Halal Travel Guide: How To Find Halal Food During Travel

With the lifting of borders and restrictions, it’s no surprise that people are once again flocking to travel. Travelling offers such an exciting adventure, allowing us to explore wondrous landscapes, experience new sights and sounds, and venture into unfamiliar territories.

Read: The Ultimate Travel Guide For Muslims

Travelling also provides us with a chance to immerse ourselves in different cultures and experience delectable local cuisine. Indeed, such opportunities to discover and learn from others make it all more meaningful.

Read: Can a Muslim Woman Travel Without a Mahram?

Allah s.w.t. says in Surah Al-Hujurat:

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ إِنَّا خَلَقْنَـٰكُم مِّن ذَكَرٍۢ وَأُنثَىٰ وَجَعَلْنَـٰكُمْ شُعُوبًا وَقَبَآئِلَ لِتَعَارَفُوٓا۟ ۚ إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ أَتْقَىٰكُمْ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌ

"O humankind, We have created you from a male and a female and made you into races and tribes, so that you may know one another; indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah are the most righteous among you; indeed, Allah is All-Knowing, All-Aware."

(Surah Al-Hujurat, 49:13)

For Muslim travellers, finding halal food while abroad, especially in unfamiliar lands, may initially seem like a daunting task. However, it’s actually quite straightforward once you grasp the basics.

Read: What is Halal?

How To Eat Halal Overseas

Now that schools are out and many of us will be travelling, there is no better time to share some handy tips and tricks to help you locate halal food while exploring foreign destinations:

1. Look for Halal Certification

Just as Muis certifies eateries and products here in Singapore, other certification bodies do exactly what we do overseas.

Checking for a valid halal certificate ensures that the food served in a particular makan place or restaurant is halal-compliant, as it signifies that a certifying body has verified this.

Read: Common Questions About Halal and Halal Certification In Singapore

2. Ask Away!

If there is no halal certificate, fret not. Learn a few key phrases in the local language that can help you inquire about the halal status of food. You can ask strategic questions to ensure the food is halal.

For instance, you can inquire about the presence of alcohol or alcoholic-based ingredients (such as salad dressings) and any meat or poultry ingredients.

3. Stick to Vegetarian or Seafood Options

When in doubt, opt for vegetarian or seafood dishes.

However, do note that vegetarian or seafood options are not necessarily halal. For example, the food could contain alcohol or non-halal ingredients. So it’s important to ascertain what goes in your food.

4. Google is Your Best Friend

Use Google to your advantage. Search for halal options in the area or look up common recipes for specific dishes to determine their ingredients.

5. Ask the Locals

Having a local friend can be invaluable as they are often well-versed and more aware of how to navigate around. Alternatively, don’t be shy to ask around!

6. Pack Some Snacks

You can also consider packing some snacks from home. 

This ensures you have a (somewhat) full belly until you locate suitable dining options or when travelling to remote areas where halal food might be scarce.

Conclusion

Travelling overseas as a Muslim may require a bit of extra effort when it comes to finding halal food. However, equipped with knowledge and research, you can savour flavours from all over the world with confidence and without compromising our faith’s requirement for halal food.

So explore new flavours and embrace the adventures that await. Bon appétit and safe travels!

Read: Is Gelatine Halal?