6 Ways Severe Allergies Affect Travel

In today’s guest post, Erin discusses ways in which having a severe allergy affects travel and includes some great tips for people with allergies who are planning a future trip.

Erin writes the travel blog Pina Travels, where she shares destination guides, tips, and guides on how to travel responsibly. She’s also the host of Alpaca My Bags, a responsible travel podcast.

When I was a toddler, I had my first “allergy scare.” My mom didn’t know yet that I was severely allergic to peanuts. She had fed me a snack with a tiny trace of peanut butter, and within moments, I was suffocating. This was my first anaphylactic attack. As I grew up, my allergies were carefully monitored. I was eventually diagnosed as being allergic to other things, too. Kiwi and cashews, for example.

My severe allergies have had a huge impact on my life, and their effect of them becomes more apparent when I travel. At home, I’m familiar with foods, brands and restaurants, and I have a food routine that I know is safe. When I’m abroad, I can’t rely on that routine. 

For example, while travelling around South East Asia, visiting remote regions was challenging. Before heading to Koh Rong Sanloem, an island off the coast of Cambodia, I had to purchase a week’s worth of instant noodles and other packaged goods that I knew would be safe to eat – just in case I couldn’t access safe meals on the island.

Wherever I go, I have to make note of the nearest hospital and ensure that I have insurance that will cover costs in case I need medical attention.

Despite these challenges, my allergies haven’t kept me from travelling! Over the last decade, I’ve travelled to over 30 countries across 5 continents. Along the way, I’ve learned how to safely manage my allergies no matter where I am in the world. Read on to learn 6 ways that allergies affect travel and how to cope with them.

1. Allergies can create travel anxiety

There is a lot of misunderstanding about allergies. Since allergic reactions can vary so much in severity, people often assume they aren’t life-threatening. I understand why! For many people, allergies are simply an inconvenience.

But for those of us who have anaphylactic reactions to allergens, allergies are very dangerous—living with them does more than just complicate eating. It can also impact mental health. When travelling, I feel anxious about finding meals I know are safe to eat.

There’s anxiety about knowing where the nearest hospital is and about whether I’ll be able to communicate with local people if I need help. The best way I’ve found to cope with this anxiety is through preparation, which starts with research.

2. Allergic travel requires research 

Before travelling somewhere new, research! I usually start by researching the local cuisine of the country or culture I’m visiting. This gives me a sense of what ingredients are predominantly used.

For example, before visiting Myanmar, I discovered that peanut oil is commonly used in Burmese cooking. By knowing this in advance, I could plan for the challenges I would face in Myanmar when it came to finding safe meals.

Doing research in advance is a great way to familiarize yourself with the degree of danger that eating in a specific region of the world might present. It can help you figure out which allergens are used in particular dishes.

3. Prep is essential before travelling with allergies

Research isn’t the only type of preparation that is essential for allergic travellers. Allergic travellers also need to make sure they have the right medications and documentation before leaving for a trip. I always ensure that I have at least 2 epinephrine auto-injectors (and I check that they haven’t expired!).

I’ll carry more if I am travelling for an extended period. For example, on a 9-month trip around Asia, I carried 4 EpiPens. I also make sure to pack diphenhydramine in tablet form. This antihistamine is super effective, and so it can be taken in the event of an allergic reaction, along with an auto-injector. 

4. Allergic travellers may need to carry documents

When travelling, I like to take a letter from my physician which explains why I carry EpiPens. I’ve never used this letter, but I want to have it with me just in case my EpiPens are flagged while going through airport security.

I also tend to carry allergy translation cards. You can give these small cards to servers, concierges, physicians, and others who may be in a position to help you with food service needs while you’re travelling abroad.

A translation card explains your allergy to the local language, just in case there’s a language barrier. I sometimes prepare a physical translation card or simply keep an explanatory message ready on my phone. 

5. Flights can be stressful

On a flight, you are in an enclosed space with no access to emergency medical care. This can be scary for allergic travellers because if you have an anaphylactic attack, you need immediate medical care.

Since you can’t access that care while in the air, travellers with severe allergies must be especially careful of what they ingest before and during a flight.

To fly as safely as possible, I pack myself a meal and snacks to eat on flights. I basically never eat food that is offered by the airline because, in most cases, the airline cannot guarantee that there’s no trace of allergens in their food. Rather than take the risk, I stick with my own meals.

6. Culinary experiences abroad are less accessible

For many people, trying local cuisine is a highlight of travel. But for allergic travellers, the culinary part of travel isn’t always possible.

In my experience, in some parts of the world, it can be tough to figure out if a dish is safe to eat. Often, I have to opt-out of eating local dishes and instead opt for fast food or “American” style food that I’m familiar with. I have definitely felt pangs of jealousy in watching my partner eat delicious street food or in hearing backpackers rave about a specific local dish.

As a result, I’ve shifted my perspective about food and travel: I have accepted that I can’t travel for food. I have found it encouraging to actively remind myself that travel can be just as rewarding without trying local foods. Instead, I enjoy the sights, sounds, and smells! 

People with allergies can still enjoy travelling!

Despite the frustration, insecurity and fear that my severe food allergies cause while travelling, I have always found ways to accommodate them. Sometimes this means taking extreme measures – but it’s worth it.

Over the years, as I’ve travelled, I’ve figured out ways to cope with my restrictions, and travel has become more comfortable for me. 

Ultimately, it’s essential to acknowledge the risk involved when travelling with any sort of health condition. For those of us with food allergies, that risk presents itself daily because, well, we have to eat.

Whether or not you should travel with food allergies is a personal question, and there’s no correct answer. Every individual allergic traveller should decide for themselves what their boundaries are when it comes to travel and safety.