Traveling

[noglutenallgood]

I was diagnosed with Celiac November 2003 and have been gluten-free ever since. My husband and I love to travel to other countries. Not that I feel up to travelling yet, but I hope I will eventually. Does anyone have any advice (hopefully success stories) about traveling? We are especially interested in going to Europe and North Africa.

Thanks!

Carolyn

[albapsyche]

Carolyn,

I went to Greece and Turkey a year ago in January. It was soo much easier than it ever is to eat here. I could usually find something to eat at a restaurant. Fruits and veges are always good options. Grilled meats are usually delicious too. You just have to be careful of what you would normally avoid here. I only had one mess up and it wasn't that bad of a reaction. I think Lay's labels there food in mulriple languages, so they have english on the packaging. The tour guides my group had were also helpful. The only problem was dealing with my professor on the trip because she never took the time to completely understand what this disease is. All you need to ask for is something without flour, or any wheat pseudonyms. If your in Greece, you have to try Greek salad especially if you like cucumbers and tomatoes. Enjoy your trip when you finally get there. Another suggestion is to bring food with a letter of medical necessity with you in your suitcase. The suitcase will get lighter and enable you to bring back more suvenirs as you travel.

Ravyn

[starlight]

Hi.I have found that traveling in Europe is so much easier than trying to be gluten-free in the US. We have been to most of the western european countries in the past ten years. They predominately cook from scratch, with fresh ingredients, herbs, etc. Unfortunely our influence is beginning to infiltrate as each time we go, we see more Mickey D's and Supermarkets with more and more processed food each year, but usually only in the very large cities. We have found that if we seek out smaller, native, and ethnic places to eat and remember our gluten basics, all is well. I have never had a gluten episode overseas to date. And I always return feeling much better than I do when living in the states. I hope the Europeans can have the sense to keep our abominably unhealthy processed junk out of their stores, restaurants, and homes. Bon Voyage!

Starlight

[Kim]

I've travelled to many places, including Russia, without incident. I bring with me a gluten free card in the appropriate language, which I hand to the server and they usually take it to the chef, and then return it to me. good luck. Kim.

[hipretty]

Hi! I will be traveling to Europe this year. I am not looking forward to the air travel (I am also vegetarian) or the restaurants, as none of my foods can have animal products either! So,,,although not a pessimist, it seems too difficult for some people to manuever both! I used to eat at outback and get sooooo SiCk!! Then I found out everything fried is fried in LaRd!

Kim, how do you get those gluten free cards that are translated in the appropriate language? Do I have to print them up myself? If yes, where did you find the translations?

Thanks-ahead-of-time!

Love & Light, Tee

[astyanax]

the best countries are ireland and the UK: they speak english AND have a high rate of celiac so you can just walk in a foodstore and the food is labeled suitable for celiacs! plus at many restaurants they have gluten-free menus and waiters know what you're talking about oftentimes! overall, celiac (or coeliac as it's spelled there) is much more prevalent and easier to deal with in europe!

no clue about north africa though

[Kim]

I'm not sure where the gluten-free cards came from. My sister had a book with them and I photocopied the appropriate pages. Perhaps someone else will know? Sorry.

Kim.

[LaurieAnn13]

I have a book called Against the Grain that has a bunch of pages in the back that describes the celiac diet requirements in tons of languages....I have found it a great resource!! The book itself is also AWESOME!! I read it right after I was diagnosed and still refer back to it often....I highly recommend it...

Laurie

[MySuicidalTurtle]

If you have a support group or contact one in a different area they can help get you in contact with the nationwide thing and they (or so I was told) can give you numbers of support group leaders in Europe or where ever and they can help you.

[sfortney]

Does anyone have any advice for travelling in Asia, particularly China?