How to Travel with Dietary Restrictions and Still Eat Well

Gluten free, vegan, keto, nut allergy, dairy intolerant. Dietary restrictions do not have to mean sad salads and anxious restaurant negotiations. Here is how to travel and eat brilliantly with any dietary need.

Traveling with dietary restrictions used to mean spending significant energy on every single meal. Calling ahead to restaurants. Showing cards in foreign languages explaining your allergy. Settling for the one item on the menu you could definitely eat. It required constant vigilance and took real joy out of one of the best parts of travel.

That experience is still possible if you do not plan ahead. But with the right approach, traveling with dietary restrictions can actually lead you to better food than you would have found otherwise, because it forces you to research rather than defaulting to whatever is convenient.

Research Before You Land

The biggest mistake travelers with dietary restrictions make is leaving restaurant research until they are already hungry in a foreign city. Hungry plus unfamiliar environment plus dietary constraint is a recipe for a terrible meal. Do the research before you leave.

For each destination, identify five to ten restaurants that can confidently accommodate your needs. Not restaurants that might have something for you. Restaurants that are genuinely good and that your dietary requirements are not a problem at.

Planary tip: Your dietary restrictions are entered directly into your Planary planning form. Every single restaurant recommendation we make is pre-filtered for your needs. Nothing gets suggested that you cannot eat at.

Learn the Key Phrases in the Local Language

Even in countries with low English proficiency, knowing how to communicate your dietary need in the local language changes everything. Not full sentences. Just the key words. "No gluten" in Italian. "I am vegan" in Japanese. "Nut allergy, very serious" in Spanish. These phrases, delivered with appropriate gravity, are understood in most restaurants around the world.

Know Which Cuisines Work Naturally for Your Diet

Some cuisines are naturally aligned with certain dietary needs. This knowledge alone makes choosing restaurants much easier.

• Gluten free: Japanese cuisine is largely naturally gluten free with the exception of soy sauce. Mexican food based around corn tortillas is excellent. Ethiopian cuisine built on injera is not, but the stews often are.
• Vegan: Indian cuisine has a vast and genuinely delicious vegan tradition. Middle Eastern food is heavily plant-based. Ethiopian and much of West African cuisine has excellent vegan options.
• Keto and low carb: Steakhouse cultures in Argentina and Brazil work perfectly. Japanese omakase is naturally protein and vegetable heavy. Mediterranean cuisine with its focus on fish, olive oil, and vegetables adapts well.
• Dairy free: Most Asian cuisines use very little dairy. Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese, and Chinese food are largely safe with some exceptions.

Be Specific About Severity

There is a meaningful difference between a preference and an allergy. When you communicate with a restaurant, be specific about which yours is. A restaurant that would happily make a dairy-free modification for a preference may take completely different steps for a dairy allergy. Communicating severity accurately keeps you safe and ensures the restaurant takes the right precautions.

Accept That Some Destinations Are Harder Than Others

Some destinations are genuinely more challenging for certain dietary needs. Japan is extraordinary for vegan food in major cities and much harder in rural areas where dashi broth appears in almost everything. France is wonderful for everything except gluten intolerance given the central role of bread and pastry. This does not mean you should not go. It means you should plan more carefully.