A tip for travelling with Celiac disease
Easing the daunting task of finding places to eat
It is a long weekend here, with 4 days off. Most people plan something like a vacation to go somewhere or do certain things around them. These plans are made and bookings are done well in advance for most. I did too.
Many a time, weather can interfere with the plans. It is imperative to check road conditions, weather apps, right before you leave for a place. For celiacs, or people with food allergies, there’s one more thing to add to the list. That is to look for restaurants safe to eat at.
If you’re new to this, it might feel daunting. Honestly, it is time-consuming too. There’s a lot of information to gather. All distributed on the internet on different sources.
I check reviews on google maps, check the menu on the restaurant’s website and also call a few restaurants. I also ask Facebook celiac groups to recommend places, which I cross-check by calling the restaurants. I maintain the list using “save to list” feature in google maps. Additionally, I check the reviews on FindMeGF app.
While this takes a few hours. I would like to share a tip: find only a couple places where you can eat before you go. You can do most of the work when you get there. Once you reach the town/city you’re going to stay at, you can walk around the town looking for restaurants. As you do so, simply walk-in, ask them a few questions, and maintain a list. This doesn’t feel as daunting as you are just exploring the town while also doing this.
The caveat is that you can only do this in a place where you expect restaurants to understand Celiac and food allergies. Regardless, always, always pack your own food.