & Anaphylaxis Australia.

If this is your first time abroad, you might like to consider countries that don't heavily rely on foods containing your particular allergen.

For example, nuts feature heavily in a lot of Asian cuisine, so if you have a nut allergy, you may like to head elsewhere first. Similarly, Italy might not be the most ideal destination if you're a coeliac foodie.

"You can travel anywhere but you need to consider where you are going and put safety practices in place," Said says.

"Consider whether the allergen is common in their cuisine, the language barriers that might exist and steps you can take to deal with that."

2. Pack wisely

A lot of other countries don't have the allergy awareness that Australia has, and locals may not understand how risky food allergies can be.

For that reason, Said says it's a good idea to pack plenty of non-perishable packaged foods that you know you can safely eat.

"There are so many places to fall down when you look at language, not being familiar with their food preparation, and not knowing how careful they are with cross contamination," Said says.

"We always recommend taking four EpiPens. That way if you use one or two of them, you will not be in a panic. Some countries don't have them so people need to be aware of that, and make sure you pack any other important medication too."

3. BYO plane food

Most people complain about aeroplane food, but that shouldn't be of concern if you have an allergy — Said says it's wise to take your own because it's difficult to know if the food has been prepared safely.

"You don't want to have anaphylaxis at 35,000ft in the air," she points out.

In terms of food safety, perishable foods that come from the fridge – like meats, dairy and cooked rice – need to be consumed within four hours of being taken out of the fridge, so you might like to eat those first or look for an ice pack you can take. Be aware that some airports will confiscate that at customs, so take a letter from your doctor saying you need ice bricks to keep  your food cold.

Dried fruit, crackers, pikelets, muffins, muesli bars, cereal or two-minute noodle cups are wise choices for a long-haul flight, provided they don't contain your allergen.

"When you board the plane, wipe down the tray table, seat belt and so forth and make sure your EpiPen is in your carry-on luggage and in a bag at your feet or in the pouch in front of you, in case you need to use it when seatbelts signs are on," Said says.

Everyone you are travelling with ought to know how to administer your EpiPen.

"They need to know where your EpiPens are, be familiar with the ASCIA Action Plan for Anaphylaxis packed with the EpiPens, be familiar with signs and symptoms of a reaction and know when to give the EpiPen, and follow instructions to a tee," Said says.

4. Do your research

On top of trawling TripAdvisor for sightseeing recommendations for a trip, people with allergies also need to know where the hospital is in every place they visit.

"Find out where the nearest hospital is, what the emergency number is in the country and consider if you are going to be able to communicate if you are having an anaphylaxis," Said says.

When choosing accommodation, Said suggests finding a room or apartment that has a kitchenette so you can prepare your own food. It's also a good idea to pack cue cards that clearly explain in the local language that you have a dangerous food allergy that could kill you if consumed.

"It's not just the language barrier – sometimes there is a lack of understanding about food allergies, particularly in countries where food allergies aren't as common as Australia," Said says.

5. Consider restaurants carefully

Even if your friends or online forums have recommended a particular restaurant as "allergy friendly", unfortunately Said says you shouldn’t presume it will be safe.

"There are allergy-aware restaurants that manage food preparation appropriately — but if they have a casual cook that has never worked there on a particular day, are they going to follow the same safe food preparation procedures?" she asks.

"And if you are in a restaurant that discloses food allergens, still make sure you tell the waiter about your allergy. It can be embarrassing and feel like you are drawing attention to yourself but it's for your own safety [and it's probably] much more embarrassing to have an anaphylaxis!"

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