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Traveling Gluten Free

Family vacations, business conventions, quick hops to visit the grand kids: all of these trips require advanced planning on your part so you can have a great time along with everyone else.

Decide what meals you want to take along with you and which you will purchase there. Breakfast and lunch are the easiest to tote along and take up very little space. I went to Florida for a week with my husband. We were attending a business conference where a continental breakfast was available. I brought along my own homemade instant oatmeal packets and frozen bread slices. They had fruit and jam along with coffee and tea so I was all set for breakfast. Snacks were homemade granola bars that I passed out to a few fellow attendees ( who loved them) and gluten free pretzels.

When we go to Disneyland with our kids, we always pack breakfast and lunch with us. We usually drive, so there is more space to bring food with us. I have even lugged our toaster on a few occasions! We pack in a lunch of crackers, peanut butter, canned chicken or tuna, cookies and pretzels. You can buy fruit and popcorn there to round out your meal. Snacks go into individual sized bags so everyone can carry their own and munch on them when they want to.

Bring dietary alert cards with you that you can show at the restaurants you will be eating at. Explaining your dietary limits every time you go out is a chore! Contact your local support group to see if they have cards available.

Search the web for celiac support groups in the area in which you are traveling. E-mail them and ask what restaurants they go to and what they order when they go. They would love to help you enjoy your visit to their city!

For air travel: take enough snacks and any medication you need in your carry on bag. If your plane is delayed, at least you have something to munch on to keep the hungries at bay.

 If it's a long flight, call the airlines when you book your tickets and see if they offer gluten free meals. Ask them what restrictions there are concerning bringing your own food and ask if you need a doctor's letter to bring along with you. Any information you can have ahead of time will make the trip go smoothly.

If you are staying with relatives, have them go shopping with you when you get there. Ask what kind of meals they were planning and pick up some gluten free alternatives. It's easier for you to pick things out, than to try to have them figure out what you can and cannot eat.

If you plan ahead and make a checklist before you go, your trip will be fun and relaxing.

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