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    Home ยป Colorado ยป 5 Best Tips for Great Gluten-Free Travel {with Kids}!

    LAST UPDATED: October 17, 2019 โ€ข FIRST PUBLISHED: March 27, 2013 By Toni Dash 9 Comments

    5 Best Tips for Great Gluten-Free Travel {with Kids}!

    This post may include affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    A group of lawn chairs sitting on top of a beach

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    It’s Spring Break season which presents a welcome travel opportunity on the way to full blown summer vacations. As exciting as getaways sound, they always present complexity for gluten-free travelers.

    Determining where dining will be ‘safe’ or navigating stops for car travel can be daunting and even overwhelming for those needing to dodge gluten (a protein in wheat, barley, rye and oats*). Add gluten-free kids to the planning and the stress involved soon can override the actual vacation benefits.

    We’ve been having a lot of chats trying to gain insight on safe, easy gluten-free travel locations from Disney to other ‘GF friendly’ spots. Also how to best plan for a successful international journey regardless of where one may be going. It seemed the perfect time to share some tried-and-true success strategies I’ve employed with my family over the last 8 years of being gluten-free that have made all the difference in allowing actual relaxation in the eating area our travel:

    1.  Call ahead. Speak with a Manager or Chef (if necessary).  With the invention of smart phones we never need to be caught off guard or waste time stopping in to look at restaurant menus again.

    Whether on a road trip or stationed in a city, it’s easy to search for gluten-free options online and to call ahead to speak with the restaurant directly to not only ensure safe options but good options.

    I don’t know about you but though I must eat gluten-free food I don’t want to feel like I’ve been put on a starvation diet to meet that need. I’ve made the mistake of merely querying if a venue can accommodate gluten-free diners only to arrive to find the food is so marginalized to do so I would have rather not gone in the first place.

    Gluten-Free Mickey Mouse Waffles at the Plaza Inn Character Breakfast {Disneyland CA}
    Gluten-Free Mickey Mouse Waffles at the Plaza Inn Character Breakfast {Disneyland CA}

    When visiting Disneyland California in February each restaurant with which I made reservations noted our gluten free need so when we arrived the staff all the way into the kitchen was ‘in the know’.

    When popping into restaurants without reservations, a chef or kitchen manager was sent to discuss options with us. They are a well-oiled machine who manages gluten-free dining needs with aplomb, offering many tasty options and excellent service.

    Conversely when visiting Las Vegas recently for an extended family gathering, I presumed gluten-free dining would be a breeze; so much so that I told my non gluten-free relative coordinating the trip I was sure the dining would not be an issue.

    On a whim I phoned a few of the hotels beforehand where we planned to see a show to just verify they catered to gluten-free diners only to find they required a 72 hours notice, or to dine safely at the buffet we would be restricted to about 2 items!

    Additionally the hotels, seeking to provide convenient service, would channel me to a central dining contact.

    They were unable to represent the individual restaurant’s (there were approximately 8-10 restaurants in each hotel) gluten-free capabilities as they were not noted in the restaurant notes with the rest of the genre’s catered to (vegetarian, kosher etc). Once calling a specific restaurant directly (not relying on the hotel point person) the restaurant representatives were very knowledgeable and helpful with what options were possible. It took a fair amount of time and diligence to get to the right restaurant contact but was worth it to ensure a safe and pleasant dining experience.

    2.  Request a refrigerator in your hotel room. Most travelers don’t know this but almost every hotel in all price points will provide a small refrigerator free of charge in your room upon request; especially if you explain you have food allergies providing you must travel with your own food.

    This option is great for perishable groceries you may be carrying in a cooler or to allow popping into a grocery store for some staples allowing breakfast in the room and some snacks in between major meals out.

    raspberries in bowl
    Remember ‘whole foods’, or foods in their whole natural state like fruits, vegetables, meat (not prepared with sauces which may have questionable gluten ingredients) and simple dairy products are always a safe bet when traveling.

    3. Bring non-perishable food with you.  Especially when my children were smaller we traveled with a lot of food.

    For plane trips we’d pack gluten-free snack bars, crackers, nuts, cookies, cereal (and I’m embarrassed to admit I even packed a tetra pack of soy milk once in our checked luggage which did not turn out so well). On driving trips we always take a cooler of perishables too: home baked sandwich bread to last the trip, sliced turkey, cheese, peanut butter, fruits and vegetables, gallons of water to fill up reusable water bottles.

    I always feel better knowing we have something with us if we are challenged to find spots to dine or to buy healthy options.

    4. Be an ‘Expert Investigator’.  Ask the right questions and be creative based on your expert knowledge of gluten-free options. Many restaurants don’t ‘think out of the box’ on gluten-free options.

    What about a hamburger without the bun (if they don’t also heat gluten buns on the grill where the hamburgers are cooked)? Swapping a gluten-filled side dish for something like fruit that is gluten free?

    Simple grilled chicken and sautéed vegetables are not only gluten-free but a great healthy option that might not normally be part of a menu though is easy to prepare in most kitchens. If Mexican restaurants have red and/or green chile sauces that are prohibitive, request the dish with no chile and extra salsa instead.

    Most restaurants are eager to please but may lack the creative insight to be able to make satisfactory suggestions.

