<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

Hi everyone.  THANK YOU SO MUCH for all your wonderful input on how to
travel gf.  I have summarized the info below.  A special thanks to two
people in Minneosta who helped a bunch!  Lorri

<<I always take: nuts and seeds, shelf stable Indian meals from Trader
Joes(you will need at least a microwave to cook the rice), Ultimate
Protien Bars, & Atkins Bars (very high in fat!)>>

<<Travelling with Celiac can be a challenge!

However, fresh fruit is something you can eat, Swiss Chalet is one place
also that has a gluten free meal, their chicken dinner with a baked
potato or fries.

When we travel, I am the celiac, I just take my own potato flour buns,
pears, bananas, juice, rice crackers, and hope that I find a Swiss
Chalet, or fresh french fries on a roadside stand, as long as they are
just serving the fries, and not cooking fish or other breaded items in
the same oil.  Then again a lot of restaurants will have meals, steak
and baked potato, fish dinners with broiled or grilled fish, salads,
bbq chicken dinners.

You must watch for the gravies, turkey dinner with stuffing, breaded
chicken, breaded fish, and most places serve a roll or bread.  It is a
challenge, but the rewards certainly outweigh the trouble it takes to
eat gluten free.>>

<<I take along a loaf of bread frozen in two slice packages and sealed
well.  I put it in an ice chest and the bread will stay good for about
two weeks.  If we are traveling I take it out several hours before we
eat and lay it in the sun in the car.  If I am going to have electricity
available I take along a toaster or heat the bread in a microwave.  It
tastes much better.  I make GF rice krispie bars to which I add, nuts,
dried fruit and M and Ms.

Add the MMs last or they will melt.

Bananas, apples or other fruit work well. >>

<<I have found that when you walk into a restaurant, ask to speak to the
head cook or chief.  Tell them you are allergic to wheat and modified
food starch.  State that it must be prepared on clean skillets or
grills.  The utensils must also be clean due to cross contamination.  In
all the cases I have done this the head chief prepares it for me and I
have never reacted.

Before you accept a steak, ask if it is marinated or cooked with Au
Jus.

Both have wheat.  If they are not willing to work with you--leave.  I
have only had one restaurant say --you pick, you are on your own. >>

<<Perhaps you can place a mail order and have it shipped to your
destination.

That way you will have some of your favorite foods there for you and you
won't have to lug it all on the plane. On the road, it would be helpful
if you could take along a cooler.  For the day of travel, have
sandwiches

prepared ahead of time.  Most people carry luggage on board a plane, but
you might want to carry your cooler.  My family of 6 just completed a
trip from NC to NH by car.  Three of our family members have celiac.  We
ate breakfast before traveling.  Had lunch and snacks on the road, out
of our cooler.  Then for dinner, we treated the kids to McDonald's.  I'm
getting good at ordering 3 gluten free Kids meals!!! >>

<<I always carry Atkins Advantage Bar in crunchy peanut butter--no choco
covering...It survives and I do, too.  In additon, rice cakes and
organic peanut or almond butters are staples...hb eggs are good too>>

<<Take a big cooler with a frozen milk jug of water in it.  This is
what I take:  yogurts, milk, gf cereal, cheese, crackers, lunch meat,
tuna fish salad, pimento cheese or egg salad, bread, boiled eggs,
peanut butter, jelly, butter, tortillas, pretzels, chips, salsa,
canned flaked chicken, salad dressing.  If you're going to have a
microwave, take single serving cans of Hormel chili w/beans, Dinty
Moore beef stew, canned soup, popcorn packages.  Atkins Advantage bars
are gf.

I just got my Kinnikinnick order in.  I love their sunflower/flax seed
bread and cheese bread.  I ordered about 10 loaves to freeze.  Also
good are Ener-G english muffins, granola bars.

Don't be afraid to travel.  It can be done.  In restaurants I order
baked potatoes, plain meat and plain vegetables.  I take my own salad
dressing with me in restaurants. >>

