Dubai with Food Allergies Dubai with Food Allergies! As a longtime food allergy family, it…
Solo Trip to India with Food Allergies
Solo Trip to India with Food Allergies!
Solo Trip to India with Food Allergies: Challenging but SO worth it with advance planning and preparation!
Traveling to India with food allergies can feel overwhelming. Especially when it’s a solo trip!
When my 23-year-old daughter was invited to her good friend’s wedding in India, I was terrified to be honest.
So, do you find this surprising or totally feel the same way?
Of course, as owner of a travel consulting company for people with food allergies, this is something we advocate and prepare people for.
However, India is a country where we’ve not done a lot of travel planning for clients.
Our private Facebook Group Food Allergy Travels and Life responses were all:
“India is too challenging for people with food allergies”.
And these responses were overwhelmingly from people from India!
As it is very important for Katie to attend her friend’s wedding, our planning begins.
Of course, you’re a member of our Facebook Group? If not, join today!
It’s where we answer & chat about all things Food Allergy Travels and Life!
What’s your thoughts on India with Food Allergies?
Flying Through Dubai, UAE with Food Allergies
Katie’s travel plan:
Flight from Newark airport on Emirates Air (not the best in our personal & professional opinion) for travelers with food allergies, to Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Then transfer to IndiGo Air (another very difficult experience as Katie’s original flight she missed her connection & was trying to rebook flight.)
Unfortunately, Katie’s lack of Hindu language skills made this very difficult. So, she bought a ticket for morning flight on Air India.
She stayed at the nearby Marriott Mumbai Sahar. Great ability to eat out with food allergies at the Marriott, even with a very late arrival.
More on Katie’s time in Dubai in these posts: Dubai with Food Allergies & Eating Out with Food Allergies in Dubai
Cliff Notes version of Dubai with Food Allergies: YES!!
Katie can’t wait to return to Dubai.
And Dubai is easy for her multiple, anaphylactic food allergies to peanuts, tree nuts (cross contamination with peanuts), legumes, soy, shellfish, & dairy and meat intolerances.
The international airport in Dubai has multiple options for her to safely eat out with food allergies (terminal dependent).
And English is widely spoken with good understanding of food allergies!
Pro Tip:
Long haul international flights are not the time to “wing it” with food allergies. 😉
See our recommended backpack cooler ideas & free Ultimate Food Allergy Packing List here.
Of course, for more help planning your next trip, our Travel Starter Guide is the BEST for helping you plan safer, easier, less stressful trips with food allergies!
But back to our Solo Trip to India with Food Allergies.
Navigating Food Allergies in India
India’s incredible!
A rich culture, warm hospitality & unforgettable experiences! However, from a food allergy perspective, India requires extra caution, if I am to be very honest.
Many traditional food dishes have hidden food allergens (Ghee!), shared cooking surfaces & spice blends that may not list food allergens. And seeds everywhere.
While people are extremely kind in India, deep understanding of food allergies varies a lot!
Much different than food allergy understanding in the US, Canada & Europe.
This is where our preparation mattered the most.
Katie packed her safe, #foodallergyfriendly snacks, cans of tuna, pasta, salmon packets & allergy-friendly cookies.
Packing her safe, shelf stable food allergy foods is essential.
These are not just backup food, they are essential for reducing the stress & anxiety and prevent risky, “hangry” decisions.
⭐See our Instagram for more videos of Katie travels in Dubai & India.
From Mumbai to Vadodara
The Air India flight was thankfully, uneventful.
Note: Air India states they take no responsibility for allergic reactions onboard. Many of their food items contain nuts/peanuts etc… & remember, we NEVER eat food from airlines!
We always bring our insulated backpack cooler with our safe #foodallergyfriendly meals & snacks.
Look at our Instagram for how we clean our airline space – it’s already gotten over 5,000 views!
Make sure to Follow US as we are putting out A LOT more food allergy content!
Katie’s friends (the bride & groom!) pick her up at the airport and take her to their father’s restaurant.
The bride is from India and speaks Hindu fluently.
She also bought a brand-new cooking pan to the restaurant to use to prepare Katie’s meal as she is knowledgeable about the frequently used cast iron pans & possible cross contamination risks.
If her friend Nye hadn’t gone to her family’s restaurant, Katie said:
“I would not have eaten out in India – it seemed way too risky for my many food allergies & I take even less risks when I travel abroad. And I absolutely would NOT have eaten any street food.”
A Wedding Extraordinaire
Katie’s friend’s wedding was the reason for her Solo Trip to India with Food Allergies.
And this wedding went on for days! If you were going to a wedding halfway around the World, this is the one to attend!!
As Katie is a special guest, she had the bride, Nye’s family chef prepares many of her meals separately and using all new cutlery, pots and pans.
They are extra careful to make sure that Katie is safe. Priceless. 💖
At the wedding reception, there are tables & tables full of food, special drinks & elaborate decorations.
Did I mention they had 1 of the bands flown in from Dubai?
Of course, Katie knew in advance that the dress is formal for the wedding.
So, she had a few outfits custom made in Dubai with glittering beads, silky silk & matching shoes.
This is not nearly as expensive as you may imagine – actually much less costly than 1 formal dress here in the USA.
Finally feeling not stressed about being able to safely eat in India with her food allergies, Katie is able to really relax & enjoy all the festivities!
She was able to eat delicious rice, roasted & sauteed veggies, fresh fruits and some fish (safe for her food allergies).
Katie stayed at a local 5-star hotel, the Vivanta Vadodara, that the bride’s family had reserved for the special guests. Here she was also able to eat safely & deliciously with her multiple anaphylactic food allergies.
Pro tip: Suggest staying at the many 5-star hotels and resorts in India but you MUST contact in advance to vet for your specific food allergy protocols, understanding & ability to safely feed you.
Katie’s experiences in India with Multiple Anaphylactic Food Allergies
From Katie’s food allergy experience in India for 10 days:
- Not everyone understood what a peanut was as peanuts in this part of India are not really a thing. But they sometimes do sauté veggies in peanut oil as she found out from a chef.
- The servers didn’t know the foods ingredients. Usually, the event planner or the chef did know.
- Seeing the local hospital was scary and made me not want to go, so I was extra careful.
- Many Indians are vegan. Note for tree nut & peanut allergy people. Tree nuts are used often as are legumes like chickpeas.
- Alpha Gal allergies could be accommodated much more easily.
- India is a large country, and different foods are more common to the areas where they’re grown.
- Typically, Indians eat what’s in season.
- Ghee (milk product) is everywhere! Katie was served “black tea” that had ghee in it. Thankfully, Katie is not allergic to dairy, just intolerance (which she felt fine – even had some milk in India without any intestinal distress). This would have been VERY dangerous if Katie had a food allergy to dairy.
- Tree nuts are classified differently in India than the USA
- MUST HAVE: Translation cards for Food Allergies! Our link saves you 10% & helps support our woman owned business – we THANK YOU! 😁
So, were you surprised by Katie’s Solo Trip to India with Food Allergies?
Have you travelled to India with Food Allergies? What was your experience?
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