I love going to new places — and food is a huge part of the excitement for me when I travel.
It’s a funny mix, because on one hand it can be a big stress factor… and on the other hand I’m genuinely so excited to try new things. Because let’s be honest: when you have celiac disease, the options can feel limited — and finding a truly safe place to eat can feel like winning the lottery.
Travelling with celiac disease does take more planning. But with time, the research gets faster, the conversations get easier and you build a mental toolkit that becomes second nature.
In fact, many people with celiac find they become better travellers after diagnosis: more intentional, more prepared and more attuned to the food cultures they encounter.
With the right approach, you can travel safely and still enjoy food — without stress taking over.
Most gluten-free travel stress comes from uncertainty — not from the food itself.
So the goal is knowledge, which gives you certainty, and a few anchors that keep you safe and calm, even when plans change. This will give you a strong foundation for a safe trip.
The following steps will help you build this foundation…
1. Do your research
Before you book anything; find out this about your destination:
Is celiac awareness common?
Some countries (for example Italy, Australia and Ireland) are known for stronger awareness. In other places, cross-contamination may not be well understood. Before you take any decisions, find out what’s the local understanding of celiac disease as a medical condition versus a food preference. This is important regarding how you need to communicate once you arrive at your destination.
What does the local cuisine look like?
Some cuisines are naturally more gluten-free friendly, while others rely heavily on flour, bread or soy sauce-based seasonings. Understand the food culture you are entering and identify where the actual risks live.
Find safe options in advance.
Identify a few celiac-friendly restaurants before you go. Apps like Find Me Gluten Free and trusted local celiac organisations can save you a lot of stress once you arrive.
Before you book, also consider accommodation
If you can, choose accommodation that gives you control.
best to hardest
For celiacs, “free breakfast included” or buffets isn’t always helpful unless they understand cross-contact. A kitchenette often gives you more safety and more freedom.
2. Pack like a celiac
Once you’ve chosen your destination, you have to pack with intention, to ensure that you are never forced to risk your health for a meal. Sometimes that even means extra luggage — with safe food. Pack for backup meals, safe snacks, cross-contamination prevention and emergencies. The goal is to always have something safe when airports, hotels, restaurants or delays fail you.
Emergency food (always)
Pack enough safe food for:
- the full travel day
- one full day at the destination
- one unexpected delay
For your inspiration here are some of my favourite picks when I am travelling:
One important note: pack for the moments when the plan falls apart.
Do not just pack snacks for “in between.” Do not forget about the moments when there is suddenly nothing safe to eat.
Because sometimes you think you do everything right. You research the restaurant. You check the menu. You find the place that says they serve gluten-free pizza. You arrive after a long day, everyone tired and hungry, and only then you find out that yes, the pizza is technically gluten-free — but it is not celiac safe.
That’s what happened to me and at the end of the day, I watched my daughter, completely exhausted and devastated, watching her big brother eat her favourite pizza while I had to give her the fifth energy bar of the day.
That is the moment I want to pack for. Because I do not want to be that mum again.
So don’t forget to pack real backup meals.
Cross-contact mini kit
- travel cutlery
- zip bags
- small chopping board
- dish soap sheets + a small sponge
- wipes for surfaces
- toaster bags (especially helpful for hotels/breakfast areas)
- a few sealed condiment sachets: e.g. jam, mayo, soy sauce
A gluten-free travel card (or app)
A short card can be a lifesaver when you’re tired or dealing with language barriers. It should explain:
- you have celiac disease (medical requirement)
- wheat / barley / rye / oats are not safe
- cross-contact matters (clean utensils / surfaces)
- no shared fryer
- please confirm they understand
However, translated dining cards are not a copy-paste solution. A generic card that says “I cannot eat wheat, barley or rye” is helpful, but it doesn’t always cover the real risks in the country you are visiting.
The important part is making the card destination-specific.
For Japan, that might mean clearly explaining soy sauce, because traditional soy sauce often contains wheat and can appear in places you wouldn’t expect. For Italy, it might mean asking about pasta water, shared boiling pots, flour on surfaces, semolina dusting or gluten-free pizza cooked in the same oven without proper separation.
This is the part that matters: the card has to speak to the food culture you are actually stepping into. It is there to help someone else understand what “safe” really means before you pay the price for a misunderstanding.