<<Be sure to take your GF lists with you. You can stock up on things in
minneapolis. You probably can even find a healthfood/grocery store there
that carries GF foods. I pack alot of GF carbs, such as energ brand
pretzels and crackers, rice cakes, GF cereal (either in zip-lock bags or
tupper ware type containers), sometimes I make gf bread in advance and
take that also or GF chex or trail mix. When I travel I try to stay in a
hotel with at least a fridge but preferably a fridge and a microwave.
Then you can heat up things like soup (Bring a bowl along) boil water
for instant soups (Fantastic Foods, split pea, potatoes etc.), or those
little meals like dinty more beef stew (you know the ones that are
microwaveable, check with hormel they have a couple that are GF but I'm
not sure which).  You may also be able to get frozen dinners in minn.
that you can heat up in a microwave. Canned tuna is an easy way to get
protein and portable. I generally will pick up fruit/veggies wherever I
am and worst case scenario just eat some raw veggies. If you have
already booked your hotel and you don't have a fridge then try to pack
one of those cloth coolers (something that you can fold into your
luggage. Most hotels have ice machines so you could keep yogurts,
cheese, milk, etc. overnight for breakfast in the morning. Also there is
a company that sells GF meals that heat themselves somehow. I have read
about it on the list but have not looked into it yet.

Good luck.>>

<<I usually take rice cakes and peanut butter along as kind of a safety
net ...  if nothing else it will help fill you up if you can't find
other GF options.  If you know you're going to be around somewhere with
a grocery store then you also will have access to fresh fruits &
veggies.  And I try to plan ahead and order a few other GF snack-type
things to bring along --- pretzels, cookies, etc.

Restaurants can be a challenge, as you probably know.  Unless you go
somewhere with a true "chef" they usually don't know what gluten is, in
my experience.  Stick with the plain stuff and ask a LOT of questions.>>

<<Most airlines can do a gluten-free meal - even if it's not a choice on
the online form - just call up their customer service line and have them
change your order (they usually need 24 hours).

Pack plenty of snack foods.

Never go to a banquet hungry.  If possible call the caterers ahead of
time and let them know of your needs, and then make it your first
priority on arrival to identify yourself to them, and make sure they
have something for you (if not, they might still have time to grill a
plain chicken breast or something).

McDonald's probably has the safest fast food, if you're stuck on the
road.

Their fries go in a separate fryolator, and they don't toast their buns
on the same grill as their burgers.  A double quarter-pounder with
cheese is quite palatable when eaten without the bun, although it's
probably a good idea to get yourself into the manager's line than that
kid at the other end :-).  If you can't spot the manager, and the kid's
looking for the button for "no bun" - it's not there - he has to
actually TALK to the guys in the back :)

Eggs and grilled items are usually the safest to order in restaurants -
especially if you can find one that cooks omlettes in a separate pan -
NOT on the flattop.  Ask lots of questions, explain as much as you think
the server can handle (some of them get confused easily by something out
of the ordinary), and don't be afraid to send them back to the cooks
with "just one more question".  Then leave them a big tip if they got it
right.  :-) And if the server and/or the cook seem intractible, leave.
(This is most likely in French restaurants - they tend to have a very
strong idea of what's "right", regardless of whether it'll make you
sick).  Contrary to what you might think, Italian restaurants are
probably the best for us.

Granted, we can't touch half the menu because they all have pasta, but
they usually have a good selection of grilled items and are usually very
flexible about substitutions.>>

<<I eat in as many Thai and Vietnamese restaurants as I can. They have
very little gluten and it doesn't take much to get a good gluten free
meal.  In fact the more authentic Thai places will not have any gluten
in the whole place. Couldn't get a bite of it if you wanted. Print off
the celiac instructions in Thai at this website and it's even easie>>

<<Hope you're doing well.  When I travel, I load up with the prepared
packaged things that are GF - rice crackers, Pamela's Cookies, mixed
nuts.  If traveling by car, I take an ice chest with hard cheese, sliced
deli turkey, fruit, raw veges, even homemade yogurt, homemade almond
flour nut bread (this is my "life-saver"), etc.  Also you can shop
grocery stores along the way.  "A Guide To Eating Out" has restaurant
tips.  I find it fairly easy . . just make sure and keep plenty of ice
in your ice chest.>>

<<Just a little encouragement for you.  I eat out all the time all over
the world.  It just takes asking a few questions.  Once you get the hang
of it, it is not a big problem.  Grilled fish, chicken, beef or broiled
are always available.  I carry pasta and most Italian restaurants will
cook mine and their sauces are usually GF.  Mexican, Mediterranean and
Indian and Thai foods are pretty easy to work with.  Just ask the
servers which dishes do not have wheat flour.  That is the only
ingredient in restaurants you usually have to worry about except soy
sauce.  Order without sauces or ask what the ingredients are.
Breakfasts are usually easy with eggs, hash browns (ask about flour in
them) bacon, etc.  I usually carry rice cakes and for lunch often have a
sliced turkey breast sandwich wrapped in lettuce leafs>>