Allergy-Friendly All-Inclusive Resorts: Read This Before Booking!
Updated July 2024
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First a little background…
I’m Corinna, and I’m a Food Allergy Mentor. This means I help food allergy families keep their kids safe, and worry less. If you’re looking for safe food allergy travel & lifestyle tips, you’re in the right place (also check out my Instagram, @friendlypantry).
Our family is from Canada, but we love to travel and have been to Spain, Ireland, the UK, France, Italy, Mexico, the Bahamas, all over the US (including Disney World and Disneyland), and all over Canada with severe food allergies; all before our kids were teens.
GOOD NEWS!
You can get everything we’ve learned from all of our extensive travel experience without doing it the hard way because I’ve put it all into a powerful Food Allergy Travel Workshop, complete with a Travel Planning Printable so you can confidently travel with food allergies too. This food allergy planning pack & workshop is perfect for any allergy and any trip you want to take.
Learn how to travel safely with food allergies here.
Unearthing The Perfect Allergy-Friendly All-Inclusive Resorts
Vacation time is coming and whether you’ve booked a trip already, OR you’re feeling a little hesitant, OR even if you’re not ready to book a trip yet, THIS is for you.
I know many families either with or without food allergies want to go to all-inclusive resorts.
I think there are a couple of reasons for this…
You feel like you want a vacation from cooking, and if you can find an allergy-friendly all-inclusive resort, it seems like the best bet.
Allergy-friendly all-inclusive resorts usually cater to families so there’s lots to do for everyone.
It seems easier than getting accommodations with a kitchen, but with food allergies, this could be a bit of a myth. We’ll talk more about that later.
Those are the draws of an all-inclusive, but are there any downfalls?
I think there are a couple.
You’re putting all of your eggs in one basket since you’re trusting that resort for the WHOLE time that you’re away.
If you get a recommendation from another family or blog or Instagram post, that’s amazing, and it’s helpful when you’re planning a trip. But I want to remind you that things can change at any time.
Maybe there’s a new manager who doesn’t make food allergies a priority, or maybe the resort is going through changes and they change their policies. Unfortunately, there are no guarantees when it comes to recommendations. For example, when we went to France a couple of years ago, I did some research and got a few recommendations for restaurants. It was surprising how many of the recommended restaurants weren’t even there anymore.
The other thing is that the person who gave you the recommendation in the first place, may not be at the same place as you when it comes to food allergies. Do they take the same precautions as you? Did they check for cross-contact? It’s almost like you need to ask them how they manage food allergies before you know if a recommendation from them will work for your family.
BUT ALL OF THAT SAID,
I know that having a vacation from cooking is a very big benefit of allergy-friendly all-inclusive resorts, so I want to give you a few tips for finding one that might work for your food allergy family.
Full disclosure here, we have never stayed at an all-inclusive resort as a family (but we have taken 3 all-inclusive cruises). Usually, we get a place with a kitchen, and then I’ll research 1-2 restaurants nearby so that we can make our own food, but also have a few nights out. I find that this is a nice balance, especially with food allergies.
Even though we get a place with a kitchen, I still don’t want to be in the kitchen the whole time.
So, over the years, I’ve come up with a few key strategies to make cooking, not only SAFER, but also easier and less time-consuming too.
I’ve discovered that you don’t have to feel like you need a vacation from the vacation afterward if you do it right.
And DARE I SAY that what I’ve come up with has even made vacations more fun and less stressful. So I come back feeling like I’ve been on vacation, WITHOUT worrying about putting all my eggs in one basket at an all-inclusive. With these strategies, I don’t feel like I NEED to have an allergy-friendly all-inclusive vacation to get that break from the kitchen.
Let’s start by talking about a few other things you’ll have to address BEFORE your trip.
Sometimes, people think that if they go to an allergy-friendly all-inclusive resort, they will be able to relax when it comes to food allergies. And yes, that may be the case, if you indeed find a good resort that knows how to handle allergies well.
BUT, even if the resort is AMAZING with food allergies, other essential strategies still help make a trip smoother, safer, and less stressful.
So if this is your FIRST trip with food allergies, or even if you’ve already taken a few trips, I have a few considerations you may not have thought about.
Acknowledge your fears. Ok, this may sound general, so what does this mean?
Here’s a surprise…
Food allergy travel is MORE than just finding allergy-friendly destinations, accommodations, and safe restaurants.
