5 Tips For Traveling Gluten-Free & Top Cities

Matt is a Bread SRSLY Ambassador and one half of the duo behind the travel blog Wheatless Wanderlust. We asked Matt to share with our community some of his best tips, tricks and tools for traveling gluten-free. He had so much helpful advice to share that we’ve split up his guest post. Stay tuned for part two next week! 

 Matt in Budapest

I’m sharing some of my favorite tips, tricks, and tools with you so you can have those immersive travel experiences you’ve been dreaming about without worrying about where you’re going to find safe gluten-free food for lunch. If you’ve done your planning right, you’ll already have a list of restaurants to choose from, and you could always head back to the kitchen where you’re staying to whip something up if you find yourself in a pinch. 

The number one tip I have for you? Like Scar in The Lion King would say, “Be Prepared.” You’ll need to do research ahead of time by looking at guides written by other gluten-free bloggers (I recommend Googling “gluten-free *city name* or *country name*”), connecting with local Celiac Associations, and using apps like Find Me Gluten Free (an app great for finding dedicated gluten-free restaurants) to make a list of safe spots you’re excited to enjoy. 

Below, you will find four gluten-free travel tips- in my next post, I'll be sharing three great gluten-free travel destinations, two things to pack, and one secret that will help you travel anywhere in the world. 

   

4 Tips While Traveling Gluten-Free

1. A.B.S: Always. Bring. Snacks. 

Have you ever been hangry (hungry + angry)? I certainly have. You’re not going to be a fun travel companion or tourist when you’re hangry, and you’re actually more likely to take risks that might make you sick on your trip. As someone who has gotten sick on vacation before, I don’t recommend the experience. While you don’t need to go overboard and pack a separate suitcase exclusively for your snacks, it helps to bring plenty of snacks like nuts and seeds (if you can safely enjoy them), energy and protein bars, dried fruit, and chocolate (the most important!) just in case you find yourself in a pinch.  

2. Request a Gluten-Free Meal in Advance on International Flights

Did you know you can almost always get a safe, gluten-free meal on international flights? The catch is you have to request it at least 48-72 hours in advance, depending on the airline. Is plane food good? Not really. Do you want to spend 8-16 hours on a plane without eating? Definitely not really.

Pro-tip: Always call the airline at least 72 hours before your trip to confirm they have your request. I’ve been left out multiple times before and had to sustain myself exclusively on snacks for an entire trans-Atlantic flight, which I do not recommend even a little bit. 

On domestic flights in the United States, it’s worth checking with the airline to see what kind of gluten-free options will be available on your flight. Usually, you can find this information online. I have been pleasantly surprised with the options on Alaska Airlines, which usually has a snack pack that is gluten-free, and JetBlue, which has free snacks, several of which are gluten-free. 

3. Take Cooking Classes and Food Tours with Local Guides

Colombian Cooking Class

I have had some extraordinary food experiences through cooking classes and market tours with local guides all over the world. It’s one of my favorite things to do when I travel, and I’ve made some memories at cooking classes in Chile, Colombia, and Mexico. 

The benefit to going this route, especially if there is a language barrier, is the guides will be more than happy to help you navigate the local food scene, giving you inside knowledge on what dishes might contain gluten that you hadn’t thought of, and a vocabulary lesson to help you ask questions. 

You’ll need to confirm with the host or company that they can accommodate your needs in advance. It goes without saying not every cooking class is going to be good for someone who needs to eat gluten-free. You’re probably going to have to skip the croissant making class in Paris and the handmade pasta class in Rome.

4. Locate Gluten-Free Places And Save In Google Maps

I swear by the “Saved Places” feature on Google Maps for making maps of the cities I’m visiting and noting where I’ll be able to find the best gluten-free food, coffee shops, photo spots, and more. You can save all of those places onto a map so when you’re exploring, you can pull it up and see what’s nearby. 

Petunia's Pies and Pastries Donut

5. Be Willing and Have the Resources to Cook for Yourself

If you or your travel companions are able and willing to cook for yourselves, you can travel anywhere in the world. If you’re not finding any gluten-free restaurants you feel comfortable with, all you need is access to a kitchen and a trip to the local grocery store or market. 

Before your trip, make sure to book a place with a kitchen. Ideally, you want a kitchen with a refrigerator and a stove. Unfortunately, that is not something that you find at most hotels, so you might find yourself looking at apartment rentals. Make sure to add grocery stores near your accommodations to your handy Google Map. 

