After so many years of battling with allergies, food intolerances and lockdowns due to a global pandemic, we decided it was time to bite the bullet, get some courage and book our flights for the first family holiday overseas in a long time! It sounded exciting at first but it was also very daunting going to a new place, not knowing how to plan meals for the kids who are on a special diet and finding out about pharmacies where we can get antihistamines from, etc, the list went on and on...
As Europe is usually quite cold in the winter, we decided to visit Dubai, UAE in February 2022. Contrary to all our concerns, sleepless nights, anxiety and preparations, the whole family had a great time in Dubai and the kids didn't want to leave at the end of the week!
Here I would like to share some tips which might be helpful to other parents who face similar challenges and have little ones with allergies and/or food intolerances:
INSECT BITE ALLERGIES
If your child has insect bite allergies, always pack some insect repellent to prevent bites in the first place (I would always go for natural ones, if possible, like citronella-based oil or other natural oils like lemongrass, etc ).
A mosquito net which can be hung above the bed or put over the cot is great as it protects your little one during the night. Also, you can take with you an insect lamp which can be big and bulky but really helpful too and they fit into a suitcase (be warned, it took a quarter of the space in our large suitcase, so not ideal if you intend to do lots of shopping at your holiday destination :)
In the end, after all the thought and planning that went into this, we did not see a single mosquito while in Dubai in February!
WATER SAFETY
Not exactly allergy related but food safety is important to avoid travellers' diarrhoea when travelling overseas which can spoil the rest of your holiday. Always check if the water is safe to drink in the countries you plan to travel. In Dubai we used bottles only for drinking, however we used the tap water for cooking and everyone was fine. The water in Dubai is safe when it leaves the water purification station, however, a lot of the properties use water tanks, so the quality of the water depends on whether or not these tanks are cleaned and maintained regularly. So, if you are just visiting briefly, best to stick to bottled water for drinking to be on the safe side.
FOOD
We opted to try both self-catering and eating out. If you are going through food exclusions/sticking to a strict diet, self-catering accommodation would be best: this will give you full 100% control and peace of mind over what food goes into your child. Cooking the food yourself will mean zero contaminations and zero risks so it would be the perfect option if your child has anaphylactic types of allergies.
Self-catering may not be ideal for tired parents who need a break while they are away on holiday. If your children have mild food allergies (antihistamines help them and they don't need an EpiPen) or they only have food sensitivities and intolerances (delayed reactions like blocked nose, skin rash) then eating out may be an easier option when travelling. All the places we went to were happy to help with the menu choices and checked with the chef when they were uncertain about any allergen. We were delighted that all places we visited and catered for our family's dietary needs, they were absolutely amazing and we did not have any problems or reactions at all.
We loved the variety and diversity of different cuisines that Dubai has to offer! All restaurants we went to were very accommodating, the ones that couldn’t adjust the menu for us were upfront about it so we loved the transparency and accountability they take for their customers.
For speed and convenience, we also tried the food courts in the malls which offer a variety of fast food and healthier options for super hungry little ones. If you have just walked from the beach and the kids don't have the patience and energy to sit and wait any longer for food, the food courts offer plenty of choice including lots of salads so plenty of healthy options there too. With the challenges of food intolerances, we still managed to find lots of places which cater for food allergies and intolerances, most of them have allergen lists or will talk to the kitchen to double check exact ingredients. We were very impressed how seriously they took food allergies and intolerances and were super honest about being able to cater or not.
From European to Asian and Middle Eastern cuisine choices, Dubai is a melting pot of different cultures and culinary experiences. Our younger one had always refused eating falafel before and after a visit to a Middle Eastern restaurant, where he saw everyone around him eating falafel, he decided to try it and has been a big fan ever since!
TOP FOOD TIPS
1) Always check reviews of places you plan to eat at and if possible, ring in advance to see if they can adjust the menu for you
2) Observe if the locals go to the restaurant/bistro/cafeteria you have chosen - these are frequent customers who live locally and it’s a good sign to see a high number of local customers which means the food is delicious and fresh
3) If you or your child has a very sensitive tummy - best to have food which has been freshly prepared and cooked (baked, poached, steamed, boiled, grilled, etc); if it’s in a cafeteria which has pre-prepared food such as salads and sandwiches that may have been sitting for hours and have higher risk of food poisoning, then check if they have been kept in a chiller at low temperature to keep them safe from proliferation of bacteria. Eating pre-prepared food which have been sitting on a counter for hours without being suitably cooled or kept heated (for soups, for example), can increase inflammation in the body and even cause gastrointestinal upset, so always opt for fresh if you can.
4) Always ask what the food is if you don’t recognise it. In Dubai we went to a lovely restaurant and it had amazing falafel and dips, we were not sure about some of the dips so the waiters were more than happy to talk to the chef and check what the ingredients were. At that time we were waiting for a celery food challenge test to be done at the children's hospital for one of our children as reacted reacted badly to raw celery. So, it was very stressful not knowing if there was celery in some of the ingredients, so we rejected absolutely anything which we couldn’t verify the ingredients of - better safe than sorry!
SIGHT SEEING
We spent a week in Dubai and it was nowhere near enough to see all the beautiful sights! We are already planning to go back and visit the long list of attractions which Dubai offers. Of all the places we managed to see in the short time we were there, the children loved Ski Dubai. Whoever came up with the idea is a genius, whoever built it is a forward thinker because it is always full of visitors all year round and always popular with adults and children alike. And for me, personally, apart from seeing the huge smiles on my kids' faces and imagining we have magically teleported ourselves to the Alps with the help of Dr Strange‘s sling ring, I thought what a successful paradox - swimming and skiing in one day in the same city! Absolutely incredible, there is something for everyone. I don’t think even the fussiest of kids could ever get bored in a place like Dubai!
THINGS TO PACK
Lots of summer clothes because it’s summer all year round, one layer of jumper and long sleeves and trousers would suffice, and you might not need them at all unless it’s winter and it cools down in the evening. For anything else you have forgotten, don't worry, Dubai has everything, and you can find it in the shops! If Europe is frozen and flipflops and swimming costumes are nowhere to be found, fear not, you will get plenty of chances to find plenty of choices in Dubai. It is the land of all year-round summer weather.
IMPORTANT FACTS
- All hotels and apartments come with AC as standard
- Water is not generally consumed from the tap, people use bottled water for drinking
- Larger supermarkets mostly deliver to your address.
- Most families hire cars for the duration as distances are vast and not easily accessible on foot
- Dubai is such a safe place; it is the place where exhausted parents can properly relax. With young kids, going to resorts with private beach access would certainly be most stress free as the beaches can get very crowded especially on weekends and school holidays.
Thank you, Dubai, for catering so well for children with allergies/intolerances and tired parents 😊 We shall be returning again in the future for another stress-free family holiday!
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