How Do You Handle Vacations?

[slmprofesseur]

I am excited and concerned at the same time. We are going to the beach for July 4th. (Kure Beach, NC). I will have a kitchen in our cottage but I am not sure what to bring. I need ideas from seasoned travelers. Ds is allergic to wheat/gluten, eggs, nuts and both of us are allergic to shellfish. I won't go near/inside a seafood restaurant!

Last year I didn't realize how limited my choices would be. I lived on salads, grits (for breakfast) and fruit! Ds was nursing so no probs there...

Any ideas? Horror stories...

[Lukalovescats]

I am excited and concerned at the same time. We are going to the beach for July 4th. (Kure Beach, NC). I will have a kitchen in our cottage but I am not sure what to bring. I need ideas from seasoned travelers. Ds is allergic to wheat/gluten, eggs, nuts and both of us are allergic to shellfish. I won't go near/inside a seafood restaurant!

Last year I didn't realize how limited my choices would be. I lived on salads, grits (for breakfast) and fruit! Ds was nursing so no probs there...

Any ideas? Horror stories...

Right there with you on the nerves. We are going to Disney in August with my parents and though there plenty of options in Disney, I still get nervous about traveling. Since you have a kitchen that will help bunches. I start most days out with Brown Rice Cream cereal. I add a bit of cinnamon and sugar for my sweet tooth. You could bring a blender and make smoothies. Chicken and steak are great options. Tinkyada pasta and sauce for dinners. Just pack a couple of coolers with lots of frozen meats and veggies and bring fresh stuff as well. Good Luck and have fun!!

[slmprofesseur]

I think I will be eating pasta and pB &j!

[mammajamma]

I am going to Disney too, and I haven't been in years so I don't know what to expect... someone mentioned plenty of options... can anyone elaborate? We are staying in a condo with a kitchen so I am planning to have my gluten-free cereal for breakfast and maybe even pack my own lunch but dinners will be an issue... sometimes I think that if I go to one more restaurant and eat plain grilled chicken/fish and a baked potato while everyone else indulges, I'll lose it!

[HAK1031]

As for the traveling part, don't be too nervous. I went to England in April, and the airport was no trouble at all. I brought some gluten-free crackers and breakfast bars (I think glutino should be ok for you) in big packages, as well as some dried cranberries (yummy and high energy) and then at the airport I bought some yogurt (fage, in its original package, which I know is safe) and fruit (whole fruit, not the cu up fruit salad...CC risk) which I washed well in the bathroom. I also brought rice cakes and peanut butter (sub. soy butter or really any other topping to add something to the rice cakes). I flew US air, and they were great about the gluten-free meal, but not all airlines are so watch out and bring extra food just in case.

Search the forum for posts on disney. I haven't been there myself since going gluten-free, but it sounds like a gluten-free paradise. I know that they are accomadating to multiple allergies as well, as I have been there twice with my dairy, nut, egg, and soy free cousins.

[Gluten-Free Guy]

We also stay where we can have a kitchen wherever we travel. It's a great help for breakfast and the evening meal, esp if you don't mind cooking. Upon arrival at our lodging, our first mission is to the grocery store.

For lunch while sightseeing, attending amusement parks, etc, I carry a soft-side lunch cooler with a blue ice pack. I include cheese, boiled eggs, fresh veggie spears and a gluten-free dip, Vienna sausages, chips, cookies, candy bars. Another option that works well for me is to carry a gluten-free sliced lunchmeat (Oscar Mayer, etc.) and a bread-and-butter pickle spear (Vlasic) to supplement the cheese, boiled eggs, etc. gluten-free crackers (Glutino) are good with these foods. Carrying the lunch cooler is an inconvenience, but it beats an option such as rice cakes with peanut butter. I carry it with me all day so that, when my wife finds a place to buy lunch, I have mine handy. Sometimes, she just eats the same thing I eat which often is less expensive and better than some of the fare one finds in touristy areas.

[finally diagnosed]

I am excited and concerned at the same time. We are going to the beach for July 4th. (Kure Beach, NC). I will have a kitchen in our cottage but I am not sure what to bring. I need ideas from seasoned travelers. Ds is allergic to wheat/gluten, eggs, nuts and both of us are allergic to shellfish. I won't go near/inside a seafood restaurant!

Last year I didn't realize how limited my choices would be. I lived on salads, grits (for breakfast) and fruit! Ds was nursing so no probs there...

Any ideas? Horror stories...

