Traveling Internationally with Celiac Disease - Lessons I Learned on my First International Trip

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I was diagnosed with celiac disease a year ago and this is the first trip we’ve taken since, and of course it’s an international trip. Along with my celiac disease I have fibromyalgia and IBS, adding a level of difficulty to traveling. But, we love traveling and hope to move abroad soon – so might as well figure it out now!

My symptoms can be easily triggered by various things so making correct accommodations was top of our list. My main goal on this trip was to not get glutened. But along with that I wanted to manage my pain as much as possible to ensure an enjoyable trip.

I thought I had a great plan going into this trip, but we ended up learning a lot of hard lessons anyway. I’m sharing the lessons we’ve learned so I can remember for next time – and hopefully make your trip abroad a bit easier too!

Before the Trip

I wanted to reintroduce dairy before our trip just to see where I was at with it. I haven’t had dairy in about a year and was curious if my body had healed enough to handle it. Not having to worry about dairy on top of gluten in Spain meant I would have more options available to me – like Pizza <3

I handled the reintroduction well at first, I found I could handle small quantities with a digestive enzyme. But a few days later I started to get really inflamed and it became difficult to walk.

For two weeks before our trip I ate an AIP diet in efforts to reduce as much inflammation as possible. While it helped, I needed much longer than two weeks to recover.

Our trip

We spent two weeks in Spain, exploring 4 different cities. Our plan is to move there when my husband is done with school for his work. So this trip wasn’t a huge sightseeing trip and rather a scoping trip. That in itself helped accommodate my symptoms. I didn’t feel like I needed to push myself to make the trip worth it. Breaks were just fine and we still did everything we wanted to.

We chose Spain because of how many more Gluten Free options there are and how warm the weather is. My symptoms do much better in warmer climates so Spain is ideal.

Eating gluten free in Spain was AMAZING! And it might have broken my brain. Coming back to the states has been incredibly difficult knowing how much better my life will be in Spain.

There were so many dedicated gluten free bakeries and restaurants which is completely unheard of here. We ate entirely gluten free for the first week of our trip and even my husband loved everything we had!

Moving to Spain where there are more quality options at reasonable prices means we could both eat gluten free regularly to keep me safe without breaking the bank. In the states buying gluten free groceries for both of us just isn’t an option. It’s too expensive and most of it doesn’t taste good enough for my husband to enjoy it.

Product labeling in Spain is also so much better. Their labeling guidelines are stricter and clearer. I feel like I have to be hypervigilant here to stay safe. But in Spain I felt more confident to the point where I didn’t feel I had to use my brain as much as I do here.

We ate at places that were recommended on the Find Me Gluten Free app, so maybe that’s why we didn’t have any issues at restaurants, but everywhere we went staff was knowledgeable about gluten free and cross contamination. I never felt like I had to ask a billion follow up questions to ensure my safety, they just knew. And they didn’t treat me like it was annoying, it was just a normal simple request that they fully understood. I also wasn’t excluded entirely from parts of meals. I had bread almost everywhere when regular bread would have been served. Mine even came out wrapped in gluten free packaging to ensure safety. I even got warm bread!

In Spain I didn’t feel like my allergen was a burden, or me being dramatic. I didn’t hold back tears when eating out. I didn’t feel overwhelmed. I felt like a regular person again. It was wonderful and I’m craving everyday to return. Regardless of my husband’s career we would choose to move to Europe for the gluten free options alone.

As amazing as our trip was, it did not come without its challenges. We learned a lot of hard lessons along the way that will change the way we travel in the future. As difficult as those moments were, we came out stronger for it.

Lessons we learned:

Travel days:

Snacks and Packed Meals

I learned I need way more snacks and meals on hand while traveling. At the start of our trip I made ham sandwiches for our first few flights. I packed them with an ice packet and a bag to fill with ice after airport security. I felt so prepared with those and so many snacks. However, we had crazy delays that set our trip back 24 hours. Between all the delays I couldn’t keep the sandwiches cold and honestly forgot about them. So I had to toss them eventually because I was anxious the meat wouldn’t be good.

