Travelling Across the Pond to England and Ireland with a Food Allergy

Hello mates! This summer I travelled across the pond to the beautiful, historically rich countries of England and Ireland, where I spent two weeks sightseeing with my family. As they were English-speaking countries, travelling with a food allergy was much easier since there was no language barrier to overcome when communicating my allergies. That being said, I still needed to take precautions, starting with flights and accommodations.

Beforehand, I called the airline to advise them that I would be travelling with them and they kindly noted my allergies and set up a buffer zone, which allowed me to feel comfortable and safe over the duration of the flight. I truly appreciate that airlines are putting more procedures in place and are taking precautions to accommodate allergic-individuals. I recommend that you too check the different airline policies prior to booking. I also made sure to pack lots of food and snacks for the flight as well as extra snacks for the remainder of my trip, such as granola bars and individually packed oatmeal. Most importantly, I packed four Epi-Pens®. It’s better to be over-prepared than under-prepared, especially when you are overseas.

When it came to accommodations, I stayed in a “flat” as the British say, or an apartment-style room that contained a full kitchen. I also made sure to choose a flat that had a grocery store nearby so I would have easy accessibility to pick up essentials. I was greatly surprised to see that they pre-package all their fresh produce in addition to breads and other snacks. I was also surprised to see that all packaged food had extremely clear and detailed ingredient labels with priority allergens bolded. This definitely made me feel comfortable that the foods were safe, as they also clearly outlined which foods were not suitable for individuals with certain allergies. When travelling, I stick with making breakfast in the room and packing a lunch, so that I only have to worry about eating out once a day for dinner. Not only is this safer, but it’s also healthier, more cost-efficient, and less time-consuming! When it comes to eating out for dinner, I like to ask for the menu and look through the items, seeing if there is an option on the menu that’s allergy-safe. I soon learned that the menus at restaurants also made allergens easily seen as they used a universal coding system. Nevertheless, I still made sure to explain my allergies and the notion of cross-contamination to the servers and restaurant managers. I found that most restaurants and food service staff were aware of severe allergies, cross-contamination, dietary restrictions, and the precautions they need to take to ensure the safety of their customers. If I felt uneasy about a restaurant, my family and I simply relocated to another that we felt more comfortable with.

Additionally, there are a few interesting things I encountered on this trip. While in the UK, I learned that traditionally, fish and chips are fried using peanut oil. Make sure to always ask the server what oil they use in their fryer before trying this traditional British dish. Also, while visiting popular tourist spots such as Big Ben and the Tower Bridge, I noticed a lot of stands of the street selling roasted tree nuts. These stands were not enclosed, allowing the nuts to fall onto the surrounding area. My family and I made sure to keep an eye out for these stands to make sure I was a safe distance away from them. Also, be mindful of fellow tourists around you who may be eating the nuts and disposing the shells around them. This could lead to an unwanted cross-contamination scenario.

Furthermore, if you’re a coffee-enthusiast (like me), you’re aware of the increasing popularity of almond milk. I always make sure to ask the barista if they use almond milk before ordering, and let them know about my allergy and ask about potential cross-contamination. I was happy to find two coffee chains I could rely on, as they did not have almond milk on their menu: Caffè Nero and Pret A Manger. I also learned that Caffè Nero had a wide variety of pre-packed sandwiches with ingredient labels outlining the priority allergens in bold, just like the products in the grocery store. It was nice to be able to grab and treat myself to a peanut and tree nut-safe sandwich on-the-go. Having these allergy-friendly chains at my disposal was very convenient as I was guaranteed to find a location near any major tourist attraction.

Overall, travelling to England and Ireland with an allergy was very manageable, and I would definitely recommend adding them to your travel-list!

– Michelle D.