Thursday, January 29, 2015

Traveling with Food Allergies

Before I even became a travel agent, I was already dealing with one important aspect of vacation planning - traveling with food allergies! I'd find myself spending hours ahead of time finding eating options along the route or in the destinations, and even avoided some areas just because I was afraid I wouldn't find anything to eat.

It's actually one big reason I promote working with a travel agent - we can help you find ways to make it work, contact resorts ahead of time with instructions, and may even be able to line up something special! We also know which resorts and cruises are better at handling food allergies than others. While not all travel agents have food allergies, all travel agents should be able to help you navigate the travel landscape to make sure that you can enjoy what you eat while on vacation.

I also recommend looking into helpful apps to enhance your dining experiences while on the road. For example, I have a gluten allergy, so I frequently reference two great apps - Find Me Gluten Free, and Gluten Free Registry. While they are not always up to date and it's still worth calling ahead, they still make finding a last minute option much easier (and keep me from just relying on 1-2 national chains that I quickly get tired of). For your particular food allergy, just do a Google search to see if there are apps available.

As you may know if you are also a fan of my Facebook page, I LOVE to cruise - and it has been getting easier to eat onboard every year! Many of the cruise lines will set you up with a specific dining room attendant or server who can help you pre-plan your meals, and Royal Caribbean even has several main allergens clearly marked on their menus and buffet descriptions.

Resorts are also getting much better, even despite the language barrier. My personal preferences are the Karisma resorts (such as El Dorado Maroma), Disney, and Sandals/Beaches. Here is a video I took of my quick informal meeting with the culinary concierge at Sandals Whitehouse - it's a free service available to all guests where you can meet to discuss dietary restrictions, allergy concerns, or anything else that needs to be examined when it comes to food.
What cruise lines/resorts have YOU found to be the most accommodating when it comes to food allergies?


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