When you arrive, head to the local market on your first day to grab some staples, like eggs, fruits and vegetables, cheese, and rice (it totally depends on where you are traveling), that you can make in the kitchen at your place.

    

Pack These 2 Items While Traveling Gluten-Free

A Gluten-Free Restaurant Card For Language Barriers

Perhaps the most anxiety-inducing part about traveling somewhere new is navigating a language barrier. It can be hard enough to communicate my dietary needs in English, let alone in an unfamiliar language. 

Enter gluten-free restaurant cards! Gluten-free restaurant cards are essentially a phrase you can either print out or save on your phone which say something that boils down to “I need to eat gluten-free, here’s what that means.” 

I’d recommend investing in a card that mentions cross-contamination, like shared fryers for example. It’ll cost you about $10, but it’s more than worth it to have the option to pull it out when you need it to make sure you get a safe gluten-free meal. I get my gluten-free restaurant cards from Jodi at Legal Nomads. 

Toaster Bags

Toaster bags are a lifesaver because they make it easy to make a quick meal like a sandwich for lunch or toast to go with your eggs in the morning. They’re a little sleeve that you can put your bread in before popping it into the toaster that will prevent cross-contact with gluten and allow you to use shared toasters. The bags I use I found on Amazon.

   

 New Cascadia Breakfast Sandwich

My Top 3 Gluten-Free Travel Destinations & Restaurants

Portland, Oregon

From my experience, Portland is the best gluten-free city in the United States. There are five dedicated gluten-free bakeries, three dedicated gluten-free breweries, countless other dedicated gluten-free restaurants, and a cider/coffee scene that rivals any other city in the world. If you’re anxious about traveling after a Celiac Disease diagnosis, I’d encourage you to start with a trip to Portland where you’ll be surrounded by many amazing, safe options.

My Favorite Gluten-Free Spots in Portland:  

Read my full gluten-free Portland city guide here. 

Rome, Italy

I can hear exactly what you’re thinking: Italy? The world capital of pizza and pasta? You can’t be serious. Rome is an amazing place to visit in its own right with so much incredible history and culture you can feel as you wander the torchlit streets at night. But it also happens to be an amazing gluten-free destination too. I’ve found the food culture in Rome is inclusive, rather than exclusive. In Rome, it’s about making sure you can eat it all. 

There are several dedicated gluten-free restaurants and bakeries in Rome, along with four 100% gluten-free gelato shops—yes, even the cones are gluten-free. Many restaurants have entirely separate kitchens to accommodate people with Celiac Disease and ensure they can safely partake in the food culture that makes Italy a culinary delight. 

My Favorite Gluten-Free Spots in Rome: 

Read my full gluten-free Rome city guide here.

Matt at Holidaily Brewing Co

Denver, Colorado

Until recently, Denver wasn’t on my list of the best gluten-free cities to visit. But after multiple trips, including a longer stay, it has risen in the ranks to sit at number three, toppling NYC to take home the bronze medal of gluten-free deliciousness.

Denver is the gateway to the Rocky Mountains, and like Portland, is home to a thriving small business culture and is full of foodies. Dedicated gluten-free spots have sprung up like wildfire over the past five years or so. The surrounding area, including Boulder, CO, is also full of delectable gluten-free eats, from a local 100% gluten-free brewery, to fish and chips, to tasty tacos, and more. 

Top Gluten-Free Restaurants in Denver: 

Read my full gluten-free Denver city guide here.  

   

Travel Confidently Gluten-Free

The first time I traveled internationally was three years after being diagnosed with Celiac Disease. Despite having a few years of living gluten-free under my belt, I was still anxious about exploring a new place. Where would I eat? What if I couldn’t find a safe restaurant? What if I got sick on vacation? All of these questions swirled around in my mind as I worked through planning my trip. And frankly, it was a little overwhelming.

On that post-diagnosis trip, I often found myself anxiously scrambling to find a place to eat or second guessing my previous research. Worrying about shared fryers and whether that white sauce had flour in it took me out of the moment and the immersive experience that travel can be.

Over a decade after this initial trip, I’ve now traveled around the world to places like Colombia, New Zealand, Hungary, and many more. Though I still occasionally get anxious about traveling to new places, I now have a set of tools and tricks that I use to make traveling gluten-free less stressful and more enjoyable. 

That’s all for now! Watch this space for more from Matt next week (including but not limited to his gluten-free city guides!), and in the meantime, be sure to give him a follow at @wheatless_wanderlust on Instagram.

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