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Traveling With All Kinds of Allergies Abroad

Daily Travel Tips, Travel Tips on February 6, 2008 11:02 am

Traveling to a different country can be hard enough, but having food allergies can make the experience especially daunting.

If you’re traveling in a foreign country where English is not the first language, and you have food allergies, it can be a difficult situation.

Here’s what you can do to avoid a medical emergency.

At selectwisely.com, you can order allergy and emergency cards in several languages, and you can even add pictures to help you further communicate.

Dietarycard.com, based in the United Kingdom, offers special cards for those who must follow a gluten-free diet and authenticates the need as a medical one, so the restaurant staff is especially careful.

Lastly, in case an emergency should occur, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America recommends contacting the International Association for Medical Assistance to Travelers, where you can receive a directory of English-speaking physicians throughout the world.

Need help with health & safety issues when traveling? We’ve got a Travel Health, Safety & Security section that can help.

Looking for more advice? Click here for more Free Daily Travel Tips.

  • ckehley

    A friend needs help getting home from germany.
    She went there for a medically necessary rare treatment and contacted Merca while in the hospital there.
    The Merca has started to get better but the family wants her home to the US asap.
    They have been adviced that to get a medical flight home (with the care she now needs) will cost $20,000.
    They can’t afford that. The trip & actual medical treatment (was paid ahead of time) around $50,000.
    I’ve seen Peter on the Today show so many times over the years. Always, with wonderfully helpful information.
    I’d like to know what can be done in a case like this.
    Please respond to my email address asap.
    Have a Good Holiday.