I Was Born With Severe Nut Allergies—Here’s How I Travel the World Safely

For Travel + Leisure’s column Traveling As, we’re talking to travelers about what it’s like to explore the world through their unique perspectives. We chatted with writer and editor Miranda Mullings, who was born with a life-threatening anaphylactic allergic reaction to any trace of nuts. But she’s never let it hold her back from traveling internationally, and even living part-time in Rome. Here’s her story…

I’ve had severe food allergies since birth. My family says it started when I was crawling at my grandma’s house and couldn’t walk yet. There was some sort of nut that had fallen when my grandma was cooking. I put it to my lips and immediately broke out in hives. They took me to an allergist and found I’m allergic to nuts.

Some people are allergic to peanuts, which don’t grow on trees. Others are allergic to tree nuts, which include all the rest—pistachios, walnuts, and almonds. I’m lucky enough to be allergic to both. I can get hives by touching them, and if I eat one, I’ll have an anaphylactic allergy where my throat closes. It doesn’t take much and quickly turns into a life-or-death situation.

When I was a kid, food allergies among children weren’t as common as they are now. It was embarrassing, but it eventually became part of my identity. 

My family didn’t travel a lot when I was a kid, and when we did, it was within the U.S. Avoiding an allergic reaction wasn’t that big of a deal, since I was speaking my native language in a cultural context I understood.

But I was desperate to travel internationally. I couldn’t afford a plane ticket overseas, so when I turned 18, I got my passport and decided to drive to Quebec City from my hometown in southern Missouri on a 24-hour road trip. 

That was my first realization that my allergy might be an issue when traveling internationally. Even though I had been taking French in school, many locals didn’t understand me. There were a lot of restaurants where the staff didn’t speak English, or didn’t understand me when I explained I was allergic to tree nuts specifically. That’s when I realized I needed to figure out how to communicate in a foreign context and avoid hospital visits. 

My Airbnb hosts spoke English and French fluently. They came up with the idea to write down on an index card, something to the effect of, “I’m allergic to peanuts and tree nuts.” I carried that around and showed it to waitstaff. It was a sweet gesture on their part, and it changed how I travel.

When I got to college, my school required everyone to study abroad before graduating. It was my senior year and I wanted to go to France since I had been studying the language since I was 13. I don’t remember the specifics, but I ended up getting assigned to Rome instead.

I packed enough protein bars to get me through the first two weeks because I was scared. TSA was so suspicious, they even swabbed the bars.

After the first week, I realized I don’t have to live on them. There was pasta and pizza, and it was actually pretty easy to travel in Italy with my allergy, especially with my handy index card. At first, I was nervous about showing the card, but people were receptive and restaurants appreciated it.

That was about 10 years ago, when I first came to Rome for a summer program. Now, I live here part-time. Turns out, Italy is a great place for people with nut allergies, as nuts are typically only used in pesto and desserts.

But I do have to be careful when I travel. I took a gap year between undergrad and grad school, and was working in communications at the United Nations in Rome. I had time off and went down to the Amalfi Coast by myself. 

As soon as I arrived, I went to find something to eat. In Italy, restaurants close for certain hours of the day, so if you’re hungry at 3 p.m, it can be difficult to eat out. I found a chaotic, buffet-style eatery, and couldn’t get anyone’s attention to tell them about my allergy.

I ended up having a panic attack because I thought about what would happen if I had a reaction. I didn’t speak Italian and I was alone. People would see me having an issue, but wouldn’t know what was wrong with me. I hadn’t thought about it before, and it gave me lots of anxiety. I went back to my hotel room for the day and slept off the meltdown.

I realized it’s about finding a balance between trying new things and not letting allergies hold you back or prevent you from experiencing the world. I don’t travel by myself as much as I would like to—and that’s OK. If I see a menu that has many dishes with nuts, I’m not comfortable because that means there are a lot of nuts in the kitchen. But if there are just a few dishes with nuts, it’s not key to their cuisine and I’m more willing to stay.

I find that in northern Europe and North America, people understand the allergy thing more. I was in Denmark and Poland a few months ago, and they immediately understood. But for the most part, people don’t get the severity. 

The thing is, an incident can happen anywhere. Ironically, the only time I’ve ever had a full-blown anaphylactic reaction was this past December at a luxury resort within an hour of my hometown. I always felt safer at higher-end establishments where you assume they’re taking extra care when you say you have an allergy or intolerance. 

When I made the reservation online, I put a note in. Then, they asked when we sat down, and I reminded them. 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 started eating and didn’t notice there was a pistachio crumble as a garnish.

It created a bit of a scene. I was relatively calm, surprisingly, and the staff was nice, but you could tell the manager was so nervous and that they hadn’t dealt with this before. It took 45 minutes for the ambulance to arrive since we were a distance from a major town. 

Of all the places I’ve been, around North Africa and Europe, I was shocked it happened at this hotel I’ve been visiting my entire life and so close to home.

Now, I carry even more EpiPens—at least three in my purse—because you never know. Each one usually controls things for about 15 minutes. It’s a shot of adrenaline and the dosage is enough to get you to the hospital. The only way to stop the reaction is an IV of adrenaline. Every person metabolizes differently, so they observed me for three hours to make sure it didn’t flare up again because it can.

I’ve had some close calls in other places, so I always emphasize to restaurants how severe my reaction can be. Some will talk to their chef and advise against me dining there, and that’s fine. I’d rather be safe than sorry. If the staff is nervous enough to say something, then I’m not comfortable. It can be disappointing, for sure. 

It’s also OK for your risk tolerance to change over time. It’s not a science—it’s about what makes you feel comfortable at the time. For example, I don’t eat plane meals anymore. I travel from Europe to the U.S. many times a year. It occurred to me one day, I’m over the ocean, so now I eat a filling meal at the airport and then load up on snacks to keep me satiated.  

I still feel lucky. I know there are people who can’t even breathe in the same air with particles.

There have been a few times when a waiter or chef will say, “My daughter is allergic, too, so I’m 100 percent sure it’s fine.” It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, I know they’re taking extra care of me.

Having this condition shouldn’t hold you back from traveling, but you do have to be willing to compromise. You have to plan ahead and accept that maybe you can’t go to Thailand if you’re allergic to nuts because it’s in nearly everything. As much as I want to say it’s not going to limit you, it’s just not the case. Some of the most beautiful places in the world I’d love to visit are off the grid. It’s unfortunate, but it’s not a risk I can take.

I love how much travel expands our boundaries and opens our minds to completely different world views. That kind of deeper meaning is what I crave. I didn’t realize what I was missing out on until I started traveling. 

For those with food allergies, being realistic with what you can do and where you can go is key. You need to test your boundaries and assess your risk level. Everyone is different. Someone I grew up with also has food allergies, and she doesn’t eat at restaurants. But you won’t know until you try and see.