I'm all for traveling. Or at least I was before I was diagnosed with food allergies. Now, if I am traveling in the US, I feel confident that I will not have a problem finding things to eat wherever I go. However, when I leave the country, all bets are off. I feel anxiety and begin eating three weeks in advance just to be sure that I have an extra fat reserve in case I can't eat anything on my trip.
As you can imagine, countries such as France or Germany are daunting -- all of those delicious breads and the bevy of rich sauces, all of which are off limits. Between the eggs and the flour, and the language barrier, all hope sometimes seems lost. However, I have devised a plan to help you travel safely and reaction-free no matter where your adventures take you.
1) Call the Airline: If you are severely nut allergic and concerned about boarding a plane on which the only snack for six hours will be a pouch of peanuts, call the airline and express your concerns. It is possible that they can provide an alternate snack and that they can alert the flight attendants to your allergy
2) Make sure you have single-serve Benadryl: This is helpful as the doses are 2 ounces or less, so you can bring them in your purse for yourself or your child, just in course you have a reaction in the air. Of course, if you or your child is anaphylactic, it goes without saying that you should have an epi-pen on board, too.
3) Pack Safe Snacks: Ziplocs of cut vegetables, apples, gluten-free pretzels, whatever will get you through, make sure you have enough on hand to survive the flight.
Upon Arrival: Ask the hotel concierge for the closest super market. Settle in and then make sure that you know where the safe food is. I always think it's fun to check out the culture of the foreign supermarket, anyway. I love to see what other countries consider "healthy" and to see how differently we eat from country to country.
4) Bring a Dictionary and Learn Some Important phrases: Make sure that you can tell a waiter that you are allergic to wheat, to eggs, to _____________.
Remember That No Matter where we go, there is almost always something that we can eat: if all else fails, raw fruits and vegetables are almost always the answer (at least temporarily)
5) Finally, Don't Be Afraid to Pack Some Non-Perishable Food in Your Suitcase: I always bring some canned salmon, soup, gluten-free oats. Just some staples in case worse comes to worse.
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Related to your suggestion of learning a few phrases to articulate your food allergies, when in foreign countries I'd suggest getting someone to actually write down your food allergies on a piece of paper, such that when you are at a restaurant you can simply hand the waiter that piece of paper to ensure there is no confusion about the issue. Probably wouldn't hurt to highlight just how serious the allergies are, as many people who don't have food allergies have no clue how serious the issue can be.
Should be pretty easy to get someone to write such a note for you; typically someone at the place you are staying will be happy to help, particularly if you slip them a small tip.
We also take a small cooler with a at least one extra meal and snack (in case of a delay) on board with us along with a letter from the allergist. Be sure to have all of this out and available for inspection by the TSA. We bring Rice Dream and dairy free pudding (considered a liquid) but have not had a problem as long as we showed documentation from my son's doctor.
We do alert the airline of my son's multiple allergies but we would not depend on them for meal or snack. It's not worth the risk for us under the circumstances. It's better for us to relax with food we know is safe.
What do you do on international flights? Aren't food restrictions tougher then or does a letter from the doctor do?
Wear your epipen at all times on your person; do not have it in a bag, unless you travel with an adult family member who can access it at all times.
These have actually saved my life in some pretty remote areas.