Traveling As is a column in Travel + Leisure that features interviews with travelers. We ask them about their experiences of traveling the world from their own unique perspective. We spoke with the writer and editor Miranda Mullings, born with anaphylactic reactions to nuts. It hasn’t stopped her from travelling internationally and living part-time, even in Rome. Here’s her story…
Since birth, I have had severe food allergy. My family believes it started while I was crawling and couldn’t yet walk at my grandma’s house. When my grandma cooked, a nut fell. As soon as I touched it, I broke out into hives. The allergist found that I am allergic to peanuts.
Other people are allergic only to tree nuts, such as almonds and walnuts. Others are allergic to tree nuts, which include all the rest—pistachios, walnuts, and almonds. I’m allergic to them both. If I eat them, my throat will close up and I’ll get hives. It’s not a big deal, but it can quickly turn into a life or death situation.
Back then, children’s food allergies weren’t nearly as common as now. It was embarrassing but eventually, it became part of my personality.
When I was growing up, my family did not travel much. And when we did, the trips were within the United States. It wasn’t a big deal to avoid an allergic response, as I was speaking my mother tongue in a context that I understood.
But I was determined to travel abroad. When I turned 18, because I couldn’t afford to buy a plane ticket, I decided to take a road trip to Quebec City in a 24-hour period from my home town in southern Missouri.
My first awareness that my allergy may be a concern when traveling internationally. Despite having studied French in school many locals couldn’t understand my French. Many restaurants didn’t have staff who spoke English or they didn’t get me when I said I had an allergy to tree nuts. It was then that I realised I had to learn how to communicate with people in a foreign environment to avoid hospital visits.
My Airbnb hosts were fluent in both English and French. The idea was to write on a card something like “I am allergic to tree nuts and peanuts.” This card was something I took with me and showed to the waitstaff. It was an adorable gesture, and it has changed the way I travel.
Miranda Mullings
Before I graduated from college, the school required me to study abroad. In my senior year, I wanted to study in France because I’d been learning the language since 13 years old. I can’t recall the details, but I was sent to Rome instead.
I was so scared that I packed enough bars to last me for the first two weeks. The TSA was so suspicious that they swabbed my bars.
After the first week I realized that I didn’t need to live off of them. With my handy index cards, it was a breeze to travel around Italy. There was pizza and pasta, and I was able to enjoy my trip with ease. I was initially nervous to show the card but restaurants and people were very receptive.
It was around 10 years ago that I first came here Rome Summer program. Now I live here in part-time. Italy is great for people who have nut allergies because nuts are usually only used to make pesto or desserts.
However, I must be cautious when I travel. I was in Rome working as a communications officer at the United Nations during my gap year. I went to the beach when I was on vacation. Amalfi Coast By myself
I started looking for food as soon I arrived. If you are hungry at 3 pm, you may have a hard time eating out in Italy. I was unable to get anyone’s attention at a buffet-style restaurant, where they were unaware of my food allergy.
I was having a panicky attack because I worried about the possible consequences of a reaction. I didn’t know Italian and was alone. They would see that I was having a problem, but not know why. This was something that I’d never considered before. It caused me to feel a great deal of anxiety. After the meltdown, I went to sleep in my hotel room.
I learned that it’s all about finding the right balance between trying something new and not letting your allergies prevent you from seeing the world. I don’t travel by myself as much as I would like to—and that’s OK. If a menu has many dishes that contain nuts, it makes me uncomfortable because I assume that there are lots of nuts in the cooking. If there are only a few dishes that contain nuts, I am more likely to stay.
In northern Europe and North America I have found that people are more understanding of allergies. They immediately understood when I was in Denmark and Poland. Most people do not understand the severity.
An incident can occur anywhere. Ironically, I only had an anaphylactic response this past December in a luxury resort located within an hour from my hometown. I’ve always felt more secure at high-end restaurants, because you know they take extra care if you tell them you have an allergy.
When I made my reservation online, a note was added. When they asked, I reminded the staff when we had sat down. Before the food came, I flagged the waiter to double check they had told the kitchen—I always do this—so I thought I had nothing to worry about. I was eating when I noticed the pistachio crumble on top.
The situation created a little bit of a commotion. It was surprising that I was calm and the staff was friendly, but it was clear the manager had been so nervous. This was the first time they’d dealt with such a situation. We were located far away from a large town, so it took 45 mins for the ambulance to come.
It was shocking that this happened in the hotel I have been staying at my whole life, and it’s so close to me.
Now, I carry even more EpiPens—at least three in my purse—because you never know. Each one controls the situation for approximately 15 minutes. This is a shot that contains enough adrenaline to take you to the emergency room. The only way to stop a reaction is with an IV of adrenaline. They observed me for 3 hours because everyone’s metabolism is different.
Some restaurants will tell me to avoid their restaurant, but that’s fine. I’m fine if restaurants tell me to avoid them. I would rather be safe then sorry. I don’t feel comfortable if the staff is so nervous that they have to speak out. It can be frustrating, to say the least.
Miranda Mullings
Your risk tolerance can also change over time. It’s not a science—it’s about what makes you feel comfortable at the time. I, for example, don’t eat on airplanes anymore. Many times a week, I travel to and from Europe. One day I realized that I was over the ocean. I now eat a full meal at the airport, and then stock up on snacks to stay satiated.
I still feel lucky. I know that some people can’t breathe the same particles as me.
It has happened that a waiter, or chef, will say “My daughter’s allergic too, so it’s okay.” When it happens, I’m sure they are taking extra care.
You shouldn’t let this condition stop you from traveling. However, you must be willing to make compromises. It’s important to prepare and understand that you might not be able travel to Thailand due to your allergy to nuts. Even though I’d like to say that this won’t limit you, unfortunately it isn’t true. Some of the most beautiful spots in the entire world are located off the grid. Unfortunately, it’s a risk that I cannot take.
I love the way travel opens our minds and expands our boundaries. It’s this deeper meaning that I seek. Traveling made me realize how much I had been missing.
Realistic expectations about where and what you can do are important for people with food allergies. Test your boundaries and assess the risk. Everybody is different. She doesn’t go to restaurants. But until you test it, you’ll never know.
