An autoethnographic exploration of rural travel with a food intolerance

Although travelling with a food intolerance can disrupt the experience, limited academic research has considered the impact of food intolerance on travel behaviour. Considering the notions of inherent, situational, and pathogenic vulnerabilities; and avoidance motivation, this research note uses an autoethnographic approach to explore the experience of travelling with a food intolerance in rural New Zealand. The findings suggest the situational vulnerability experienced by being in a foreign location exacerbates the inherent vulnerabilities of having a food intolerance and exposes the individual to pathogenic vulnerabilities by food service providers attempting to cater for intolerances. In response, multiple avoidance mechanisms are adopted to reduce the impact on the individual; resulting in a low spend within the rural community. Accordingly, signage that identifies appropriate food alternatives and operators who can provide it, could help alleviate the impact of having a food intolerance while travelling. However, this work is limited in that it explores the experience of one traveller visiting rural destinations in a developed nation. Future work may use a larger sample across different geographic areas to determine how rural destinations may better serve travellers with a food intolerance.