Holiday dilemma

[BrandNewSofa]

Hoping someone can give me some advice!

We havent been on holiday in years. Last time was 2009 before we had ds.

We keep toying with the idea of going somewhere but several things keep holding us back- firstly ds has 2 food allergies which make eating out anywhere very tricky. It’s hard even in the Uk.

Secondly DH has IBS that can suddenly flare up and cause him stomach pain and needing to stay near a loo. Because of this he has to avoid dairy and gluten.

every year we feel like we are missing out but it just feels like such a faff and a stress going abroad.

What about a cruise, DH would be near toilets and cruises cater with allergies and dietary requirements really well.

That sounds so hard. Are there allergy Facebook groups you could join and ask? Could you take a couple of days worth of food so you have time to suss the place out before eating out? Explain to the hotel you stay at?

I've been looking at reviews for cruises over the weekend and several of the negative reviews are people saying that either there was very little choice for their allergies or, worse, that these were either misunderstood or ignored .

Personally I would look for somewhere self catering where you can be in charge of your own diet if need be .

Maybe somewhere with a short flight and book accommodation via vrbo or AirB&B so you can pick somewhere within easy distance/.taxi ride of a large supermarket . Take full size suitcases and you can probably take some packaged food with you (eg if you need gluten free pasta).

If DS has severe allergies eg breathing in nuts you would need to let the airline know so they can let people on the flight know not to eat these .

Self catering villa/apartment.

I have ibs and am lactose intolerant.

Most european destinations and domestic Asian/Middle Eastern ones will have easily accessible shops to buy food in,

I'm going away with my nephew who has a life-threatening egg allergy, and an allergy to milk. Milk he usually responds to antihistamines and epi-pen if needed, but eggs he can be in cardiac arrest within minutes of consuming. So, like you, his mum has been hesitant to take him abroad.

Firstly, do your research. Narrow down the area and then email the shortlisted accommodations to ask them how they deal with allergies. Join the Facebook groups of the hotels and again ask about peoples experience of allergies there. Within a few months we had picked our destination and hotel, and I'm pretty confident we will be fine (albeit limited) once we are there.

I've arranged to meet the hotel manager and head chef a few hours after our arrival. They are going to take us on a tour of the kitchens to show us how they ensure no cross-contamination. We will be given the full menus for each day (this is an AI hotel) which will show what he can/cannot have. He's 7 and of course loves chicken nuggets, and at this hotel they coat the nuggets in egg before adding the breadcrumbs. They are going to make a separate batch for him daily, just in case he wants them.

They are also going to provide us with a kettle and microwave in the room so that we can make some of his favourite pot snacks (super noodles in particular), which is unusual for a hotel with no cooking facilities in the room but they're going above and beyond to ensure he is safe during our stay. Only ice cream is available on the AI which isn't suitable, so he will be given a card to say he can have an ice lolly instead :)

So, it CAN be done, you just need to do your research and stay in touch with the hotel. Since booking, he's developed a coconut allergy too so it's another swap of milk, and they've been great with this too.

have you thought about hiring a private villa with a heated pool.

I'd hire a villa/cottage/apartment and go self-catering.

If you go somewhere driveable you can take trusted food with you too.

Dubai is probably where I had some of the best service and food. Turkey hotels offer quite a lot. If you do your research follow the Facebook groups of the hotels they do cater to dietary needs.

Self catering all the way! Like a pp said, take some core staples, cook the rest from fresh ingredients from the supermarket once you arrive. Enjoy yourselves! Start small and build up to your adventure

How about self catering in the Channel Islands or N. Ireland? Jersey and Guernsey are absolutely beautiful

Wow this is very impressive of the hotel! Hope all of you have an enjoyable and safe trip! X

What a fantastic Aunty you are, @itsallabitofamystery!

@Chocolate101 this is in Turkey too, so I thought we would struggle tbh. His mum is coming along too, it's us two and 6 kids between us so I want to make it as easy as possible for her. She's never been brave enough to take him abroad so I thought if we did it together, we could make it work. She's not in social media so I did all the research and I feel I've got to really know the staff at the hotel who will be meeting us on the day. I guess only time will tell if it all pans out ok!!

I think it might be time to embrace villas. Once you try having your own pool and private sun loungers you might fall in love with it!

We take GF basics like wraps, cereal and pasta. Shop at a mix of local Lidl (everything labelled) and local supermarket (better veg, and exciting snacks for less restricted folks).

It is different to a hotel holiday, it's less food oriented (and I adore my food) but pick somewhere where there are bits and bobs about to visit, a villa with a pool, and spend nights in with board games and a bottle of wine, or pop out together for a drink at a local bar (kids included) after an early-ish dinner, if DH is feeling up to it.

@itsallabitofamystery this is much the same as an experience a blogger I used to follow wrote about years ago. Her experience was in Cairo, iirc.

Like you, her secret was early, clear communication and, like you, had a terrific experience.

Self catering with a pool in northern France. Take the ferry for access to loos. Short drive and you are there. You can take food shopping with you to accommodate dietary requirements

I am a celiac and 1 of my child is severely allergic to nuts

holiday - we either do self catering uk

or abroad - we stick to English speaking countries - so USA / Caribbean have been great success or really nice hotels (big international brands ) where you know there will not be any language barrier.

I know that makes us sound really ‘ignorant English’ wanting only to speak English abroad - and in normal circumstances I would be wanting to learn local language etc - but as it is so critical for both of us - I can’t trust cards / google translate / my attempts at speaking schoolgirl French etc - I need to know I am able to read and converse fully with people to ensure food is safe for us.

1st time it was really nerve wracking but we picked a nice hotel with good ranges of restaurants and you learn to be assertive and double check everything with hotel staff and if in any doubt - we don’t eat it.

thankfully wine is gf!

We've just been on a cruise with NCL. Ds2 is allergic to peanuts, all tree nuts and coconut. He was given the menu for the main dining room the night before, if there was anything with his allergens in they cooked a safe version for him in a separate kitchen. The head chef in the buffet restaurant walked round with him every day to go through what he could eat. I was really impressed with how well they dealt with his allergies.

Self catering is probably the way forward. I have food allergies and prefer to cook for myself most of the time when on holiday as eating out is a bit nerve-wracking!

When I do eat out abroad, I have a credit card sized card explaining my allergies in that language. I've never been poisoned yet in France, Italy or Spain...

The obvious answer is a self catering apartment and only buy fresh unprocessed foods.

If you go to an EU country they have to display information on allergens in bold or a different font in the ingredients list, the same as in the UK. So you could, before you go, make sure you have got the words for the relevant allergens in the language of the country, maybe create a little card you can keep in your pocket you can refer to or show staff.