Has anyone had any issues with traveling with food allergies? I'm gluten free and my sister is gluten free and also can't have peanuts. Is there anything we should be aware of?
Also, there my be another person going besides my sister and I. We are thinking of doing Airbnb. But if we did a hotel, do hotels charge per person per night or could we split the per night costs between the 2/3 of us to save $$?
I have a cinnamon allergy which is not common. If you can get an epi-pen (I know that won't help with Gluten but will get you time if a reaction to peanuts is bad)
My main piece of advice is to learn to say allergic to peanuts or gluten in the language of the country you are visiting. I did this and it helped with looking at ingredient lists and at restaurants.
According to your other post you are going to London and Edinburgh, and possibly Paris for a day or two. In the UK everything will be in English so you can see what is on the menu at restaurants and do whatever you do at home to avoid gluten and peanuts. It will be pretty much like it is in the US. Food shouldn't be an issue.
Most hotels charge per-room - sort of - but are strict on how many people the room is for. The price goes up for different sizes. A single is cheaper than a double. If you get a double you can’t just put a third person in it. You need to get a triple room. Some hotels will bring in a bed to make a double into a triple and charge for it. Others have specific triple rooms. Some hotels don’t do either, there is simply no way to have 3 people in one room.
Allergies - print out a card in the local language to explain. Ask your hotel ahead of time if it has a free breakfast and if so if it can accommodate your allergies. If not you would need to figure out another solution for breakfast.
I personally prefer apartment with allergies. Most of the time restaurants work fine but it’s good to have a fridge and place to prepare snacks that I know are ok. I don’t “cook” on vacation very much, but I do buy cheese, yogurt, gluten free bread and cereal, milk, etc for snacks and in case of emergency.
Even in a hotel you can stop at a grocery and buy shelf- stable snacks like fruit or snack bars.
if we did a hotel, do hotels charge per person per night or could we split the per night costs between the 2/3 of us to save $$?
A lot of hotel rooms are a fixed price for 2 people and then an additional charge for a third. But many hotels will have larger rooms designed for 3 or more. AirbnB listing show the number of people for the price listed, depending on the size of the place, and then will list how much it costs for each additional person.
No, you can't ask for a room for 2 and put 3 in it. This is one of the most difficult things for people from the US to understand since most hotels in the US just have rooms where most can comfortably fit up to 4 people (some US hotels do charge extra for more than 2 people in a room but not many). You need to reserve a room for the actual number of people that will be in it because the rooms in most European hotels are sized to hold only the number of people you reserved it for. Otherwise, you risk making the hotel operator very angry too.
Keep in mind that European hotel rooms tend to be a lot smaller than most American hotel rooms. Look at online photos and reviews to get an idea of room size. One person in a small room is cozy. Two or more can be distinctly cramped. Walking space may be at a premium, as well as places to put three people's luggage. But you will definitely save money by finding a triple room rather than a double plus a single.