Tip: I got a backpack where the bottom section is a cooler. That way I can pack my laptop, a bunch of food that can stay somewhat cold, and a few essentials. I got one that has a soft cooler so if I’m not using it I have more room in the backpack part. However, I have mixed feelings about it. You really have to put something hard in the cooler section so your food doesn’t get smashed by what’s in the backpack part. I don’t know if I would switch to a different one but that was the challenge I faced with the bag.

Tip: only pack snacks you’re excited for. Make a special trip for it. I packed mostly left over snacks I had on hand. I ate all my favorites quickly and then I got really bored with the rest and at one point in the trip they just icked me out and I didn’t want any of them.

Lesson learned: Pack peanut butter or honey sandwiches. You can get nut butters in little squeeze pouches for better traveling. So much simpler and easy to travel with. Snacks were great to have but while we were wandering around I found I often needed more of a meal than snacks. So having some bread and peanut butter in my bag was so great.

Requesting allergen meals

I was so prepared ahead of this trip and requested an allergen meal on our longer flight. I was disappointed that I couldn’t order both a gluten and dairy free option. American Airlines only let me choose one or the other. I ordered a gluten free meal just so I would have an option.

I also looked up all our layover airports and had a list of where I could eat, to ensure I didn’t miss any meals.

However, we were delayed and canceled left and right and ended up going to entirely different airports so that plan went out the window. Also, due to our crazy delays we were rescheduled on another airline and by the time we got on that flight the window for special requests was closed. I asked on the flight if they happened to have an extra and they didn’t. Luckily I was able to eat somewhere right before the flight and had snacks.

However, when we flew United back I was provided with a top 10 allergen free meal that was well sealed and had an ingredient label right on it. Unfortunately it had a tomato sauce which I can’t tolerate well, but I was able to eat most of it which was a pleasant surprise! I was also fed first which made me feel even safer. I was unable to find any info about United’s meals prior to my flight so the fact I got anything was honestly surprising.

Tip: I’ve never tried it but I’ve heard if you’re nice to the flight attendants they’ll reheat food for you.

Tip: Bags of food don’t count as carry-ons for most airlines. So grab a to go bag from somewhere in the airport and use it for extra snacks and meals for your flight.

Lesson learned: Request a meal when possible, but always have a backup. If there’s somewhere safe to eat at the airport, do it. Take advantage when you can because you can’t be sure what will happen next. If there’s somewhere that you feel super safe with, order a second meal to take with you that will keep – like a salad or rice bowl. If you do get a meal on a flight do what you need to to ensure your safety. If you aren’t confident, skip it. I didn’t want to risk anything going out, however coming home I may have been less concerned (I’m concerned either way).

Planning to be flexible

As a recovering type A person I can assure you this was the most difficult thing for me. Prior to our trip I had so many plans. Then they all went out the window and I had to start over. As much as I love a plan, I now know that I just need to trust myself that I’ll be able to figure it out. I have all the tools I need and I always pack snacks just in case. So there’s no reason to freak out before and over plan, that just makes more of a mental load than I need.

Overall Travel Lessons We Learned:

Lesson Learned: Shorter Travel Days

With my autoimmune symptoms I really need consistent sleep. On this trip it took us 8 hours to fly to the east coast and then we had our 8 hour flight overnight. I planned on sleeping the whole way on that long flight. But, getting to that flight was incredibly stressful and I was flaring pretty bad. So I was unable to sleep at all on that flight which really caused problems right off the bat. Next time we go to Europe from the states we will opt to fly to the east coast and then get a hotel for the night so we can get a good night’s sleep before waking up to take the long flight. Overnight flights are behind us, extending trips would be better.

Lesson Learned: Rest Day on Arrival

This one might be tough for us to maintain but a new rule we have is the first day after arrival is dedicated to rest. No itinerary plan other than food is allowed on that day. Then if we have a rough travel day we don’t feel like we’re missing out by resting. And if it goes well we can do whatever we feel up to in the moment.

Lesson Learned: Spreading out travel days

We spent 2 weeks in Spain, but traveled to 4 different cities. We didn’t stay as long in Madrid or Barcelona because they were more expensive, but that meant quick turnaround times between travel days. Our new rule is we spend 2 days on location for every travel day minimum. So if it takes a travel day to get there and a travel day to get back we need to spend 4 days there for 6 days total. This gives us time to take it slow and enjoy the trip while taking the rest I need between traveling.

