Talking Allergies

Hello All,
I am a recent high school graduate and I plan on taking a GAP year and backpack across Europe. However, I suffer from a nut/peanut allergy. I am anaphylactic, but I only react upon ingesting the allergen. I was wondering if anyone out there has some advice on how to best survive travelling in countries that speak foreign languages when suffering from an allergy. Any advice is more than appreciated. Thank You!

Hi there -

Welcome to the forum! I hope you find the support and info you are looking for here.

I would suggest you browse in the Travel forum to see what others have suggested already. I have also moved your post there so that people with travelling experience will see it.

K.

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Karen, proud Mom of
- DS1 (12 yrs): allergic to cashews, pistachios, Brazil nuts, potatoes, some legumes, some fish, pumpkin seeds; OAS
- DS2 (1o yrs): ana. to dairy, eggs, peanuts; asthma

I have severe allergies to fish, nuts etc., and have done TONS of travelling throughout Europe, Asia and Africa. I alway carry extra epi pens, and if travelling with other people, ensure they are well infomed. I often carry a list of allergies written out in the local language, and have been known to eat nothing but rice and fresh fruit, but overall have NEVER had a problem. Amazingly, any reaction I have ever had requiring hospitalization have occured at home. My advise is, prepare yourself well, be cautious and have fun!

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Successfully living with allergies to freshwater fish, seafood, tree nuts and more!

Crazyknit wrote
That would make a great motto!

Welcome to the forum Crazyknit.

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Moderator
Daughter: asthma, allergies to egg, milk, peanuts, tree nuts, most legumes (not soy) & penicillin. Developing hayfever type allergies.
Husband: no allergies
Me: allergies to some tree that flowers in May
Cat: allergic to beef, pork and lamb

My top suggestions would be to start in countries you speak the language and get comfortable there first. Get language cards printed out for you allergies in all countries you are going to that you don't speak the language (they are available online). Make sure it says that it is life threatening. Try staying in hostels and backpackers that have kitchen facilities and cook your own meals, it will save you money and be less risky. When you eat out, try to eat in small places and speak directly to the person preparing your meal about the allergies and cross-contamination. Check out my article in the winter allergic living.

Scott

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9 yr old daughter - no allergies
7 yr old daughter - allergic to peanuts, nuts, sesame, kiwi, soy

Scott's ideas are helpful, for sure. I did an exchange in the UK and did lots of travelling throughout Europe - I was completely naive before I left, so I'm glad you're already thinking ahead!

I remember getting to Amsterdam and being actually surprised that all ingredients were in Dutch. DUH!!! I would definitely try to find hostels with kitchens (that became a must for me), bring as much food with you as you can, and always keep an eye out for safe and familiar chains - depending on where you're going, Pizza Hut, KFC, McDonald's, Burger King, etc. were international and always good for me. Also, the more tourist-y a place, the more luck you'll have with English ingredients - in Venice almost everything was in English, which rocked.

I also went to non-familiar restaurants a couple times, but only when I was completely positive that the person understood me and was willing to go the distance... also another time in Spain when I was staying with locals who could effectively translate.

I always brought along a couple cans of beans - sounds weird, but it was nice to know that worst case, with no kitchen/safe restaurant, i wasn't going to completely starve and had some protein I could eat.

One last thing - if you're travelling with friends, make sure they know how to do the epi if need be, and also try to be aware of possible hospitals you could go to if you needed to. I had a bit of an event in Paris from some french onion soup (surprise - eggs!) and luckily, my absolute prince of a boyfriend had noted on a map earlier that day where the nearest hospital was, and we went directly there. Just stay aware of your surroundings.

Oh, and it's going to be so much fun! I had lots of friends in England who did gap years throughout Europe - always sounded like such a blast. Feel free to msg if you have questions - I went to the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Italy, France, throughout the UK.

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ana to peanuts, nuts, eggs, shellfish, bananas
mild asthma and eczema, seasonal allergies