Travelling with Food Allergies to Mexico

I just recently came home from my first solo (without Mom and Dad) all-inclusive vacation to Mexico with my friends. I was super excited, but also anxious because of my food allergies. I was concerned that it would be difficult for me to eat in Mexico as a result of my food allergies.

Whether travelling with your friends or family, preparation can make your trip safe and enjoyable. I cannot stress enough that communication and preparation are key. My trip was absolutely amazing and I feel like it was partly because my family and I prepared so much in advance in regards to my food allergies. These are some of the things I did to prepare for my vacation:

1. Before I even booked my vacation, I did some research as to what countries have decent hospitals. In case something was to happen, I wanted to make sure I wasn’t two hours away from a main hospital. I booked Cancun, Mexico because the resort I stayed at was only 15 minutes away from a main hospital.
2. One week before leaving, I called both the resort and the airline I was flying with. The airline immediately wrote a note on my file and discussed ways in which they could accommodate me during my flight. When we were boarding at the airport, I made sure that I reminded the airline crew about my food allergy in case there was any miscommunication when I had previously called. I also packed food for my flight. You honestly don’t want to take the risk by eating unknown food.
3. I booked an appointment with my allergist that I made sure fell within a month of my departure so I could speak to him about prescriptions I should take along with me. I knew one or two EpiPens® wouldn’t be enough for a trip, so I asked to get prescribed more. I wanted to be prepared with extra EpiPens® in case an accident did happen. My allergist also recommended buying Benadryl® for the trip.
4. I knew someone from Mexico, so before my departure, I asked her to write me a letter outlining my food allergies that I could carry around the resort. The letter basically said, in Spanish, that I had life-threatening food allergies, as well as a list carefully outlining each item that I was allergic to. I then made sure to speak to the chef before ordering at any restaurant. I gave him/her the note, and then they told me the accommodations that they would make for me.

To be honest, the translated note was probably the most important thing I could have done for myself on the trip. Every single chef thanked me for bringing them the note because it made it so much clearer to them what was going on and what they had to do to deal with it. I would 10,000% recommend bringing a translated note. The resort was so accommodating; it amazed me. It made such a difference to my trip that they were so great with accommodating my food allergies.

A trip with food allergies can definitely be daunting, but as long as you prepare in advance, you will have the time of your life.

– Giulia C.