Travelling with dietary restrictions is a strange mix of excitement and quiet dread. You’re dreaming about new places, new food, new adventures, and at the same time you’re wondering what you’ll actually be able to eat when you get there. Most travellers never have to think about cross‑contamination, hidden ingredients, or whether a dish is safe in another language. But if you’re gluten‑free, dairy‑free, allergic, or juggling a couple of things at once, it’s always there in the background.
Why I Built Globally Sauced
I’m Jo, and Globally Sauced started because I got tired of that feeling. My first big trip after discovering my intolerances was to Japan. I was excited, but underneath it all was that familiar knot in my stomach: What am I going to eat? And here’s the thing no one really talks about, being gluten‑free is one thing, but being gluten‑free and dairy‑free is a completely different universe. A place might be “gluten‑free friendly” but full of butter and cream. Or dairy‑free but thickened with wheat. All the glowing recommendations people gave me, the pancakes in Kanazawa, Moyan Curry in Shinjuku — amazing if you’re just gluten‑free, completely off the table if you’re not.
So I did what most of us do: I buried myself in research. Reddit threads, Facebook groups, blogs, restaurant reviews, translation apps, ingredient lists. I remember sitting at my kitchen table with five tabs open, cross‑checking Japanese ingredients, translating menus, hoping someone had mentioned allergens. It felt like studying for an exam I never signed up for.
At some point, exhausted, I thought: There has to be an easier way. There wasn’t, so I started building one.
Building the Tools I Wished Existed
As I travelled more; Vancouver, Calgary, Banff, Melbourne, Queenstown, Hong Kong, and back to Japan to snowboard, I began creating the tools I wished existed. Not just lists of restaurants, but ways to actually understand food culture. How to spot naturally safe dishes. How to communicate clearly without feeling like a burden. How to navigate small towns and rural areas where “gluten‑free friendly” isn’t a thing. How to travel safely on a backpacker budget, not just at places where someone can translate everything for you.
Slowly, something shifted. I wasn’t spending hours researching anymore. I wasn’t scared to eat. I wasn’t relying on expensive restaurants to feel safe. I could travel like a local, safely, confidently, and without blowing my budget.
That’s when Globally Sauced stopped being a personal project and became something I wanted to share.
What Makes Globally Sauced Different
Globally Sauced isn’t just another travel site or AI tool. It’s built by someone who actually lives with dietary restrictions — and understands how different the world looks when you’re managing more than one. Most guides focus on a single restriction. Most recommendations assume you can eat dairy if you’re gluten‑free, or gluten if you’re dairy‑free. Most tools work in big cities, but fall apart the moment you step into a small town, a ski village, or a local market.
I wanted something better. Something real. Something that works for the way people actually travel.
Since launching, I’ve helped travellers eat confidently in Tokyo and Akakura Onsen, find safe meals in Paris and Melbourne, navigate street food in Singapore, and even enjoy a Michelin‑starred meal in Hong Kong. The messages I get, from grandmothers on European holidays to solo adventurers who finally felt understood, remind me why this matters.
Meet Jo
I’m based in Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland), Aotearoa (New Zealand), a nation of travellers. When I’m not working on Globally Sauced or my day job, you’ll find me snowboarding in Japan, mountain biking alpine trails, gardening, trail running, or planning my next escape.
If you’ve ever felt anxious about eating abroad, especially if you’re managing more than one restriction; you’re in the right place.
Welcome to Globally Sauced. Let’s make travel feel possible again.
