4 Best Tips for Gluten Free Traveling

by Jeremy Banks Evolutesix

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The world is a wonderful place, but it's not always gluten free. When you're traveling, you have to deal with the fact that the food you can eat on jewish travel may be limited. It can be stressful and exasperating, but there are ways to make the experience a lot better. Whether you're traveling across the country or across town, it can be a challenge to find safe gluten free and kosher food options.

Here are some tips to make your travels a little easier.

PLAN AROUND YOUR MEALS

The first step to gluten-free traveling is planning ahead. Make sure you know where and when your meals will be served. If possible, speak with the caterers directly and make arrangements for food that meets your dietary needs. Do your research before making reservations at a restaurant. Many restaurants will have a gluten free menu available upon request.

Also, before you leave on your trip do some research about the city or country you will be visiting and the places you will be staying. Find out if there is a gluten free restaurant or two in town. If not, find out what the options are for safe food. Are there any kosher restaurants? Are there allergy friendly grocery stores? Find out as much as you can before you leave home so that you will know what to expect when you get there. After all, no one wants to waste their vacation worrying about finding food that they can eat!

BRING FOOD WITH YOU

It's not always possible to know exactly where you'll be eating for each meal, especially when traveling through an unfamiliar area. In that case, bring food with you. You never know what kind of food options will be available while you're traveling. You may have to eat from a vending machine or just grab a quick bite at the airport. Having some gluten free snacks on hand can help calm any worries about getting enough nutrition because even if the local cuisine isn't safe for someone with celiac disease, there are usually plenty of safe foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and gluten free candy bars available at airports.

Indeed, Gluten free travel is even more stressful when you don't know where your next meal is coming from or if you will even be able to eat it without getting sick. It's much easier to stick to your diet if you have snacks handy for when hunger pangs strike in between meals. Some great travel snacks include granola bars and crackers that do not have any gluten in them. If you are worried about cross contamination, then bring along some sealed gluten free pouches of food such as rice cakes, nuts, dried fruit or instant oatmeal packets.

FIND THE LOCAL SUPERMARKET

There is a good chance that there is a store within walking distance from your hotel where you can pick up some gluten free snacks and foods for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. You can even buy small containers of milk if needed.

COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR HOTEL

It's very helpful to make sure that you let your hotel or floating hotel like a kosher river cruise know that you're going to have dietary restrictions ahead of time. It’s nice to find that hotels are often more than willing to help their guests out, but they may need a little bit of a heads up. Based on some experience, the nicer the hotel is, the more willing they are to work with you on food options.