Just because you have been diagnosed with coeliac disease, it doesn’t mean that your life should change dramatically or for the worse. If you have plans to travel abroad, don’t let being coeliac change your plans too much. Of course, it is important to continue to follow your gluten free diet, but overall, it shouldn’t change where you think about going on holiday or how you travel. This is a guide to help you work through how to plan to travel abroad after being diagnosed with coeliac disease.
Plan ahead and bring food
The travel to and from your destination might actually be the part of the holiday you struggle with the most, so planning ahead and bringing your own gluten free food with you is a good idea where possible. If you are travelling by car, rail, plane, or boat, you can take some gluten free snacks with you. Or at least, plan to eat just before you check-in at an airport and travel. In some cases, you might be able to order a gluten free meal ahead of time, which is fantastic if you are going on a long flight for example.
Be thorough with your research
This might be something you’ve always loved doing anyway, researching the best restaurants and cafés to eat and drink in where you’re going on holiday. It takes on more importance now you’re coeliac. Look at TikTok, local bloggers and website reviews to find the best places you can eat that offer gluten free food. It doesn’t have to be purely functional, there are many great gluten free restaurants or places that have delicious gluten free dishes for you to explore on your holiday.
Let Google Translate be your friend
There are gluten free apps and language cards, along with things like Google Translate, that can help you communicate with servers and staff in restaurants if you are travelling to a country where you don’t speak the language. Explaining your specific food allergy can be difficult in any language, so lean on technology where it can be helpful to you.
Make use of your gluten free prescription
You might know already about what you do and don’t qualify for, but one thing that you can do to help you plan a trip abroad as a coeliac is to utilise a gluten free prescription. This can help you gain access to certain products that are guaranteed to be gluten free, and which you can then take with you in your suitcase as a guarantee of something to eat over the first few days away. This might be helpful if you are staying in a self-catering apartment or hotel, bringing with you, gluten free bread and rolls. Depending on which part of the UK you live, you’ll be entitled to different types of gluten free products. Always check what you are legally entitled to bring with you in a suitcase when travelling abroad, as some countries and airlines are strict with certain types of plant-based products you can take into the country.
Now that you’ve got a few tips on how to travel abroad after being diagnosed with coeliac disease, you can get to the fun part, planning it! There are few things in life as exciting as putting together your dream holiday. For some, that’s two weeks spent on the beach, soaking up the sun, for others a city break exploring cultural locations and eating great food. Don’t let your gluten free diet and lifestyle change your plans for your next holiday, just make sure you are fully prepared and know what you can and can’t eat, and how to look out for that when you’re abroad.
