I'm Abe. I moved to Bangkok from the UAE.
This is everything I wish I knew first.
I work in healthcare, and this site is a collection of the things that actually helped while adjusting to life somewhere new.
Why this exists
I grew up in the UAE, lived there most of my life, and traveled often before eventually relocating to Bangkok.
Every place has a learning curve, and most of the useful stuff is never explained clearly.
So this is that. The things I've figured out, the things that actually helped, written down for anyone going through the same.
AllergyPass is part allergy tool, part travel guide, and part practical handbook for living somewhere new.
How AllergyPass started
Shortly after I arrived in Bangkok, a friend had an allergic reaction at a street food stall.
Both sides were trying. The vendor wanted to help, my friend was being careful. It still went wrong because they couldn't understand each other clearly.
A card spelling out exactly what to avoid in the local language would have fixed it. So I built one. That became AllergyPass.
The tool grew from there, and eventually the site grew around it. It's all connected to the same thing: being somewhere new and not having to learn everything the hard way.
What this site is
Most of what's here comes from figuring things out firsthand: food safety, healthcare, travel, apps, and the small things that make being somewhere new easier.
A lot of it is grounded in Southeast Asia because that's where I live. But most of it applies anywhere you're new, whether you're relocating, traveling, or staying for a while.
What's here
- Allergy Card Builder
- A tool for communicating food allergies clearly in the local language wherever you are eating. Free to use, works offline, and doesn't require an account.
- Restaurant Risk Checker
- Look up common dishes by country and see exactly which allergens they contain, how likely they are to be hidden, and what to ask before ordering.
- Guides and posts
- Practical guides on food safety, hidden allergens, healthcare, and traveling with dietary restrictions. Written from firsthand experience, not generic travel advice.
- Recommendations
- Apps, eSIMs, travel tools, and services I actually use. Some links are affiliate links, but only for products or services I would genuinely recommend to friends.