Gluten-Free Travel
VACATION RENTALS: From
screened huts in Peru, to mobile homes in Florida, log cabins in Tennessee,
thatched cottages in Ireland and even a castle in Scotland; Vacation Rentals
are a great way to go! They come in
absolutely every size, shape and location you can imagine, from dirt cheap to
as extravagant as you can dream, there are very few limits. They're easy enough
to find if you can Google. In the U S
use the key words "Vacation Rental" and the location you're
interested in. Outside the U S use the
key words "Self Catering" along with the country you want to search.
We have one rule when we travel…we never eat, shop, or
explore anything we could do at home. That means when we shop for Gluten-Free
food we stick to locally available as well.
And it’s a lot easier than you’d expect if you eat real food…fresh
fruits, vegetables & proteins. I’ve also found that countries outside the U
S are truly much more Gluten-Free safe than I had imagined.
MEAL PLAN/SHOPPING LIST:
I always seem to travel with a troop…anywhere from 4 to 40 people…so it’s
always wise to have a basic shopping list planned out. About a month before leaving we begin
discussing food of course :-) Meals are
planned around my specific needs and everyone else’s likes and dislikes. Yes,
we do eat out when we travel. But we
also love to eat in as well. I travel
with some incredible cooks who love exploring the local cuisine. I will admit spending
time with people who love food as much as I do really makes the trip so much
more enjoyable. And we all love to
immerse ourselves in the local culture which means local food as well.
Thankfully, my travel buddies are not big fans of processed foods…so that makes
planning and shopping for real, whole foods that much easier. If you check out the local stores online you
can often find out which brands are safe or offer GF options available in that
area.
BREAKFAST: I never
leave the house without eating a good hearty breakfast first. Others may stop
and eat whenever, wherever they want...for me it's not so easy so I make
certain I'm prepared for my day. So first on the list are potatoes, onions,
eggs, sausage, bacon, salt & pepper. If you cook the meats first, then you
don’t need to worry about the oil/butter.
Otherwise olive or coconut oil is always on our list…we never use
anything else. Everyone seems to love my
GF pancakes so those go on the list as well with either real maple syrup (if it’s
available) or local jams or fruit preserves. If the pancake mix might present a
challenge I’ll pack my own in the suitcase…just in case.
LUNCH/SNACKS: We
never plan lunches, but we do like to keep something on-hand just in case. Generally it’s some local cheese, perhaps
some deli-meats or roasted chicken, plenty of fresh fruit and chips of some
sort. We don’t even bother with the
bread or condiments…we don’t truly need them.
Snacks…don't forget stuff that’s not too tender and can easily be thrown
into a backpack or purse for the day. Protein bars, dried fruit, hard cheese, nuts;
and trust me I’m not the only one who goes looking for them. It’s easy enough
to find everything GF and others don’t even know the difference. Stay away from the chocolate though…if it’s a
warm day you’ll regret it.
One thing we’ve learned is that GF potato chips are
pretty much available wherever we’ve traveled. My daughters and friends all
know this. And potato chips are the one
food I know I can eat without any tummy upset. So when we’re out and about and
everyone is stopping to enjoy a snack or lunch and we find there is absolutely
nothing available for me; someone will show up with a bag of chips and a cold
drink and I’m a happy camper :-) It doesn’t matter what they may be eating, I’m
safe and in the company of some amazing people.
I don’t ask for anything more.
DINNER: This is
always a planned event, whether we shop and make it at the house, or find a
restaurant in our travels where we can all stop and enjoy a great meal. I’m
grateful that my travel mates will search for a place where I can enjoy my meal
with them. We discuss this before we even begin to pack. If it’s going to be 7 nights we may plan on
eating out for 1-3 meals and cooking at the house for the rest. We always leave 1-2 nights with no dinner
planned because we’ve discovered left-overs have a way of making it into the
fridge and those become lunch or dinner quickly.
We try to stay away from processed foods...UNLESS...we
find something particular to the location that is clearly marked Gluten-Free.
Normally, I don't eat that sort of thing at home, but on vacation or a break I
love to indulge and try new things. And if they all decide to do a pizza night
like we did in Portugal then I’ll raid the fridge and find something
interesting to enjoy. I think that night I ended up with fresh fruit, local
goat cheese, cookies and wine. I shared
the wine. They all had Portuguese Pizza…it was an interesting twist.
THE HOUSE: Many of
these Vacation Rentals will provide some of the basic items needed for our
stay…trash bags, soaps, paper goods, some non-perishable cooking supplies…those
are a big help. Not all rental houses
provide things like that. Many are
stripped clean after each renter and it’s up to the renter to scramble for
supplies that first day. Honestly, houses that are stripped like that are a
huge disappointment.
And the best part? My own kitchen! Traveling Gluten-Free can be a real challenge
at times and I love being able to prepare my own meals on occasion, on my own
terms without worrying about someone else’s carelessness. Generally, the kitchens are pretty clean and
neat. There is NO maid service but they
do have a cleaning crew go through the house from top to bottom before you move
in and then again after you move out. So
the kitchens have never really been a problem for me. The first thing we do upon arriving is
inspect the house, find our bedrooms and begin making a note of items we’ll
need to shop for. Usually tops on the
list are soaps & paper products for the kitchen, bath and laundry.
I check out the kitchen.
Glass is my friend! I love
finding glass and ceramic dishes, glasses, cups, bowls and baking pans! When in doubt…wash it out! Plastic gets shoved to the back of the
shelf…I don’t like using it. Pots &
pans take a ton of abuse so I inspect them closely. Scratches, dents, unknown burnt bits…those
get shoved to the back of the shelf as well.
If I have to, I’ll purchase my own trusty fry pan to use while I’m there
and then simply leave it behind when I’m gone.
I absolutely dislike aluminum…but if needed I’ll sacrifice my dislike
and purchase aluminum baking/roasting pans and foil…simply to protect
myself. I’ve also been known to convert
the entire kitchen to disposables if absolutely nothing in the kitchen is safe
to eat from.
When we’re shopping we generally don’t get much that’s
not Gluten-Free because we’re always out and about nearly every day and
everyone can indulge to their hearts content.
Here are some of the basics we shop for, you'll need to adjust according
to your needs - Bacon, Bath Soap, Broth, Butter, Chicken, Chips, Coffee, Conditioner,
Creamer, Deli-Meats, Dish Soap, Dried Fruit, Eggs, Fresh Fruit, Fresh
Vegetables, Garlic, Hamburger, Hand Soap, Hard Cheese, Juice, Laundry Soap, Milk,
Nuts, Oil, Onions, Paper Towels, Pepper, Potatoes, Protein Bars, Rice, Salt,
Sausage, Tea, Toilet Paper, Tooth Paste, Trash Bags, Shampoo, Snack Bars, Sugar,
Water.
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