How to travel with food allergies

Finding safe restaurants in an unfamiliar city

Don’t leave meals to chance when you’re hungry and tired from travel. A little planning before the trip saves a lot of stress.

• Map your options. List a few restaurants near your hotel and near each place you plan to visit. With Safebite you can see which nearby restaurants have menu items free of your allergens before you get there.
• Read allergen menus ahead of time. Our guide on how to check a restaurant menu for allergens explains what to look for.
• Call at a quiet time. Mid-afternoon calls reach managers and chefs who have time to talk through your allergies.
• Watch tourist areas. Busy restaurants near major attractions are built for speed. A short walk away, quieter places often have more time for special requests.
• Have a backup. Know where the nearest grocery store is, and keep safe snacks in your bag.

Hotels and rentals

• Ask for a room with a refrigerator, or book a room or rental with a kitchenette so you can make some of your own meals.
• If breakfast is included, ask to see ingredient labels for packaged items and avoid shared buffet utensils, toasters and waffle makers.
• Wipe down surfaces you’ll eat from, and bring a few basic utensils and a small cutting board if you’ll be cooking.

Find safe menu items near you

Safebite filters restaurant menus by every allergen you avoid, so you can see what’s safe before you go.

Try Safebite

Airports and flying

Before the flight

• Read your airline’s allergy policy before you book. Some airlines allow pre-boarding to wipe down seats, offer buffer zones or skip serving nuts on request; others don’t.
• In March 2026, the U.S. Department of Transportation said disability doesn’t automatically entitle a passenger to a specific accommodation such as pre-boarding unless a regulation requires it, so treat any accommodation as a request, not a guarantee.
• Pack your medication in your carry-on. The TSA allows epinephrine auto-injectors and medically necessary liquids. Keep them in original labeled packaging, with a copy of your prescription or emergency plan.

At the airport

Look up the restaurants in your terminal before you fly. National chains with allergen charts are usually the most predictable, but bring enough safe food for the whole trip in case of delays.

On the plane

• Wipe down the tray table, armrests, seat belt buckle and window shade.
• Eat your own food rather than airline meals or snacks, unless you can verify the ingredients.
• Keep epinephrine at your seat, not in the overhead bin.

Road trips

Road trips give you the most control, because you can pack your own food, but you’ll still stop to eat.

• Plan your food stops. Before you leave, pick a few stops along the route and check what you can order. Chains are useful here because the menu and allergen chart are the same at every location.
• Pack a cooler with safe meals and snacks so you’re never forced into a risky stop.
• Keep epinephrine out of extreme heat and cold. Don’t leave it in a parked car. Use an insulated pouch.
• Note hospitals along the way, especially on rural stretches.

Traveling abroad

Know the local rules

Allergen rules differ by country. In the European Union and the United Kingdom, food businesses, including restaurants, must be able to tell you whether a dish contains any of 14 major allergens: cereals containing gluten, crustaceans, eggs, fish, peanuts, soybeans, milk, tree nuts, celery, mustard, sesame, sulphites, lupin and molluscs. In the UK, food that is packed on the premises before you order it must carry a full ingredient list with allergens highlighted. In many other places there are no restaurant allergen rules at all.

Learn the cuisine

Research which allergens are common in local dishes. Peanuts and tree nuts are common in many Southeast Asian, West African and Middle Eastern dishes; sesame is common in Middle Eastern and East Asian food; fish sauce and shellfish pastes show up in a lot of Southeast Asian cooking; and some European pastries use nut flours.

Use a chef card

Plan for emergencies

• Learn the local emergency number: 112 works across the European Union, 999 or 112 in the UK, 911 in the US and Canada.
• Bring extra epinephrine. Brand names and availability vary between countries.
• Check whether your health insurance covers you abroad, or buy travel medical insurance.

Last-minute meals: “where can I eat right now?”

Plans fall through. When you need food fast, choose a restaurant where you can read an allergen chart on your phone, order something simple, and confirm with staff before you eat. Avoid buffets, bakeries and food trucks when you can’t talk to whoever is cooking. Our guide to cross-contact and trusting allergen menus explains the questions that matter most.