    Italian cookies and a great cup of coffee in the charming shop.
    ‘You never know unless you ask!’ When we were in San Francisco, passing gorgeous pastry shops we finally popped into one next to Washington Cathedral never imagining they’d have anything gluten-free. To our surprise they actually had 4-5 options. Had we not tested our assumptions we never would have enjoyed a perfect moment of sampling these Italian cookies and a great cup of coffee in the charming shop.

    5. Think Ahead and Think Creatively.  One must think through upcoming schedules and plans to be prepared to make them work, especially if unsure of where the next meal will come from.

    When we visited Disneyland we would leave our room about 6:30 a.m. to line up for early entry to the park and that left a gap between when we got up and the restaurants opening.

    Each evening we’d pop into the coffee shop and buy a couple fruit salads we’d keep in the refrigerator in our room and take them with us when we left in the morning, eating the fruit as we waited to enter the park.

    It was just enough to get us by until a breakfast restaurant opened.

    We did something similar when in San Francisco in January, grabbing fruit salad and coffee at Starbucks in the early morning or other whole foods at a neighborhood convenience store (raw almonds, fruit, string cheese) for snacks which bridged larger meals. There is nothing worse than being stuck, starving, with kids (also starving) with no options or options you’d not choose like junk food.

    Costa Rica Tico\' (locals) breakfast daily of Gallo Pinto (beans and rice), corn tortillas, plantain
    You may be surprised what you’ll find that is gluten-free when you begin asking questions. When in Costa Rica we were thrilled to enjoy a ‘Tico’ (locals) breakfast daily of Gallo Pinto (beans and rice), corn tortillas, fresh scrambled local eggs and fresh tropical fruit. Can’t beat that!

    During the time our family has been gluten-free we’ve traveled extensively and successfully. We’ve taken two trips to Costa Rica that were a cinch as they eat so many whole foods or dishes prepared without processed ingredients.

    Sticking to freshly prepared foods with non-processed ingredients is a sure win. Fortunately gluten awareness has sky rocketed in the past 5 years making travel all the more effortless and hopefully with these tips you too will experience easy travel allowing focus on the fun, not the food!

    Surf Board Surf Lessons Tamarindo Costa Rico

    *Though oats do not naturally have gluten, their growing conditions introduce exposure to gluten making it necessary for those who cannot tolerate gluten to select gluten-free oats in their diet.

     

     

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Manish Ambaliya says

      March 19, 2021 at 6:04 am

      Amazing! I know nothing about traveling all over the country, what a wonderful looking place to explore.

      Reply
    2. Nicole says

      April 04, 2013 at 11:43 am

      Thank you for this post! We are considering taking the family to Costa Rica, so this info is good to know! In addition, we just traveled for 3 weeks in Australia and it was SO much easier to order gluten free than in the U.S. My daughter was handed a GF menu at 90% of the restaurants that we came across.

      Reply
      • Toni Dash says

        April 04, 2013 at 11:52 am

        Hi Nicole! We’ve taken two trips and it’s not been difficult at all. In fact I did some blogging while we were there with places to go ande at too. If you look on my navigation bar and select ‘Travel’ then ‘International’ you will find the Costa Rica posts. We were successful in larger restaurants as well as local ‘dives’! Do you know which area you’d be visiting?

        Reply
    3. Grace Boyle says

      March 27, 2013 at 10:30 am

      I don’t eat gluten free but this is such a good list. Even the smallest tips can make a big difference and I feel that being prepared never hurt anyone!

      Reply
      • Toni Dash says

        March 28, 2013 at 8:34 pm

        I agree Grace! Maybe someone is interested in managing food costs on a trip and have no dietary restrictions; the list addresses their needs too.

        Reply
    4. Michael says

      March 27, 2013 at 8:41 am

      Great tips for eating gluten free – and I don’t have kids! I can’t agree more with being let down when you find less-appealing options. It’s so easy now to eat delicious gluten free eats.

      Reply
      • Toni Dash says

        March 28, 2013 at 8:32 pm

        Thanks for ringing in Michael. There are so many options now I can’t help be disappointed when I’m given a sterile, stripped down version of a meal! It’s not that difficult to prepare delicious, thoughtful, simple gluten- free food even in a non dedicated restaurant kitchen.

        Reply
    5. Cooking with Michele says

      March 27, 2013 at 8:12 am

      While I don’t have the gluten issue to deal with, I recently drove from Denver to Lead, SD for a wedding. I was working on eating healthy – 5 small meals a day of healthy food choices – and just assumed I could get a salad with some lean protein at a store or restaurant along the way. What I found was largely a food dessert between here and there, with not a single fruit or vegetable in sight. I found two hardboiled eggs in a rest stop store only to discover (AFTER I ate them) that they were a month expired. So whether it’s just for your own healthy eating or critically because of food allergies, your advice to plan ahead and bring healthy food options with you is great!

      Reply
      • Toni Dash says

        March 28, 2013 at 8:29 pm

        I realized with your comment Michele that really if you have a need or desire to eat in any special way you really do need to think about it. Even when we have young children with no eating proclivities we constantly have to pack food when we are on the go. No different for adults!

        Reply

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    Welcome! Iโ€™m Toni Dash. Iโ€™m a Certified Nutrition Coach and the professional writer/blogger, photographer, recipe developer and creator of Boulder Locavoreยฎ. Iโ€™m so glad you are here!

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