Tips for Traveling Gluten Free
When I was diagnosed with celiac disease a couple of years ago, I worried first about how this would affect my long-term health, and second, how it would affect my travel.
I run a tour company and travel to Europe several times a year!
I love bread and croissants!
My favorite breakfast is basically toast with butter and jam.
How would I manage having to pay so much attention to what I eat while also leading a tour? It felt overwhelming.
I got to thinking that, for a lot of people, having a celiac diagnosis or simply having adopted a gluten free lifestyle might keep them from traveling. Celiac disease can be overwhelming, as can planning a huge trip to Europe, but I’m here to tell you it can be done.
After a few missteps and discouraging experiences, I’ve learned how to manage eating gluten free when I travel. Here are some of my best tips.
1. Do your research.
I usually start by looking at Facebook groups for the places I’ll be traveling. There are all sorts of “Gluten Free in ____” groups on Facebook, and I usually get fantastic recommendations from there. TripAdvisor is also a good place to ask questions. Always search their forums for “gluten free” for the city you’ll be visiting.
But there’s plenty more you can do.
I follow other groups on Instagram, like @london.food and @thenudgelondon to get restaurant recommendations, and when I see something I like, I head to their website and take a look at the menu. Restaurant websites are fantastic resources because you can usually tell pretty quickly if a place will be celiac friendly or not.
[Pro tip: in France, the menu is called the “map.”]
Finally, an app I always use when traveling is called Find Me Gluten Free. This app allows me to search for gluten-friendly places, either on a map or from a list wherever I am in the world. People can leave restaurant reviews as well, giving stars for safety, taste, and variety. When I remember to use it, this is one of the best tools I can use to find places to eat when I’m on the road.
2. Bring Snacks
What if you’re on a long road trip and the only places around are fast food? My best advice for not getting caught in a no-win situation like that is to always, always, always bring snacks with you. An apple. Some Trader Joes Trex mix. Dried fruit. You can usually bet I’ll have some, if not all of these with me.
But if you’re really in a bind, Chick-fil-A, thankfully, is pretty widely available throughout the U.S., and they have a fairly accommodating menu that includes gluten free buns (truth be told, I haven’t tried them because I generally hate all gluten free bread) and amazing salads. And their waffle fries are cooked in a separate fryer from the breaded chicken. Hooray! Their sauces are mostly gf as well, so go ahead and dip those waffle fries in the C-F-A sauce all you want. And if that doesn’t grab you, you can always get a plain piece of grilled chicken there, which I think is pretty nice.
Can you tell I love Chick-fil-A?
[Pro tip: Don’t try to bring a piece of fresh fruit from another country into the USA! I once saw an innocent little beagle tear into a girl’s backpack at baggage claim at O’Hare. The poor girl had forgotten she put an apple in her backpack and almost got a huge fine.]
3. Eat before you board
When I’m flying overseas, I usually try to eat before I get on the plane. That way I know I will get a healthy, safe meal that actually tastes decent. Have you ever ordered a gluten free meal on a plane? I have, and I almost cried. It was SO BAD!!!
If you go to the trouble of ordering a gluten free meal (you have to do it 24 hours before your flight) and your flight is canceled, beware. Your GF meal request will probably not get transferred to your new ticket and you’ll be out of luck.
This happened to me on a flight home from Florence last year. My flight was canceled and I had to take a new flight the next day. When it came to meal time, I asked if my gluten free meal request had been transferred to my new ticket and the answer was a resounding no. They did not have any extra gf meals, so I asked if I could just get some fruit and cheese from business class (I was sitting in Premiere Economy). Again, a resounding no. They were absolutely not budging.
They did offer me a package of “crisps,” which are what we call chips. Seriously. This airline, which I usually love, offered me a bag of chips for a 9 hour flight! There may have been some tears. But thankfully I had eaten ahead of time and had my snacks, so I survived. But I sure wasn’t happy!
Finally, people often ask me how it is to be gluten free in Europe, since that’s where I travel to the most. Let me tell you, it’s amazing! Europeans understand celiac disease much more than Americans do, and they understand the importance of cross contamination. The first completely gluten free restaurant I ever went to was in London (Indigo at One Aldwych), and I felt so taken care of there. I could eat anything I wanted on the menu and knew it would be 100% gluten free. And it was delicious!
I’ve also been able to find gluten free bakeries using the Find Me Gluten Free app. Sadly, I’m not eating croissants anymore, but that’s probably for the best.
The best country of all, if you’re traveling with a gluten issue, is, unbelievably, Italy. Almost every restaurant will have gluten free options, and if you talk to the waiter, they will usually be able to offer you some options. Italy has an Italian Celiac Association (AIC), and you can find a little red sticker near the entry of all restaurants who belong to it. Further, there is an AIC app that will help you find gluten free or gluten friendly restaurants throughout Italy. I have had some incredible gf meals in Italy and never felt like I was compromising.
So, my gluten free friend, you’ve got this. Don’t let your diagnosis or your fear stop you from traveling. It might take a little more advance planning, but you can definitely travel safely.
Now, get out there and see the world!
