How to manage food allergies when travelling

Travelling with food allergies might be challenging, but careful planning can help reduce the risk of an allergic reaction.

Plan how you’re going to manage food while travelling to your destination and when you’re away.

Book self-catering accommodation with its own cooking facilities to reduce the risk of accidental exposure.

For more serious allergies that require treatment with medicine, and depending on the age of those travelling eg, young children, the location you’re travelling to eg, remote Africa, some things you might want to consider are:

• seeing your doctor first 
  
  • you may need extra supplies of your medicine or to have medicine prescribed for your travel
  • to get any required vaccinations
  • to help make a travel plan for anaphylaxis
• checking your airline's policy on medicines
• getting travel insurance
• telling those involved with handling food about your food allergy.

Consider bringing your own food while travelling to reduce your risk. Before you leave, check what food you can take into your destination country and any stop-over countries.

Consider booking self-catering accommodation, which gives you the option to prepare food for yourself safely.

Also ask about relevant inhalant allergen risk, such as pets, if you have asthma or hay fever.

Food

Most airlines have no food restriction policies so consider bringing your own food to reduce your risk. Be aware that other passengers may bring their own foods on the flight too. Try to position a child with food allergies away from other passengers or areas where food and drink will be passed over them, eg, in a window seat or between you and a non-allergic sibling/partner.

Tell the airline and travel agent in advance that you have a food allergy(external link). Arrive early and allow yourself plenty of time to re–confirm your allergy to cabin crew.

After boarding the plane, wipe down the trays and arm rests to remove allergens.

Medicines

Adrenaline auto-injectors must not travel in the cargo under-carriage for several reasons, including temperature control, risk of damage and the need to have your medicine close by.

There may be restrictions on what age a child can travel unaccompanied when they use adrenaline auto-injectors, check with your airline.

Read more about travelling with medicines.

See your doctor first 
Always get specific information on travel and your health needs from your doctor, have an action plan for anaphylaxis and carry your adrenaline auto-injector with you at all times if you've been prescribed one.

Have a travel plan for anaphylaxis
Download a travel plan for people at risk of anaphylaxis(external link) from the ASCIA website and have it filled in by your healthcare provider. This helps if you're carrying your adrenaline auto-injectors in your hand luggage through security and customs. The travel plan is different from your usual action plans.

Check your travel insurance
Some travel insurance policies don’t automatically cover people at risk of anaphylaxis. Make sure you check this and take out a policy that includes this. Sometimes there's an added cost if you have specific health conditions. Check if you need a medical report for your travel insurance policy.

Know how to find hospitals and other medical facilities
Make sure you know the location and contact details of hospitals and other medical facilities at your travel destination, just in case they're needed. Also make sure you can contact emergency services by carrying a mobile phone.

Carry translation cards
When travelling to countries where English isn't the first language, it's recommended you carry a card or use a translation App so that important emergency information can be translated into the required language.

Apps reviewed by Healthify

You may find it useful to look at some First aid and emergency apps, Food label reading apps, and Healthy eating apps/nutrition apps.