“Write down what foods did and didn’t give you allergic reactions in Thailand,” I said. “It’ll be a fun and easy project,” I said.
Amost three years to the date after first setting foot in Thailand, that little side project turned chief creative albatross is finally finished: How to Survive Thailand With a Peanut Allergy, a PDF guide helping travelers with peanut and tree nut allergies safely navigate the country’s culinary landscape, is now officially available for purchase on Gumroad.
I won’t rehash everything that’s on the book’s landing page (Thailandwithapeanutallergy.com), but the guide contains lists of safe and unsafe dishes, useful dining expressions for ordering food, a pronunciation guide so you can actually say those expressions properly, a printable allergy card to hand to Thai waitstaff, and many other tips, tricks, and resources gathered from my five-month nut-dodging adventure in Thailand.
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At times the project felt like a burden to finish—this was in part because I chose to use Canva and not a design program for grown-ups. Even still, I’m incredibly happy with how the final product came out and am confident in saying this is far and away the most comprehensive resource out there for the very, very specific life situation of having a nut allergy and wanting to travel to Thailand.
Although I had pitched the concept to a dozen or so publishers in hopes of turning it into a ‘real’ guidebook, I almost think it’s better that it remains entirely digital. As a PDF you keep on your phone (except for the printable allergy card), it’s much more wieldy for even the most rugged of backpackers than a traditional travel guide.
Spring 2020 will probably go down as one of the worst times in history to release a travel book. But quarantine life also makes for the best time to dream about that next big trip (also, have you seen plane ticket prices even for nine months to year from now?). For peanutphiles on the fence about going to Thailand, it’s also the perfect time to do your research and decide if a Thai trip is appropriate given your specific allergy’s severity.
Whether you find this post and my little book in preparation for a trip in 2020 or 2030 (though maybe the allergy will be eliminated by then due to standard issuance of peanut patches at birth), I hope this book answers all your questions and gives you the knowledge you need to enjoy everything The Land of Smiles has to offer.
Yours in peanut dodging,
Andrew
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