Hitting the Road

Cargo OverloadDon’t you just love vacations?

Or, do you find vacations and travel challenging – especially when it comes to navigating your special dietary needs at hotels and restaurants?

It can be challenging, no question about it!

However, after awhile, it usually becomes second nature – once you’ve learned to recognize some of the common pitfalls you’ll want to watch out for.

As it happens, I’ve just wrapped up a ten-day vacation in Eastern Washington – which for me means piling everything in the car and hitting the road.

It’s a perfect way to travel!

The great thing about a road trip, in my humble opinion, is that you can take everything you need with you – without having to deal with limits on excess baggage, or airport security.

And for anyone who has Celiac Disease, or is dealing with food allergies, that makes a road trip ideal.

Because you can simply bring everything along, relying on local grocery stores to stock up on fresh produce and whatever else you might need.

Of course, that also means you might not exactly be traveling light.

In fact, if you’re like me, the words “travel light” might not be in your DNA.

But that’s exactly what makes a road trip so ideal!

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Travel & Your Special Diet

Wagyu Beef SmallHow does your body handle travel?

Are you easily exhausted, or apprehensive about having enough food to eat? (By that I mean the RIGHT kind of food, of course).

Hopefully, you haven’t given up on travel, at least not yet.

While it can indeed be challenging, it doesn’t have to be mean deprivation or going hungry.

I recently flew to Austin, TX, to hang out with my son for a few days. My first night there, we enjoyed this fabulous gluten-free, Japanese inspired meal at a restaurant called Uchi.

(They were very accommodating to my special diet, by the way – which makes for a very stress-free meal!)

Now normally, I’m not a big meat eater.

But this Hot Rock Wagyu Beef totally blew me away. Not only was it delicious, but the presentation was rather awesome. And yes, you even get to cook the meat yourself on that very HOT rock (so cool, and so much fun!)

The rock was heated to 500-600 degrees! (I was curious, so I asked).

I also asked about the bed of salt underneath the rock, since I’d noticed cloves and juniper berries scattered among the crystals.

The reason?

[Read more…]

Hitting the Road

Cargo OverloadI’ve just wrapped up a ten-day vacation in Eastern Washington.

The great thing about a road trip, in my humble opinion, is that you can take everything you need with you – without having to deal with limits on excess baggage, or airport security.

For anyone who has Celiac Disease, or is dealing with food allergies, this makes a road trip ideal.

For the simple reason, you can bring everything along, relying on local grocery stores to stock up on fresh produce and whatever else you might need.

Of course, it also means you may not exactly be traveling light.

In fact, if you’re like me, the words “travel light” might not be in your DNA.

But that’s exactly what makes a road trip so ideal!

For our annual escape, we always stay at the same place – a comfortable time-share condo that is ours for exactly one week.

When we arrive it is always sparkling clean, and tastefully furnished – and that includes a well-stocked kitchen.

Even though the condo comes with a fully equipped kitchen, in the last couple of years, I’ve started bringing more and more of my own equipment.

Perhaps you can relate.

The big concern here, is cross-contamination.

[Read more…]

Hitting The Road

Cargo OverloadI’ve just wrapped up a ten-day vacation in Eastern Washington.

The great thing about a road trip, in my humble opinion, is that you can take everything you need with you – without having to deal with limits on excess baggage, or airport security.

For anyone who is Celiac, or dealing with food allergies, that makes a road trip ideal.

Whatever you need, you can bring it along, relying on local grocery stores to stock up on fresh produce and whatever else you might need.

Of course, that also means you might not exactly be traveling light.

In fact, if you’re like me, the words “travel light” might not be in your DNA.

But that’s exactly what makes a road trip so ideal!

For this annual escape, we always stay at the same place – a comfortable time-share condo, that is ours for exactly one week.

When we arrive it is always sparkling clean, and tastefully furnished – and that includes a well-stocked kitchen.

Even though the condo comes with a fully equipped kitchen, in the last couple of years, I’ve started bringing more and more of my own equipment.

Perhaps you can relate.

The big concern here, is cross-contamination.

[Read more…]

How To Travel Green

TravelAh, the joys of travel.

Not only do we have to deal with the hassles of flying, but our normally healthy habits as far as diet and exercise often fly out the window, adding to our level of frustration and fatigue.

When you add a gluten-free, allergen-free diet to the mix, it gets even more interesting!

Here’s another thing I know to be true:

If you’re an eco-friendly sort of person, it can be very hard to maintain your eco-friendly ways while on the road.

After all, when we’re tired and hungry, and far from home it’s much easier to opt for convenience – especially when crunched for time.

Still, it is possible, and needn’t take too much effort.

So here are my tips on How to Travel Green.

 

Stay Hydrated

While it’s definitely important to stay hydrated while traveling, I think it’s equally important to consider the type of bottle you’re drinking out of.

Yet, how does one maintain proper fluid intake without going through gallons of water packaged in plastic bottles?

My method isn’t foolproof, but here it is:  I travel with a stainless steel water bottle.

