Backpacking with food allergies – the prep guide

By lucylox on February 14, 2026

Can I go backpacking with food allergies?

That's a very big question to answer and there is no simple response. A lot of backpacking options will be too tricky (distance from a hospital, inability to understand the language or unreliability of labelling) but with much planning, forethought, and a good dose of clear thinking, it can be possible.

As I've mentioned, Little S is currently on her gap year and she has always wanted to travel and see the world. But with having multiple allergies, this is far more difficult for her than for most of her contemporaries. She couldn't just stuff a rucksack with some clothing, grab a last-minute flight, and head off to the wilds of South East Asia. But with some careful planning she has managed to be adventurous, scratch her travelling itch and do the same as her friends. So it is possible, have faith, your allergy children/family/friends don't have to be held back. There may be extra considerations and certainly a lot more planning, but they can be adventurous too.

I'm by no means saying we have the holy grail on how to travel safely with allergies, but this is what was important for Little S (and us) and hopefully it may help you too. Just as a reminder Little S is allergic to milk, eggs, peanuts and sesame seeds.

I will write another post on how to successfully travel with food allergies but for now, this is our planning and how we approached it. I hope someone finds it helpful xx

Destination – Maybe, deep down Little S may have wanted to go somewhere super adventurous, follow the gap year trail through the classic backpacking countries, like many of her friends. But the reality is that it would just be far too difficult and risky. When you have to place trust in others over what you eat, there are a few non negotiables. You will need to be able to understand what the ingredients are in products you buy, you will need to be able to get the message across over what you can and can't eat and you need to have medical assistance within a reasonable proximity. With this in mind, Little S chose Australia (a full write up will be coming) which despite being so far away, ticked the boxes of communication, health care and labelling. As well as being a totally awesome country to visit, with lots to see and do. The backpacker hostels are also nice and equipped with kitchens, so she was able to safely cater for herself for the majority, rather than relying on always eating out. So our keys to choosing destination were:
- Language and ability to communicate
- Reliable allergen labelling on food
- Good medical care, within reach
Packing – Food – We packed lots of emergency provisions, just to smooth the way. Whilst Australia has great labelling and we did lots of research and asked my lovely readers for tips and recommendations (see my earlier post) we wanted to be sure she had enough to cover emergencies. These were the essentials we packed:
1. Chocolate and biscuits – always so hard to find. Nomo and Sweet William chocolate is available in Australia, but in other destinations we've been to, we've never found any safe chocolate or biscuits. Plus, they're handy for a little boost on energy whilst travelling.
2. Spice mixes/sauces – we packed plenty of our safe go-to spice mixes and sauces, something to pep up food and make it more interesting, and to save buying expensive products along the way. We packed Nando's spice mix, Wagamama sauces in sachets, safe Kallo stock cubes.
3. Tartex vegetarian spread – this is a life saver – non-refrigerated vegetarian pate that can make a tasty emergency sandwich. Marmite is another great option, although she didn't pack that as she knew she'd be able to get Vegemite in Australia.
4. Safe pesto – Little S really likes the Ottolenghi Miso pesto which is safe for her allergies and makes a good, quick meal. But there are other safe, quick and easy pasta sauces available.
5. Instant noodles – suitable versions can be hard to find so we packed a few safe packs for an emergency quick meal.
6. Huel meals – again not the most exciting but a few freeze-dried safe pouches for a just in case scenario.
7. Doves Farm bars/made Good Bars – we packed huge amounts of these – enough for one a day as an emergency breakfast or a filling snack on the go. Cereal bars are hard to find for us, so we wanted to be sure she had something that could keep her going if need be.
8. MyOm oat milk concentrate sachets – an easy way to carry dairy-free milk for coffees etc. but actually mainly for use on the flight as plant-based milks are widely available in Australia.
9. Bread – bread is always difficult if you have a sesame allergy and whilst we had found out that wraps would be available, we packed some pitta breads just for an easy start to the journey.
Packing – non-food
1. Medication (far more than needed) plus prescriptions, plus Dr letters in case any questions were asked
2. Equal eats card
3. Emergency numbers
4. Travel insurance with allergy cover
5. Allergy alert bracelet plus emergency contacts on phone screen
6. Phone plus portable charger and cables etc
7. All the usual clothes and toiletries