Gawd, the vagaries of travelling when you are on a particular diet.

Vegan, vegetarian, Dairy Free, Macrobiotic, Raw, Paleo, low carb or actually, just trying to drop a few pounds.

How the fudge (assuming you can eat fudge that is) can you manage to stick to your preferred diet, enjoy your trip as God intended, without causing offence or suffering massive intestinal discomfort?

1. An experienced multi-lingual travel guide would have already researched suitable restaurants and informed the restaurant of your specific dietary requirements prior to booking your reservation.

2. Bring sealed snacks with you for emergencies. Always be prepared. That includes bringing your soya milk if necessary.

3. Only drink mineral water and never add ice. Obvious advice but it bares repeating.

4. Prepare for the absolute worst case scenarios. Say for example you struggle digesting dairy, you’re not allergic by any means but you avoid as much as possible. But on your trip you can’t get your usual dairy free items. This doesn’t have to be a nightmare if you bring with you Lactase tables, (an enzyme that digests dairy) so that you wouldn’t suffer from any discomfort, should you be caught out and accidentally eat something made with dairy produce.

5. Peppermint Tea will help soothe most irritated stomachs, as will probiotics or ginger tea if you’re feeling nauseous.