Your personal Recovery-kit
Medications and supplements in case you are accidental glutened despite your best efforts. This might include, depending on your personal needs of course:
- Anti-Diarrheals
- Anti-Nauseas
- Anti-Inflammatories
- Painkillers
- Probiotics
- L-Glutamine
- Electrolytes
It is one of those things I hope I never need, but sometimes I do. And then I am grateful for not needing to search for open pharmacies in an unfamiliar place in the middle of the night, while being attached to the toilet.
3. Travel-day strategy
At the airport and on the plane
Airports have improved, but I never rely on them.
- Eat a safe meal before leaving for the airport
- Bring enough snacks for the journey
- For longer flights:
- Pre-order a gluten-free meal when booking
- Confirm the request 24–48 hours before departure
- Still bring backup snacks (meals can go wrong)
Road trips: plan the “safe stop”
Choose one grocery chain you trust or a safe gluten-free location and plan to stop there. It’s faster and usually safer than searching random restaurants when you’re hungry.
4. Housing = your safe base
Being able to prepare even a few simple meals can dramatically reduce both risk and anxiety.
Day 1 checklist
- find the nearest grocery store
- buy 3–5 safe basics
- set up 2 “default meals”
- keep emergency snacks available
- identify a couple of safe eating options nearby (if not already done)
Why this matters: one safe base meal per day reduces decision fatigue and prevents “hungry risk-taking.”
5. Eating out while travelling
This is one of the trickiest parts of traveling with celiac disease.
Because eating out in your own town can be stressful enough. Even when you speak the language, have your safe places and can go home to your own kitchen if it all becomes too much, it still takes work. Eating out as a celiac you still have to ask the questions. You still have to check if “gluten-free” actually means celiac safe, every single time because routines can change. You still have to think about shared fryers, crumbs, flour in the kitchen, pasta water, pizza ovens and whether the person answering you truly understands what you are asking.
Now doing this on holiday, in unfamiliar places. Every day. Every meal. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, ice creams, travel days, tired evenings, spontaneous stops.
It will get exhausting very quickly if you are not well prepared. That is why planning ahead matters so much when traveling.
So once again: research, research, research — and then research again.
I never rely on one source. A restaurant can look perfect on Google, be recommended in a Facebook group, and still not be safe for your level of celiac caution. So I use several places, compare what people say and then make my own list.
Google is usually my first stop. I search the destination plus “gluten free” or “celiac safe,” but I prefer blog posts and personal travel guides over random restaurant listings. A restaurant can show up because it has “gluten-free” on the menu, but that does not mean they understand cross-contact.
There are many good blog posts for traveling with celiac disease. Some of my favorites to check are:
Pinterest can also be helpful, especially for bigger cities. It is basically a search engine for travel guides and I like saving posts to a gluten-free travel board so I can find them again later.
Facebook groups are often one of the best places for real, current recommendations. Local celiac groups or gluten-free travel groups can be so helpful because you can search the destination, read old posts and sometimes ask people who have been there recently.
I also use gluten-free apps, which are very helpful while traveling, but I don’t rely on them as my only source. Apps like Find Me Gluten Free, Gluten Dude, and Atly can make it much easier to find options, especially because some let you filter for more celiac-friendly places or save restaurants on a map. But reviews can be outdated, mixed or based on a different level of caution, so I still read carefully and check the restaurant myself.
Instagram can be helpful too. Saved posts and collections are great for storing restaurant recommendations by destination. When I find a good gluten-free travel post, I save it straight away.
Once I have gathered all the names, I make a list. If the same restaurant comes up again and again, I feel more confident about looking into it further. If a place is 100% dedicated gluten-free, it goes straight to the top of the list. If it is not dedicated, I contact them or check their kitchen protocols before trusting it.
And then I look at location.
Because a safe restaurant is only helpful if you can actually get there when everyone is hungry, tired and done for the day. I like mapping the restaurants against where we are staying and what we plan to do, so I know what is nearby before we are standing in the street trying to figure it out.
Yes, this research takes extra time and effort. But it pays off many times over. It saves stress, gives peace of mind and helps you actually enjoy the holiday — with food having a little less power to take over the whole trip.
If you want to read more about eating out in restaurants, I go into more detail in my guide, to help you feel more confident before you sit down and order.
Wishing you safe travels!
xxx
Important note: This post is educational and not medical advice. If you have celiac disease, strict gluten avoidance is medically necessary. When in doubt, prioritise safety and speak with your clinician for personal guidance.
