When planning your holiday, it’s important to consider what type of accommodation is available and most suitable for your planned destination.
Self-catering
Airbnb, apartment, cabin, villa or hotel with kitchen:
- Facilities may include a small kitchenette with limited utensils, a microwave and refrigeration or fully equipped kitchen with cooktop and oven:
- check website or ask on booking for details
- make sure all cooking equipment, crockery and cutlery are clean before use.
- Consider where the closest supermarket is to make shopping easier.
Self-catering is the safest option for people with food allergy.
Hotels and resorts
- Some hotels have serviced apartments or aparthotels that have kitchen facilities.
- Contact the manager of the restaurant/s within the hotel or resort to discuss whether they can cater for your/your family’s food allergy before you book.
- Usually have 24-hour reception with staff who can:
- Help in an emergency, for example, ringing an ambulance. This is very helpful if you do not speak the language.
- suggest suitable restaurants and make reservations
- direct you to nearby fresh food markets or supermarkets.
- Often have no cooking facilities or refrigeration except for mini bar fridge:
- be aware mini bars may have foods that contain allergens so make sure young children can’t access.
Bed and breakfast, guesthouse or homestay
- Hosts usually live on the same property or nearby.
- Hosts may not always be available, but may be able to:
- Help in an emergency, for example, ringing an ambulance. This is very helpful if you do not speak the language.
- suggest suitable restaurants and make reservations
- direct you to nearby fresh food markets or supermarkets.
- Most accommodation does not include kitchen facilities.
- Often some meals are included in the cost of the accommodation:
- confirm that they can cater for your/your family’s food allergy
- tell your host about your food allergy, including that your allergen cannot be an ingredient or present through cross contamination.
- The hosts’ understanding of food allergy may not be as good as food service staff that work in a hotel or resort and there may not be as many options for alternative foods.
- Some accommodation may offer self-catering – make sure all cooking equipment, crockery and cutlery are clean before use.
Hostels
- Budget-friendly accommodation with shared kitchen and storage area as well as shared sleeping and entertainment spaces.
- Shared kitchen space and equipment:
- make sure the bench and all cooking equipment, crockery and cutlery are clean before use.
- Consider the storage of your food and the risk that other guests may use food and contaminate it with utensils that are not clean:
- ask about the arrangements for storage of food.
Camping, caravan parks and campervans
- Provide the option to self-cater. You may need to bring your own cooking equipment.
- Caravans and campervans may have kitchenettes, giving the option to travel to different places with the same kitchenette and equipment.
- If remote, there may be reduced choices of safe food.
- Be aware that the shared cooking facilities, such as a BBQ, may not be clean. Use a sheet of foil or a specially designed BBQ liner to cook food that is for the person with the food allergy
For more info visit our camping with allergies page.
Travelling with allergies
Travelling with food allergy involves planning ahead, and Allergy & Anaphylaxis Australia has useful guides and resources to help you on your way.