Food Allergies

Carol, get a card to hand over to waiters and serving staff, it should have a translation in the language of the country you are in( do not assume you can use english, this is too important) explaining you have a deathly allergy to shellfish,, explain that even eating food that has been on same cutting board or pot will affect you. As for feathers,, that a tough one. I would look at hotels websites and contact them directly asking if they have feather free bedding. Some larger hotels may have a stock of feather free bedding, buy many smaller ones may not. In that case, if you are planning on staying in smaller places, you may have to bring minimally your own pillow( I am sure, but do ask, if places have at least a blanket you can use) How do you manage at home with your food allergies, it will likely be the same abroad,, but with the langauge issue to deal with( so tougher).
There are websites I think that actually sell those little translated allergy alert cards,, google for it . Goes without saying you will always have a few epi pens on you, and wear an allergy alert medallion. ( if you have a reaction and your friend is not there who will speak for you?)

Thank you so much for your respond. It all sounds like very good advice. Yes, on a trip to Florida, it was hard to find something to eat at an beach front cafe. The pizza was safe, but not great.

You are headed into pork country if you head through Denmark. Scandinavia is good sausage country too. If you are worried about fish contaminated by shell fish think pig. I have a hard time imagining that the pickled herring has shell fish contamination. My mother has numerous food allergies and feather allergies. She's been everywhere. She takes a plastic pillow cover and a cotton pillow cover to go over it for comfort. That may not do it for you, but it solves her problem.

In Swedish ... "Jag är allergisk mot skaldjur" - I am allergic to shellfish. However, most Swedes have at least nine years of English in school, so you should be able to explain your allergy to the waiter and emphasize the serious nature of it. Some menu items to avoid are any skaldjur (shellfish), räkor (shrimp), kräftor (crayfish), krabba (crab), anything with skagenröra (a seafood salad that is very popular), and räksallad (shrimp salad). You may want to avoid the ubiquitous hot dog stands (korvkiosk). One very popular topping for hot dogs is shrimp salad and I'd be concerned about cross-contamination. With the hotel bedding, I'd suggest you contact them in advance.

Okay, shrimp salad on a hot dog is disgusting.

Shrimp on a hot dog must be a northern Sweden thing... I've never run into it in the south! (But do look for the instant mashed potatoes, served in lieu of bread, that look like soft serve ice cream!)

Shrimp on a hot dog must be a northern Sweden thing... I've never run into it in the south! (But do look for the instant mashed potatoes, served in lieu of bread, that look like soft serve ice cream!)

Oooh, even better. Shrimp salad in a convenience store.

The best way is to ask. The vast majority of Swedes everywhere in the country will be able to speak English (Sweden is among the easiest countries in the world to visit without speaking the language). A card may help in some situations, but should not be necessary. Many major restaurants have websites with menus on them. For some general advice translated from Swedish: http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=sv&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.levamedallergi.com%2FContent%2FLive%2Fresturante.aspx You can check ahead of time and select those with a shellfish free menu, if that helps. Sticking to certain cuisines can also help. Soldaten Svejk on Södermalm is Czech and a very good value with zero shellfish on the menu (http://www.svejk.se/matsedel/matsedel.htm). No shellfish on the menu means no chance of contamination. Another good option for some truly Swedish food is to check out the kebab places. Amida kolgrill on Södermalm or Eastanbul near Odenplan are good picks for sit down kebab. Pizza is risky: Swedes like to put shrimp (and mussels!) on their pizza. As for the hotel, the only thing you can do is contact them ahead of time and ask. Many hotels prefer synthetic pillows because they're cheap and easy to replace. You should be able to find a place that can give you non-down based bedding.

Check the graffiti wall section of this site and you will find information about traveling with allergies. Good luck.