Sep 05, 2025

Europe Road Trip with Food Allergies and Celiac Disease

Traveling Europe by Car with Food Allergies & Celiac (Coeliac) Disease: A Family Guide

Hi, I’m Lisa, a mum of a 19-year-old with Coeliac Disease and a 17-year-old with anaphylaxis to dairy and egg, asthma, and EOE.

For the past 17 years (with the exception of the COVID years), our holidays have been self-catering, driving trips around Europe.

The main reason we chose this type of holiday is that it gave us the freedom to bring absolutely everything we needed with us. And believe me, we fill the car to the brim! I even took the ingredients to bake my son's cake one year!

Photo of a car boot packed full for allergy and celiac travel

Lisa's car packed full with everything the family needs!

Over the years, I’ve met many families at The Allergy & Free From Show and through my Instagram account @allergyunlimited, who feel too nervous to take that first step. That’s why I wanted to share some of our tips and experiences, to help you take the plunge and show why a self-catering driving holiday can be perfect for those with dietary restrictions.

Planning a European Road Trip with Food Allergies and Celiac Disease

Tip 1 – Do Your Research

Once you know where you’re staying, it’s worth doing a little online research in advance. A few things we always check:

a) Local supermarkets and “free from” products

This will help you decide how much of your own food you’ll need to bring and put your mind at ease as to what's available.

On our first holiday we took everything my son would need for two weeks, just in case. But over time our confidence has grown, and so has the range of free-from foods available abroad. We still take a cool box with a few staples for the first couple of days but it’s nowhere near the size of what we packed in those early days!

The great thing about traveling by car is that you have access to different supermarkets and it’s actually quite fun discovering new products in other countries.

Tip: download a translation app for checking ingredients. Many allow you to snap a photo of the label and instantly translate it.

Supermarket shelf filled with dairy-free plant drinks

There were plenty of dairy-free plant drinks to choose from at this local sumpermarket

Gluten-free aisle in a local supermarket

A great selection of gluten-free products in a dedicated gluten-free aisle

b) Pharmacies, doctors, hospitals, and emergency numbers

Knowing these in advance gives you peace of mind. We’ve had to use local services a couple of times (though thankfully never for an allergy emergency).

c) Restaurants, menus, and allergy policies

If you like to eat out, it’s reassuring to research and even book in advance.

We enjoy barbecuing at home, and we’ll scope places out while we’re there. If somewhere feels safe and welcoming, then we’ll give it a try.

Check out Equal Eats’ blog post: Best Travel Apps 2025 for useful planning tools. There are also fantastic travel blogs, Instagram and Tiktok accounts, and Facebook groups (like Allergy Travels) that share destination-specific tips.

Medication, Prescriptions, and Staying Safe on the Road

Tip 2 – Order Spare Medication

Always bring backup medication in case of loss, breakage, or failure. Carry a copy of your prescription too, in case you need replacements.

I triple-check that we have everything and it’s stored safely in a temperature-regulated case. (We once arrived on holiday in the UK, only to realize we had left the entire medication bag at home! A prescription copy would have made things much easier, and if you’re abroad, it’s even more important.)

Using Allergy Translation Cards and Apps in Europe

Tip 3 – Order Your Equal Eats Cards (and Download the App)

The Equal Eats cards have been a game changer for us. We feel so much more confident eating out, knowing our restrictions are clearly understood.

Equal Eats allergy translation card in French beside allergy-friendly steak and chips

We prefer the plastic version (handy for passing straight to the chef), but the app has been invaluable too. On a recent unplanned trip from France into Spain, it helped us navigate restaurants safely.

Equal Eats app showing Coeliac Disease translation in French in front of ice-cream

Traveling Europe by Car: Ferries, Tunnels, and Service Stops

Tip 4 – Plan for the Journey

We’ve traveled to France by both ferry and Le Shuttle, sometimes taking one or two days to reach our destination.

We always:

Pack snacks and meals for the entire journey and the first night (to avoid the stress of having to find something safe to eat)
Prepare a separate food bag for each person, to avoid cross-contamination in the confined space of your car
Freeze the first night’s meal — it keeps the cool box chilled too
Bring plenty of drinks, wipes, and rubbish bags!

Lisa and her family at the service station overlooking the Garabit Viaduct

Service stations in France and Switzerland are excellent, and many have picnic spots with stunning views. (One of our favorites overlooks the Garabit Viaduct, built by Gustave Eiffel.)

Finding Balance: Eating In vs. Eating Out

Tip 5 – Relax, Enjoy, and Go at Your Own Pace

Don’t pressure yourselves to do things you’re not comfortable with as that’s the beauty of this type of holiday.

On our very first trip, we ate every meal at our caravan and still had an amazing time.

Lisa and her family enjoying their first family friendly meal in a restaurant

On our second holiday, we had our first meal out ever as a family!

Dad with his two young children on a bench all three eating allergy-friendly ice-cream

And even ice creams! Over time, we’ve relaxed into a balance: barbecues at home with a few restaurant meals and lots of treats out!

Lisa, her husband and grown-up children enjoying dairy-free and gluten-free ice-cream together

When Things Go Wrong: Staying Positive with Food Allergies and Celiac Disease

Tip 6 – If At First You Don’t Succeed…

Sometimes you’ll be turned away from places to eat. It can feel disheartening, but please don’t let it put you off.

Two recent examples for us:

Italy: On a big campsite, three different ice cream parlours said no — but at the fourth, we met a kind man named Gio who reassured us everything was safe. We went back every night, and he always served us personally.

Lisa and her son in Italy in an ice-cream parlour serving dairy-free ice-cream

Spain: In Girona, we were rudely refused service at one café, which was upsetting. But we carried on exploring and soon found vegan/gluten-free shops, plus a restaurant in the city centre that welcomed us with our Equal Eats app. It turned the whole experience around.

Why a European Road Trip is the Perfect Family Holiday with Food Allergies

Whether you prefer a villa, Airbnb, tent, or mobile home like us, and whether you’re away for a weekend or a month, I hope I have demonstrated that a self-catering driving holiday is a fantastic option for families with dietary restrictions, with your Equal Eats card being the perfect travel companion!

Please take that leap, no matter how small, it is the best thing we have ever done as a family and the memories, not the meals, are irreplaceable.

Author Bio

Lisa Bolton is the Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Product Manager for Equal Eats. She is an experienced allergy and coeliac mum and has traveled extensively over the years. You can connect with Lisa on Instagram through her account @allergyumlimited.