If you havefood allergiesand you’re planning to travel to a country where you don’t speak the language, consider packing an allergy translation card to help you communicate with staff members at restaurants, cafes, and hotels.
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An allergy translation card is a credit card-sized document that you can give to waiters, concierges, physicians, and other people who may be in a position to help you with food service needs while you’re traveling abroad.
This article describes an allergy translation card, where to find them, and other tips while traveling when you have a food allergy.
What Is an Allergy Translation Card?
Allergy translation cards indicate your allergy needs in the language and dialect of the region you’ll be traveling in. Typically, these cards will state that you’re allergic to a particular type of food or ingredient.
There are also more elaborate allergy translation cards that may list ingredients and dishes that typically contain your allergen, and may list potential substitutes that a chef could use to prepare a meal without your allergen.
Allergy Translation Card Basics
A small cottage industry has sprung up in translation cards, with prices ranging from free to around $8 to $10. Here are some features to look for and issues to consider:
Where to Find Allergy Translation Cards
Tips for International Travel With Allergies
These tips can help ensure your safety when traveling internationally with food allergies:
Summary
Allergy translation cards are key to avoidingallergic reactions(and potentially more serious symptoms that require medical attention) while traveling internationally. Allow plenty of time before traveling to obtain an allergy translation card, as well as other supplies and information to ensure your trip abroad is safe and enjoyable.
1 SourceVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Food Allergy Research and Education.Tips for international travel.Additional ReadingFood Allergy Research & Education. Traveling with Food Allergy fact sheet.
1 Source
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Food Allergy Research and Education.Tips for international travel.Additional ReadingFood Allergy Research & Education. Traveling with Food Allergy fact sheet.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Food Allergy Research and Education.Tips for international travel.
Food Allergy Research & Education. Traveling with Food Allergy fact sheet.
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