U.s. Holiday!

[westybls]

Hi,my name is Martin and i'm from Italy.Sorry for my english it is really poor!I'm celiac since 2000.I like to travel and here in Italy and in Europe is enough easy to "survive" for me because 2 years ago I bought a small but comfortable van whit kitchen and beds. The next year I want to visit the United States for 1 month whit 2 friends.I want to hire a car in New York,drive towards Chicago and cross all the U.S. territory until arrive in California.I would like to know yours advices and suggestions for my survival in the U.S.!!! Thank you!!!

[gdobson]

Hi Martin,

First of all I would like to say that I am jealous of your upcoming trip. Nothing like a good road trip!

That being said, whenever we travel long distances (we drive from Virginia to Illinois frequently) the only certain way we have found to stay gluten free is to stick with the big chain restaurants that have gluten free menu (some listed below that I know of right off) and to buy our own snacks and lunches from grocery stores that carry gluten free items.

P.F. Changs

Cheeseburger in Paradise

Outback Steakhouse

Chick Fil A

Carrabbas

Kroger Grocery stores usually carry a section of gluten free items.

I hope that is somewhat helpful.

Have fun!

Gina

[missy'smom]

Hi Martin,

We've done that same road trip from New York to LA. It's a great way to see the country. That was before I was gluten-free so I can't recommend specific places. I'll add Wendys to that list of restaurants. I print out the gluten-free menues or allergen lists from the websites of those restaurants that provide them and keep them in a file that I bring along in the car. Whole Foods, Wild Oats and Trader Joes are stores that carry alot of gluten-free items. If you plan your route ahead and know where you'll stop, you can mapquest the city or town and click on restaurants or groceries and a list will pop up that you can go through to find some of the places that we mentioned. Awareness of this disease is growing in this country but many are still not familiar with it. Bring dining cards with you. Triumph Dining is one company that sells them. There are some other sources as well. Prepare well for that stretch through the midwest-Iowa and Nebraska. Depending on your route, there can be long stretches of road with little but corn along the way(no disrespect to the midwest-I used to live there). The route through the mountains of Colorado, through the resort areas of Breckenridge etc. was a challenge for us as well. We were driving a moving van and on a timeline and didn't plan our days out ahead though. Also, many cities have support groups that have websites and have restaurant advice on them. Occasionally, someone from out of town will contact ours for dining advice and I have done the same when traveling to another town that I was unfamiliar with.