Traveling is supposed to be filled with excitement and fun-filled days of exploration. However, if you’re dealing with dietary restrictions or food allergies, the stress and anxiety of finding food you cannot just eat but also enjoy can be a bit overwhelming. In fact, it can sometimes make you want to avoid travel altogether.
With every passing year, the travel industry has become increasingly aware of travelers’ restrictions, especially regarding food, making it now easier than ever for people dealing with these limitations to enjoy their vacation the way it should be.
Here are a few dietary travel tips AAA recommends people traveling with food restrictions or allergies keep in mind to help ensure a stress-free vacation.
1. Know Your Travel Destination
Whenever you choose to travel somewhere new, make sure you do the necessary research to understand that destination. This is critical to enjoying a fantastic trip. This is doubly true for travelers with dietary restrictions. Understanding the local cuisine and must-eat dishes is the best way to prepare yourself ahead of time.
Foodies today are dedicated to showing and sharing their culinary favorites through websites, blogs and social media. Taking advantage of these networks will allow you to find the information you’re looking for quickly. While you won’t be able to eliminate every food-related challenge out there, this will go a long way in helping you prepare ahead of time.
2. Keep an Eye Out for Allergy Friendly Hotels and Restaurants
Oftentimes, hotels and restaurants are more than willing to accommodate guests with food-related limitations, especially if they are informed beforehand. Make sure to let them know about your dietary restrictions ahead of time. Many of these destinations provide their menus on their website and will state if they can make changes for allergies and restrictions.
However, if you can’t find this information easily listed and still hope to visit a specific spot, you can easily call or send an email expressing your concerns rather than having to sit out of the experience altogether.
3. Plan for an Airline Emergency
All airlines allow travelers to request meals that meet their dietary requirements in advance. However, that doesn’t always mean the meal makes it on board. Accidents happen and when you’re stuck in the air with minimal food options, having a backup plan is the best way to go.
While you cannot bring food from outside the airport, most airport terminals offer a wide selection of restaurants and eateries serving food to go. Find something to snag before you board that you can easily enjoy in a smaller space to keep yourself from going hungry on the plane.
4. Bring an Allergy/Restriction Card
Having an allergy/restriction card on your person at all times is highly recommended, especially for travelers visiting foreign countries where English is not the primary spoken language. These cards can quickly be handed over to restaurant and hotel staff without worrying about anything being lost in translation.
Make sure the card is easily able to fit inside your wallet and have it list every allergy and restriction you need to be accommodated. You may also want to consider listing emergency contact information for those “just in case” situations.
5. Learn the Local Lingo
Whether traveling to a new part of the country or someplace completely foreign, learning the local lingo and commonly used food-related names will be essential, especially if you don’t feel like carrying a card around. Knowing how to inform staff members of your restrictions in a way they’ll easily be able to understand and address is the best way to avoid awkward interactions or complete mix-ups.
6. Bring Necessary Medication
Accidents can always happen no matter how well you prepare and no matter what steps you take ahead of time, accidents can always happen. Bringing your medication with you will take up barely any luggage space and can save you from dealing with nightmare situations in the long run.
If you’re traveling abroad and need to bring any type of medication requiring a prescription or syringe, make sure you get a doctor's note with you to avoid headaches caused by airport security and customs.
7. Ask the Locals
No matter how obscure your dietary restriction might be, there’s a good chance you’re not alone. Speaking with residents in the area you’re visiting is a great way to find restaurants or eateries that will cater to your specific needs. Locals will not only know the area and its businesses but also the local dishes you’re likely to run into. They might even help you find a new favorite meal you never knew about.
8. Pack the Snacks
Even if you’ve read the menu beforehand, even if you’re sure there’s going to be at least one thing there you can eat, bringing a few snacks wherever you go can sometimes be a lifesaver. All too often there are unlisted ingredients used in dishes you later learn you can’t have. Bringing along granola bars or small snack packs is a great way to be sure you always have something to eat in a pinch.
9. Speak Up
It’s important to remember that your dietary restrictions and food allergies are nothing to be shy over. You’re not being difficult. Being up-front and clear about what you can and cannot eat is the best way to ensure you enjoy the experience the way it’s meant to be enjoyed and communicating with the people in charge of that experience will be crucial.
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