Food Allergy & Celiac Travel Resources

These are the apps, translation cards and organizations I lean on when I plan a trip around food allergies or celiac disease, whether it is mine or a client's. Use them for your homework, then confirm the details directly with your hotel, cruise line or restaurant.

Find places to eat

• Find Me Gluten Free: traveler reviews of gluten-free options around the world, including notes on dedicated fryers and kitchens.

• AllergyEats: allergy-friendly restaurant ratings, strongest across the U.S.

• Spokin: reviews and recommendations organized by specific allergen.

• Italian Celiac Association (AIC): its app lists restaurants trained in gluten-free service across Italy.

• FACE Móvil: the Spanish celiac federation's app for gluten-free restaurants and products in Spain.

• Coeliac Society of Ireland: guidance and dining resources for gluten-free travel in Ireland.

Say it in the local language

• Equal Eats: professionally translated allergy cards, printable or physical. They are the cards I point to in my Starter Kit.

• Select Wisely: translation cards in many languages, including regional options for China.

• Allergy UK: translation cards and country-by-country travel advice.

Trusted organizations

• United States: FARE international travel tips, Celiac Disease Foundation on traveling gluten-free, FAACT travel guidance, and the CDC Yellow Book on severely allergic travelers

• Canada: Food Allergy Canada

• France: AFDIAG, the French gluten-intolerance association

• Australia and New Zealand: Allergy & Anaphylaxis Australia and Allergy New Zealand

• South Africa: Allergy Foundation South Africa

• Medical help abroad: IAMAT lists vetted clinics and doctors for travelers.

Cruising

• Celiac Cruise: group sailings planned around gluten-free dining.

• Curious about a gluten-free sailing with me? See License to Dine.

Tips I give every client

• Ask at every meal, even on day five, and skip the buffet when you can.

• Keep medication and copies of your prescriptions in your carry-on, and follow your own clinician's plan.

• Ask the hotel to hold welcome treats, turn-down chocolates and minibar items that contain your allergens.

• Consider travel insurance that covers medical evacuation.

• Know the regional staples. Soy, fish sauce and shellfish are everywhere in much of Asia, many Thai sauces contain wheat, and corn and cassava are staples across South America. In the EU, packaged foods must label 14 major allergens.

• Supermarkets with "free-from" sections, like M&S, Lidl and Aldi in Europe, are perfect for backup snacks.

• Facebook groups such as Celiacs Travel Abroad, Cruising with Celiac and Gluten-Free Travelers Around the World are full of recent, first-hand tips.

Want it all in one place?

Get my free Allergy-Safe Travel Starter Kit with the hotel questions, a translation card and a kitchen brief you can print. Or, if you would rather hand the planning off, send me a note.

These links go to independent organizations; I am not affiliated with them, and their details can change. This page helps with travel planning and is not medical advice. No property, restaurant or advisor can guarantee an allergen-free environment.