I have traveled frequently since I was little. My grandparents live a plane ride away from each other, so I learned at a young age how to navigate food allergies. I am allergic to tree nuts, and many people tell me to just avoid them and that I will be fine. That is easier than it sounds. When I was little, my parents took ownership of the food allergy world. We would get on a plane and wipe down the tray tables, and I would see the panic in my mom’s face when the person next to us would take out their bag of mixed nuts. We have come a long way, and now I am much more comfortable being around my allergens and I realize how fortunate I am that it is not an airborne allergy. In this article, I will discuss multiple types of traveling: traveling and staying with a family member, traveling and staying at a hotel and having to dine out for most meals, and traveling to an all inclusive without many other outside options.
This article is very timely as I just came home from a weekend away with friends that I have known for many years, yet I still get the same questions like why won’t you eat at the bakery, and why do you always get soft serve ice cream. One of the most important things my mother has taught me is to set some guidelines that I’m comfortable with like don’t ever eat at a bakery unless they are clearly marked “nut free”, there are too many opportunities for cross contamination or human error in a bakery. Ice cream shops are also more risky with cross contamination so I tend to stick to soft serve after confirming it is nut free. Never eat a “vegan” or “gluten free” item without inquiring about what makes it gluten free or vegan.
We learned this fast when we were at a NY holiday event. I went to get a hot chocolate and asked if there were any nuts in it, highly unlikely for hot chocolate I thought, and the person making it said that there were no nuts in it. As I started drinking the hot chocolate, we noticed the “vegan” sign, and then went around back and saw jars of Nutella. The person making the hot chocolate didn’t realize Nutella really had nuts in it. Thankfully, after a call to the allergist and following our action plan, I was ok. I continue to use these “guidelines” as I travel.
When traveling with family, my parents would always remind everyone of my allergies. Now that I am older, if it is someone I’m comfortable who I am with, I ask them if we can avoid putting nuts out along with something I am going to eat. Otherwise, I try to take my own food first and be sure there is no cross contact with something that my have nuts in it.
Another tip I have is when traveling to a hotel, we always search the area ahead of time and look at restaurants and menus in the area. My parents also call all of the local restaurants, ice cream or dessert places before we arrive to see if it was possible that I could eat at their establishment. We also come up with a "script" when traveling. “I have a tree nut allergy, I see you have some things that are nut free, can you tell me if you can keep my food away from the food that has nuts in it?” Depending on how they answer these questions, I then can make a choice if I can eat there or not.
We explored more travel and started with places that we knew could accommodate me. My parents wanted me to start to become the advocate, so I would follow my script and ask my questions. We traveled to Disney World, and they did a great job reinforcing my questions, and I felt very safe eating there.
We then began to travel internationally and I started carrying a card, I also had a picture on my phone that describes my allergies in many languages, which I would show to the server at the beginning of the meal and then ask again when my meal came to the table. There have been times when there is a miscommunication and I have noticed nuts on something labeled nut free. In such a situation, I then go straight to the chef and ask more specific questions.
I always travel with snacks that are safe for me to eat, my appropriate medication, and 2 epi-pens. I remind myself to ask the questions, and go with my own knowledge of looking around at the other food being served, and if cross contamination is too risky I avoid it. I feel comfortable traveling with and without my parents, and I don’t feel limited by my allergies.
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