Food is a major part of the traveling experience – but if you restrict your diet for health, religious or ethical reasons, you may have to plan ahead to ensure you can eat and drink safely.
Will people at my destination understand my dietary restriction?
Some countries have better understanding of diet than others. For example, in India, there is widespread acceptance of avoiding certain foods for ethical or religious reasons. But if you are avoiding foods to help you meet weight loss targets, or because of pregnancy, to manage diabetes or if you are celiac and eating gluten free, or living with an allergy, you may have a harder time communicating your situation.
Telling food servers about your food restrictions
Photos of the foods you avoid are useful. Bear in mind that food packaging differs round the world, so images of the actual food are best, with the word written in the local language. It can be helpful to learn words and phrases describing the foods you don’t eat. Or you can make a recording of someone explaining your dietary restriction.
Will people know about my allergy at my destination?
Understanding of allergies varies around the world, so take time to research your destination before you go. It’s worth learning a few phrases that you can use to tell people about your allergy. You might want to carry a translation of your allergy card or medical alert bracelet.
Learn more about traveling with allergies in our post.
How do you access safe food and water when traveling?
All travelers, whether they have a dietary restriction or not, will need to avoid some types of food and drink. This is because there are a number of unpleasant diseases carried by food and water, some of which are not vaccine preventable. You can get vaccinated against diseases like hepatitis A and polio, but you will also need to take some extra steps to ensure the food you eat and the water you drink are safe. We have a travel health article about food safety while traveling and also an article about safe drinking water.
Getting vaccinated against hepatitis A will reduce the chances of you getting sick while on your trip abroad. Make an appointment with Global Travel Clinics six to eight weeks before you go, and we’ll do the rest.
Can I carry my allergy meds while traveling?
Carrying any meds – including allergy medication and epi pens while traveling always needs a bit of forward planning and it’s best to speak to your healthcare specialist about this. They can also tell you about the effects of time zone changes, heat and changes to your activity levels and help you adjust your meds accordingly.
Some drugs don’t mix with malaria tablets; so if your travel health nurse has recommended antimalarials for your trip, speak with your usual healthcare team to learn more about possible interactions.
Carry a copy of your prescription and a letter about your condition – translated if possible. This will be helpful if you need to see a healthcare professional while traveling.
Drugs which are commonly prescribed by US doctors may be controlled or restricted abroad, and you may run into difficulty if you bring them into the country. Check the rules at your destination either on the homepage for the embassy or by looking at the US State Department’s information.
The best health advice for travel
The best way to get travel health advice you can depend upon is to make an appointment with Global Travel Clinics six to eight weeks before you go. The travel health pharmacist can tell you about the health risks you may be exposed to on your trip. You can then discuss them with your usual healthcare team to work out a health regime that will suit you.
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