To have a great vacation, your MIND needs to be in the right place too.
Whether you realize it or not, when it comes to food allergy travel, your mindset and thoughts are important!
Having your mindset in the right place will allow you to think on your feet when plans change so you can ENJOY your vacation, instead of stressing the whole time!
I remember when we were about to go on our first overseas trip to Spain. We had researched and planned it all out. But a week before, I WAS A MESS! I wanted to cancel the whole thing. I even had mom guilt because I was feeling guilty for deciding to take the unnecessary “risk” of travel.
Thank goodness my husband calmed me down because our trip to Spain is still one of our favorite trips of all time. Our family would have missed out on SO MUCH if we hadn’t taken that trip, because taking that trip also gave us the desire to travel the Mediterranean and many more places too!
I tell you this so you know that these feelings of fear, doubt, and guilt are real and will likely happen at some point during a trip.
In this case, I had these feelings BEFORE the trip started, and it almost caused us to miss out on the experience entirely but these feelings can pop up at any time and cause stress. Especially if things don’t go as planned, that's when you can just spiral into stress which will make your trip go downhill. A trip filled with stress and worry isn’t a great memory at all.
So it’s important to truly overcome the fear of food allergies before planning or going on any trip so you can fully experience this vacation you paid so much for, as well as make your vacation safer.
2. Don’t overlook the small things.
As I already mentioned, food allergy travel is MORE than just finding allergy-friendly destinations, accommodations, and safe restaurants. There are a lot of smaller things that you WILL need to face too.
A few examples are, traveling on a plane, how to eat safely on travel days, what to pack, and where to find safe food when you’re on an excursion and away from your accommodations. Also, consider flight delays or emergencies that could come up, which are bound to happen at some point.
You may not think of these things right away, but they are inevitable and it’s ESSENTIAL so that you can confidently decide on the plan of action instead of being completely stressed and having to figure it out.
3. Consider future trips.
Consider also if you want to take ANOTHER vacation or even a weekend trip. Are you going to go on the same vacation and the same all-inclusive resort all the time? If you know how to research and plan allergy-friendly vacations, you have the freedom to decide what works for your family for every trip you take, not just one vacation.
Here are a few skills that I recommend every food allergy family has before any vacation or trip for the smoothest experience possible.
Get your mindset in the right place so you can confidently navigate whatever comes your way during the trip. From flight delays to a restaurant that you researched not being safe when you get there. Getting your mindset in the right place will help you make good decisions while also not spiraling into stress and worry that could ruin your trip.
Packing the right amount of allergy-safe foods. This can be tricky without packing too much (and paying for extra luggage on the plane and cruise) or too little and feeling like you can’t find safe food.
Over many trips, I’ve come up with a worksheet that helps break out every part of the trip so that we can easily figure out how much food to bring. This worksheet also helps us anticipate where we’ll be and what types of food we’ll need so that we can be prepared in different circumstances if the worst were to happen.
Flying safely with food allergies. Flying to and from a vacation destination can be challenging and a little scary at times. From booking to walking off of the plane, there are several things to think about.
Before and after stays. Even if you’re staying at an allergy-friendly all-inclusive resort, you will still need to navigate a completely strange location. It’s helpful to be prepared!
Researching and vetting restaurants and what to ask is an important part of traveling with food allergies. Even if you plan to stay at the resort the whole time, you may need to vet restaurants on your travel days so don’t forget this important skill.
So if you feel like you need help with one or ALL of these food allergy travel skills, check out my Food Allergy Travel Workshop. This workshop is going to help you overcome all of these things.
I’ve even included a workbook that will help you plan the trip from start to finish so you can feel confident and worry-free during your vacation, while also ready for anything that comes up while you’re away.
If you want more help with Dining Out With Food Allergies, I have a FULL workshop for that too.
Quick TIP - You can get the Dining Out With Food Allergies Workshop for over 50% off if you buy it at the same time as you buy the Food Allergy Travel Workshop.
5 Tips for Finding An Allergy-Friendly All-Inclusive Resort
Ok, so now that we’ve gone over a few of the food allergy travel skills you’ll need on ANY vacation, let's talk about tips for searching for an allergy-friendly all-inclusive resort.
Get recommendations.
YES, go to the blogs and the Instagram posts and the Facebook groups. Get the recommendations, BUT always check into things yourself for all the reasons I already mentioned.