Lesson Learned: Hotels over Airbnb’s any day

We originally decided to book Airbnb’s to help our budget but also so we had the option of cooking at home if we needed it. However, after this trip we’ve drastically changed our minds on Airbnb. Our first flight into Madrid was over 24 hours after our original check in. With a hotel making that adjustment would have been easy and we probably would have been refunded, but with Airbnb we were just out of luck. Also, trying to coordinate check-ins when flights change so often is very difficult.

We also didn’t take into consideration how close gluten free options were to our Airbnb. In the future we’ll specifically book hotels that either have allergy friendly room service or are within 2-5 minutes walking to somewhere we know is safe for me. On days where I was lightheaded and super sick it would have been so much nicer to just order room service than scrambling to get food.

Also, the pots and pans in the Airbnb were hit and miss. Some were scratched up and poorly cleaned, without a dishwasher, so I didn’t feel comfortable using them. If anything I would maybe book a hotel with a kitchenette so if I needed to swap out pans I had the option.

If I was traveling by car and could take some kitchen stuff I would consider an Airbnb. But going overseas, especially to somewhere new, I’d choose a hotel.

Tips For During Your Trip:

Be aware of how allergies are treated in the country you’re visiting

Knowing this information ahead of time will help you understand what you need to be prepared for.

In Spain the regulatory process for gluten free items is much stricter and so there is less risk of cross contamination. In grocery stores it’s basically the same gluten free symbol on everything, there aren’t different ones or just a branded font that says gluten free even when it’s not really gluten free (like in the US). There are also vastly different legal requirements for restaurants to claim items as gluten free.

Use grocery delivery

I wasn’t sure how grocery delivery would work before my trip so I didn’t bother with it, but I should have figured it out beforehand. We browsed a bunch of different grocery stores while we were there to get a feel for the variety and price point of gluten free items. However, there were days when we were so tired from traveling and didn’t want to venture to the store, so ordering groceries was helpful. It wasn’t until halfway through our trip when we decided to do it and I wish we would have done it day one! We used the Glovo app and it was extensive with ingredient lists on all their products so choosing gluten free groceries was so easy.

I wish we had set this up before because the account creation step was a little annoying. We set it up when we hadn’t eaten all day and our rental ended up being further away than expected from everything. In a hungry fog we tried to set up the account, only for it to require a phone number for a text confirmation. Because of our esims we couldn’t do that, so we had to pay for a day pass with our phone provider to activate the account. It would have been so nice if we had set that all up before our trip.

Planning your day around food

I normally go in with a detailed plan for food, but on this trip I felt like there would be enough options around that I could be flexible. But even with those options we still ran into so many situations where we needed food fast and were not close to anything I could have. We weren’t prepared for how hard my body would take to travel and how difficult it was for me to walk. We quickly learned to prioritize food and keep bread and peanut butter on me in case I got lightheaded.

Language Barriers

Luckily on this trip my husband speaks Spanish so I didn’t have to worry about communicating my allergies. However, if you don’t speak the language of the country you’re visiting you can download allergy translation cards to give to waiters to help you order safely.

Finding Gluten Free Places

Throughout this trip we used the Find Me Gluten Free app for everywhere we ate. I paid for the premium account because while the free one is great it pulls up a bunch of places with poor reviews that are basically saying “don’t eat here”. The premium account lets me filter on safest for celiac so I don’t have to weed through as many options. Everywhere we ate was reviewed by at least another person so I felt comfortable. For the first week in Madrid and Barcelona we ate at exclusively gluten free places. However, in the smaller cities of Seville and Malaga there weren’t as many dedicated places but we still found plenty of safe options. Obviously the more touristy and large an area the more likely you will find gluten free places.

American Chains

Don’t be afraid to eat at chains you’re familiar with just because you’re in a new country! On our roughest day when we were starving and couldn’t successfully get anything delivered we resorted to Five Guys. It was a safe option that we didn’t need to vet and would arrive quickly. And honestly, it was the best Five Guys we’ve EVER had! In Spain there are a TON of burger kings and McDonald’s that safely serve gluten free buns.

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