Tips for Gluten Free Travel

When it is time to pack your bags and jump on a plane or take a road trip, a little bit of planning will make all the difference.

Currently I travel at least once a month either for work or play. That means a lot of planes, hotels, and eating out. Yes, it is a challenge but there are a number of things you can do to prepare for safe gluten free travel.

Gluten Free Travel Tips

Take safe snacks
Get a room with a refrigerator
Find a local grocery store
Bring you own toiletry products
Get easy breakfast options

Let’s dig into each of these.

The first tip is to take safe snacks with you. Whether it’s a road trip or plane ride, you need easy snacks so you aren’t relying on finding something at a gas station or hoping the plane snacks are gluten free. Easy options include: bags of chips, nuts, protein bars, vegetable sticks, dried fruit and dry cereal.

When you arrive at the hotel request a room with a refrigerator. This will allow you to have safe COLD options available. Some hotels even have mini-kitchenettes. This allows you safe cooking options. If you have a kitchen I recommend bringing foil for safe baking. If you are staying at a condo are rental through AirBNB you should be covered on this one!

Once you have a hotel with a refrigerator find a local grocery store. You can either go to it or have it delivered to your room. We have used Instacart a number of times and it works great! Kids can play in the pool while someone else does the shopping. I even make a menu for our trips so I know what I’m cooking.

One item that you might assume is always safe at the hotel are the toiletries. I have found 3 hotels in the last year that had shampoo, conditioner, bath soap and lotion with WHEAT in them. It was clearly listed in the ingredients. If you are in the shower about to wash your hair that is too late to find out the shampoo isn’t gluten free. One trip I had to walk to the store and find shampoo. I bring my own from now on.

Many hotels provide a “free” breakfast. You can normally find some good options like eggs, yogurt, and fruit. I stay away from the oatmeal and cereals, unless they are in boxes. One thing that I love to bring are gluten free oatmeal cups. I use the coffee maker in the room to make hot water and pour it into cup.

Kitchen items to bring with you

When we travel with family members we normally rent a house or stay at a condo. This means we have a number of bedrooms and most importantly a kitchen! I have a bag of items that I take with us for these trips.

Gluten Free Travel Kitchen Bag