Gluten free
Travel Basics

If I have learnt one thing, it is that traveling hungry is never an option. So plan ahead and be sure to pack some snacks, just in case your arrival is delayed, your luggage with gluten free food is lost, or your desired airline meal is not ready at the time of your departure.

Check with your airline carrier to see if they have gluten free options. Most of the big players (Vietnam Airlines, Lufthansa, etc.) now provide special (dietary) meals on long haul flights. I highly recommend to contact your airline in advance (at least 96 hours) and inform them about your request. Some of the carriers even allow you to specify your needs, i.e. ordering gluten free & vegan airline meals.

From my experience, communicating your dietary food needs with translation cards can save you a lot of trouble. Meanwhile, you find a lot of websites that offer dining cards briefly explaining your needs as a celiac or gluten intolerant person in foreign languages.

Packing properly can facilitate your travels. Some airports have strict guidelines regarding what to pack in carry-on and checked baggage. In most cases, solid food items can be transported either in carry-on or in checked baggage.

• USA: Homeland Security Services have listed what you can bring. See here.

• EU: Rules when traveling in the EU can be found here.

Especially when traveling countries with less gluten free food options I prefer renting apartments with a (little) kitchen. It gives me the option to cook or warm over things. Besides, I just like having a fridge where I can store perishable goods. When booking make sure that there is a real kitchen with full facilities.

Eating whole foods, like fruits, vegetables, nuts, dairy, fish, meat is always a good and safe choice, because they are naturally gluten free. Moreover, they are healthier, budget friendly and a way you can avoid cross-contamination.

Identifying glutenous ingredients in pre-packaged foods is not always easy. So please read the wrappers carefully to prevent damage. Back in Asia, I used an app that were able to give me real-time on-screen translations.