I empty it prior to passing through airport security, then promptly request a refill at the nearest Starbucks.

A friend of mine gave me this tip a few years ago, and it really works!

[Read more…]

How to Travel Gluten-Free

18th Cent French Travel Kit

18th Cent French Travel Kit

Back in the day, a gentleman or lady of means typically travelled with something like this.

Perfectly appointed with a travel size knife, fork and spoon and a pair of scissors – for what, I’m not exactly sure.

Fast forward to modern day travel.

Yes, travel in this day and age is a bit more challenging as we navigate airports and busy schedules.

Add a gluten-free diet and lifestyle to the mix, and your travel woes will likely be compounded by the constant worry of “what to eat?”

As we move into the summer travel season, I thought I’d take a moment to review some of my go-to tricks that I rely on whenever I travel.

Making sure, of course, that there’s always something on hand to eat!

(Most of the time, anyway).

For anyone with additional allergies – for example, dairy and eggs, along with gluten – travel becomes even more of a challenge.

[Read more…]

Hitting the Road

By the time you read this, I will have just wrapped up a two week vacation in Eastern Washington.

And happy to be home again!

The great thing about a road trip, in my humble opinion, is that you can take everything you need with you without having to deal with baggage limits or airport security.

Which is why a road trip strikes me as the ideal vacation for anyone who is Celiac, or dealing with food allergies.

That’s because you can bring along food and other supplies, relying on local groceries only to stock up on fresh produce and other necessities as the need arises.

Of course, that also means you might not exactly be traveling light.

In fact, if you’re like me, the words “travel light” might not be in your DNA.

But that’s exactly what makes a road trip so ideal!

For this annual escape, we always stay at the same place – a comfortable time share condo, that is ours for exactly one week.

When we arrive it is always sparkling clean, with everything neatly arranged and orderly.

The place is tastefully furnished with your basic seating, tables and beds – even a hide-a-bed for extra guests – plus a well stocked kitchen.

Yet, even though the condo comes with a fully equipped kitchen, in the last couple of years, I’ve started bringing more and more of my own equipment.

Perhaps you can relate.

The big concern here, is cross – contamination.

[Read more…]

How to Travel in Style

Back in the day, a gentleman or lady of means typically traveled with something like this.

Perfectly appointed with a travel size knife, fork and spoon and a pair of scissors – for what, I’m not exactly sure.

Fast forward to modern day travel.

Yes, travel in this day and age is certainly challenging as we navigate airports and our busy schedules.

For anyone living a gluten-free lifestyle, your travel woes are likely compounded by the constant worry of what are you going to eat?

Two weeks ago, I was in Austin, Texas followed by a few days in Asheville, North Carolina.

While I wouldn’t call myself a seasoned traveler, I do have a go-to system that I rely on whenever I travel, a system that ensures I have will have enough to eat.

Most of the time, anyway.

Because I have additional allergies, to both dairy and eggs, along with gluten, I’m unable to enjoy even a breakfast of scrambled eggs while on the go.

So I always include individual packets of gluten-free oatmeal, or a bag of gluten-free granola in my travel kit, then rely on restaurant fare for fruit or juice.

Better still, after I reach my destination, I like to stop in at a local health food store to stock up on fruits and healthy snacks. If you have a mini refrigerator in your hotel room, that’s ideal.

As for the plane trip itself?

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Summertime & The Living Is Easy

How’s your summer going?

If you’re like me, you’ve been taking full advantage of these warm, lazy summer days and enjoying time outdoors with your family.

Along with picnics and long bike rides, summer is also a time for vacations and travel.

I haven’t taken my vacation yet, but it’s coming right up and I can hardly wait!

Meanwhile, for those of you who might be traveling, be sure to read this and this, plus this excellent post from Whole Life Nutrition.

And you’ll be on your way.

Of course, you might find your Gluten-free lifestyle challenged over and over again while on vacation.

I know I’ve had my share of ‘unique’ situations.

Case in point, last year I spent a couple of weeks at a charming lakeside resort and frequented the fabulous health food store at the center of town.

Turns out, there was a little café located right next door – specializing in crepes.

You can imagine my delight when I noticed a menu posting had gluten-free, dairy-free, plus egg & soy-free options!

This seemed too good to be true…and in fact, it was.

[Read more…]

Easy Tips For The Gluten-Free Traveler

The focus, this week,  is once again on travel. 

Even though Winter hasn’t quite let go of its grip, many of us having been dreaming of sunnier places, maybe even starting to plan this year’s summer vacation.

Where will you go?

Today, I want to share with you an extremely well-written travel article I came across a few weeks ago, that I think is a fabulous resource!

It applies to everyone, by the way, whether you’re gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, or dealing with any kind of food allergy, or food related illness.

Since going gluten-free eight years ago, I haven’t yet traveled to a foreign country, other than Canada.

Which doesn’t really count, since the language and food options are pretty much what I’d find here – just with different packaging.

I have a good friend, though, who is gluten-free and accompanies her husband on regular trips to Paris.

She says she’s never had a problem.

[Read more…]