Another great option is to book with a travel agent that specializes in food allergies. They can keep a good pulse on whether a resort is keeping up with good food allergy protocols.
I recommend Lauren Miller Travel. She’s a food allergy mama herself and is super helpful and understanding about food allergies. She knows exactly what it takes to book a vacation that’s allergy-friendly and relaxing. Let her know that Corinna from Friendly Pantry sent you!
Once you have your recommendations, you can dig into a few more things that will help you decide.
2. Think about hospital access and care.
How close is within your comfort zone? Which resorts fit into that?
3. Talk with the concierge before booking.
Ask who you can talk to about food allergies at the resort. Sometimes they may transfer you to a Head Chef, or Head of Staff, or maybe it will be the Concierge. Ask them the hard questions to ensure they fully understand food allergies and how to manage them well. Then decide if their allergy procedures will work for you.
You’ll also want to consider the types of food they will make for your child. For example: sometimes, allergy-friendly restaurants lean on salads or plain ingredients to accommodate allergies. I can tell you that, it may be fine to have a plain veggie salad once or twice, but for a full week, or more, it can become too much, especially for kids.
For us, desserts are an important part of vacation. It’s not that we have to have a huge array of options, but it is nice to have 1 to 2 dessert options that I know would be very special for my daughter so that we can all indulge a little without leaving her out, or feeling guilty.
5. Do your due diligence once you arrive.
You’ll STILL need to confirm your allergies when you order every meal, and ensure that the chef understands the severity of the allergies.
You’ll also need to confirm that you’ve received the right meal once it arrives.
This is why I say that an all-inclusive may not give you the most relaxing experience. Yes, they cook for you, but there's still a lot of research that needs to be done, and you do need to be active once you get there, at every meal. You can’t just sit back and not think about allergies at all.
Don’t expect restaurants to be perfect, just because you’ve heard they’re good. It’s important to ask lots of questions and ensure everybody is on the same page, every time you dine at a restaurant, whether it's at an allergy-friendly all-inclusive resort or not.
What if, you can’t find an allergy-friendly all-inclusive resort that works for your family?
If you don’t find an allergy-friendly all-inclusive resort that will work, know there are other ways to make things easier on you too. It doesn’t have to be an all-inclusive. There are some other great resorts where you can get the best of both worlds.
As I mentioned, we usually book a resort with a kitchen and then do some research to find 1-4 allergy-friendly restaurants nearby.
That said, there have been many times when I’ve researched a restaurant before leaving home but have NOT felt comfortable with it once we arrived. Safety is always our number ONE priority ESPECIALLY on vacation, which meant that we would not eat at a restaurant if we didn’t feel confident with their food allergy protocols.
This uncertainty means that vacations with food allergies often mean packing the right things, shopping for food, and cooking ourselves.
I know that people want a break from cooking on vacation, and usually seek out allergy-friendly all-inclusive resorts to get it. Still, I want you to know that it’s possible to make the burden of finding and cooking allergy-safe foods stream-lined and easy so the person who cooks for the family can enjoy the vacation too.
What do you think?
As you can see, there is a lot at stake when it comes to finding the best allergy-friendly all-inclusive resorts. But whether you go all-inclusive or not, a safe and worry-free trip boils down to having the practical knowledge you need.
The thing about traveling with food allergies is that you don’t know what you don’t know.
You may think you are completely prepared and then something comes up that you never thought of, and it can throw you off guard and make your trip way more worrisome than it has to be.
You can get all the best travel tips and strategies in one place so you don’t have to search all over the internet or worry that you’re missing important steps for safety.
You can do it with the Food Allergy Travel Workshop so you can enjoy your trip and even feel like you’ve had a break too!
I’ve packed this workshop with our 17 years of practical knowledge after traveling to the Bahamas, Mexico, Spain, Ireland, the UK, Italy, France, and all over the US and Canada.
We’ve been on several Disney vacations (including Disneyland, Disney World, and Paris Disney), road trips as well as beach vacations, tours, a river cruise, and a Mediterranean cruise!
The Food Allergy Travel Workshop also includes essential travel planners and packing templates you need whether you hire a food allergy travel agent or not.
HOT TIP: If you purchase the Food Allergy Travel Workshop, you can add on the Dining Out With Food Allergies Workshop for OVER 50% off. This is a great deal if you’re looking for both workshops.
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