Food Allergy Suggestions

I bring jerky, dried fruit and nuts so I don't have to stop touring and to save money, eating only lunch at restaurants. you may want to have 1 "I am allergic to chicken, duck, turkey and seafood and go into anaphalectic shock" 2. "do you have anything that i can eat?"cards made up. then visit restaurants as soon as they open for lunch when they are looking to seat people and you aren't starving yet. best.

Yes, you can travel with things like cliff bars. There are restrictions around fresh produce and meat/dairy but none around packaged things like bars. Bring what you need.

Also, you will find grocery stores in every town. There are big ones, but also small corner markets near most tourist attractions, and often in bigger train stations. You can stock up on crackers, bars, yogurt, whatever you may need to tide you over.

Even in seafood-heavy places, you will find plenty of other options.

I carry bars for those emergency meals, or long train trips. No problem taking them with you. You might find some interesting snacks at train stations/bars.

Sometimes the wait staff and/or cooks are not fluent in the local language, or don't understand the danger of, say, anchovy paste as an ingredient in pasta sauce. A company called SelectWisely makes illustrated laminated cards that you can show to restaurant staff. They offer standard cards and they'll also make custom ones. https://www.selectwisely.com/FAQ/

thank you all so much, very helpful!

As suggested get the cards .

I have never been anywhere that a menu doesn't have a selection of seafood and no seafood items .

Good catch about the anchovy paste ( used in Caesar salad dressing ) I wouldn't have thought of that !

"Even in seafood-heavy places, you will find plenty of other options."

I just want to emphasize this point. Even in places where the "local specialty" is fish or seafood, you will not have any trouble finding beef, pork, etc. However, the point made above is also correct - you will have to make sure that the sauces are not made with things you are allergic to.

I've traveled with a box of Kashi bars (my favorite brand) and these aren't that heavy and don't take up that much space.

I have a food allergy and I always travel with a bit of food. Clif Bars fill in some of the eating gaps for me and I'm always so sick of them when I get home that I seldom eat them in the US.

You've been given good advice here - here's my additional thoughts. If your allergy is an anaphylactic one, make sure that your allergy card say that specifically. There's a range of allergies out there and I always worry that a wait person is just going to think I don't "like" a food or that a food makes me uncomfortable. If I eat my allergen food, my throat swells and I don't want anyone to misunderstand that so my card says that if I eat corn, I will have to go to the hospital.

Another thing - there's no Benadryl for sale in Italy so bring plenty with you. Finally - do you travel with Zyrtec? It gives me a little protection for the odd allergen stuff I can't see and the Benadryl comes in handy for lots of things, obviously.

I'll just add that I'm vegan so I don't eat poultry or seafood altho I'm not allergic. I've never had any problem finding food I can eat in Venice, CT or the small amount of travel I've done in N Italy. I do carry a translation card which is helpful. At times I've had waiters take the card to the kitchen and then come back and show me which things on the menu will work. In general restaurant staff have been very helpful.

I do travel with a few Clif bars or something similar, mostly because you can never be sure you'll get a special request meal on the airplane, even when it's been ordered well ahead.

I've never eaten poultry or seafood anywhere in Italy. No problems at all.