Hi I am actually starting to pack for a vacation in Maine next week. I bring with me my own collander (to strain pasta), my own cutting board (i have a small one just for this reason) and I have a two slice toaster I take as well. This would be the only thing I can think of to keep CC at a low. I try to bring my own meats already marinated and frozen if possible. And the usual stuff my cereal etc like alot of other people have answered. Good Luck and enjoy the beach.

[cmom]

When our boys were 11/12 yrs old and wanted to get into camping, my husband (out of concern for me) opted to buy a motorhome so I would always have access to a bathroom. It was an older model but it really cut down on stress for us...me getting there in time and him trying to find a place with a restroom while traveling down the road. When we are on vacation, I try not to overeat and am extremely cautious about what I eat. I also throw in a few prayers that I won't have an attack in public!

[sickchick]

I haven't been on vacation in 11 years!

[gfmolly]

Hi there,

We just returned from camping and I packed a cooler full of stuff. I brought my glutino pretzels and Rice chips for snacks and lots of fruits and veggies. We made eggs w/bacon, Johnsonville brats on the grill with cowboy charcoal, and burgers on the grill. Since you will have a kitchenette, you can really stock up.

For the Disney travelers, they really are great. If you can schedule a sit-down meal once a day, you can really get treated well. Also, always tell the clerk before you order that you have special dietary restrictions. They are required to get a manager, who will then tell you what is safe to eat. PM me if you want more info.

Molly

[munchkinette]

Any ideas? Horror stories...

I just had a travel horror story in another country, but not here. (posted in gluten-free travel forum) Honestly, the US is much easier than I ever realized. I would recommend cooking everything that you can.

Whole Foods has gluten-free beef jerky for times when you want some real protein. I love that stuff, even if it is salty.

[wolfie]

We just got back from the beach in NC and we took some of the gluten-free stuff that I wasn't sure if I could find down there and then ate most of our meals in the beach house. We did a lot of fresh fruits, veggies, rice, potatoes, meat and seafood. It was really not much different than what I do at home to be honest. We brought a couple of coolers for the cold stuff that we wanted to bring. You could also make some meals in advance and freeze and then bring in the cooler.

Have a nice trip!!

[munkee41182]

Although I'm looking forward to my honeymoon, I'm dreading it at the same time I think I'm going to stock myself up with lara bars and call it a week. I hope TSA doesn't mind that my entire suitcase will be lara bars lol. The place we're going to has buffets for breakfast and lunch and a sit down dinner....I think I'm going to wake up ASAP to get to the breakfast buffets early enough so I can try to pick things that haven't been cross contaminated. Sigh............

[thecdrevelation]

I am going to Disney too, and I haven't been in years so I don't know what to expect... someone mentioned plenty of options... can anyone elaborate? We are staying in a condo with a kitchen so I am planning to have my gluten-free cereal for breakfast and maybe even pack my own lunch but dinners will be an issue... sometimes I think that if I go to one more restaurant and eat plain grilled chicken/fish and a baked potato while everyone else indulges, I'll lose it!

Sorry, I didn't get too far down in the postings so I don't know if anyone has answered your Disney concerns but here are my helpful tidbits.

I have been to both World and land of the disney variety and can tell you that they are on the ball with food allergies and intolerances. Disneyland is better though. Chef Chris has been to various Celiac conferences, trade shows, etc. in an effort to give us the choices we need. He trains all of his staff in all of Disneyland which includes the parks and resorts. He is constantly seeking out new gluten-free foods to give us better choices. Food prep is colored coordinated as well, meaning only a certain color of tools, for instance orange, are used as gluten free foods, or say yellow for peanut free folks. I know this after speaking with him on the phone several times. He is very helpful and even gave us his cell number when we came to visit in case we ran into any problems! Just call Disneyland guest relations and ask to speak with one of the chefs concerning an allergy issue for a future visit. World is another story. They are accomadating but due to the sheer size of the whole thing it is harder to find a sympathetic ear. Call ahead and request a list of restaurants that you can eat at. Character breakfasts do offer gluten-free foods and the pizza joint in the Magic Kingdom in tomorrow land has killer gluten-free pizza! Some kind of Rocket place. Again they can give you a break down of what you can eat at each park and resort. You can stop in at customer service inside each theme park too and they will call the managers of the restaurants ahead for you to let them know you are coming in to eat. I am heading over to World next Monday and am very relaxed about it. If you want your own foods I suggest a hotel with a fridge and micro, go buy your own toaster at wal-mart and then leave it there. That is the beauty of the six dollar toaster.

hope this helps!