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

PART 2: SUMMARY TRAVEL ADVICE
Contents:
Equipment to bring on a Trip
Vacation Accommodations with Kitchens
Helpful Resources
San Diego Specific Info

EQUIPMENT TO BRING ON A TRIP
Lots of great ideas for stuff to bring!!  These include:
(1) A small microwave (called a hot shot) which costs about $50. 
(2) A very small, portable fridge. 
(3) Pre-prepared meals frozen in Rubbermaid "dinner plate" containers.  
(4) Your own colander (because starch gets caught in the holes); wooden 
spoons; can
opener; cheese grater; ziploc bags and containers; plastic wrap.
(5) Lots of disposable aluminum pans for cooking/toasting in the oven 
and using on the bar b que.   Also, lots of paper plates, etc. for the 
microwave and for eating.  (It made clean up very easy.)
(6)  A Toastmaster "Snackster" is a little sandwichmaker that makes 2 
hot sandwiches at a time, each cut into 2 sealed triangles (4 triangles 
total).   It allows you to take your own fillings and make great 
sandwiches.  You'll need gf bread, fillings of your choice, and an 
outlet.  That's it.  You can make pizza pockets with Contadina Pizza 
Quick sauce and mozzarella cheese, or cherry pies with pie filling & a 
dusting of powdered sugar, or ham & cheese, or just cheese.  You can 
also use it to make regular toast.

VACATION ACCOMMODATIONS WITH KITCHENS
Most agreed that it is easier to stay in places with kitchens or 
kitchenettes, although if you can't find one or afford one, you can get 
by with a plug in burner or small microwave, using coolers, and eating 
out carefully.

Suggestions pertaining to places to stay include:

(1) Marriott Residence Inns have well-equipped kitchens, but they've 
become a lot pricier over the years.
(2) Extended Stay Americas and other kinds of accommodations offer 
kitchens.
(3) Check before you make reservations.  Do they have a stove and oven? 
A microwave? Pots and pans? Silverware and dishes? Utensils? A 
refrigerator?  Dishwasher? Some places say they have kitchens, but 
actually do not provide a fully furnished one.  Consider ahead of time 
what you will need, and don't be shy about asking the important 
questions.   Can you manage with 2 burners or do you need 4? What if 
there is only a hot plate and a microwave?  For 2 nights, we can get by 
with a microwave and refrigerator, as long as we bring along in a 
cooler a lot of food prepared at home including rice; for longer than 
that, we need a
kitchen.
(4) Look for vacation rentals and your destination on the internet.
(5) Rent a motorhome for your trips.  You can pack up your GF kitchen 
and take it with you.  They will stock it with sheets and pots for you 
for a small extra charge.
(6) Rent Time-Share units or something like Spring Hill Suites (both 
have kitchens). 
(7) Do searches on the web for hotels and have a kitchenette as a 
preference or even go to the main website for your preferred hotel 
chain and do a search by preferences, zip codes, and price range.

HELPFUL RESOURCES
Other resources out there that people suggested to get more ideas and 
information:
(1) Check out www.clanthompson.com/celiacsite/index.html#. They have a 
program they sell that you can download to a PC computer or a Palm 
Pilot. They have lists of safe foods and safe drugs that are updated on 
a regular basis.  (This doesn't work for us because we use Macs and 
they have no plans to make their GF list Mac-compatible.)
(2)  There is another website for Celiacs (it works similiar to this 
list-serve) and
you are welcome to join, and to pose your question to our members.  If 
you'd
like to join, just send an email to:  
[log in to unmask]  Once you join, you can get a 
restaurant guide (with 80 restaurants in it) sent to you automatically 
once each month.  It is extremely helpful and contains mostly chain, 
regional, and local restaurants. The author keeps it as current as 
possible, so that way any updates will be forwarded to you 
automatically.
(3)  Consult Danna Korn's books:
"Kids with Celiac Disease:  A Family Guide to Raising Happy, Healthy,
Gluten-Free Children"
and
"Wheat-Free, Worry-Free:  The Art of Happy, Healthy, Gluten-Free 
Children"

SAN DIEGO SPECIFIC INFO
Several San Diego residents had suggestions about where to shop or eat 
out.  Also, there have been recent listserve posts on places to eat in 
San Diego which are also helpful.

Food Shopping:
(1) Whole Foods at least two locations in San Diego county:  LaJolla 
area right
off I-5, and Hillcrest area (accessible from I-15 or I-805)
(2) Trader Joes has several locations throughout San Diego:  LaJolla 
area right
off I-5, Hillcrest area (accessible from I-15 or I-805), Grossmont Mall 
area
near I-8
(3) Henry's Marketplace has three locations in San Diego county:  at 
least two
of them are in Chula Vista.  (Henry's is a smaller store,but does have a
selection)
(4) Jimbo's Naturally has two or three locations in San Diego county:  
They have
lots of good things too.

Eating Out:
(1)  In-n-Out Burgers -- fast-food -- order the "protein-style" burger, 
which
comes wrapped in lettuce instead of a bun.  The sauce is GF, as are 
fries.
EXCELLENT burgers, even by Texas standards.
(2)  Tony Roma's (national chain -- kid-friendly) -- they have a list of
their GF foods.  800/286-7662
(3) Outback Steakhouse (national chain -- kid-friendly) -- they have a 
list
of GF menu items.  813/282-1225.
(4) Chevy's (regional chain -- kid-friendly) -- they don't have a list 
of GF
items, but they "get it" when you call and ask.  You need to check each
individual restaurant, though, because they each do things differently.
800/4-chevys
(5)  El Pollo Loco (regional chain -- kid-friendly -- fast food, but 
very
fresh and good) -- most of their items are GF. 949/399-2000
(6)   Because of our proximity to the border, you'll find lots of 
Mexican
restaurants -- the more authentic, the safer (and better), since most
Mexican food is GF (except, of course, flour tortillas, and other 
obvious
no-no's).  You're usually safe with the shredded chicken or beef in a 
corn
tortilla, beans, Spanish rice.  Beware of the enchilada sauce, although
usually it's safe too.  The Spanish word for "flour" is "harina" (don't
pronounce the "h") -- the word for wheat is "trigo."  If you say "no 
harina"
or "no trigo," they usually understand what you mean.
(7)   Because of our proximity to the Pacific Ocean, you'll find great 
seafood
restaurants.  Most restaurants here grill the seafood in a very light
sauce -- usually GF.  You can always request that it be drizzled with 
butter
and grilled.
(8) Call Sea World -- number is (619)  222-6363-- in advance and let 
them know that you're coming, ask about menu items, etc.  We used togo 
every Friday when my kids were little, and I would always take food in. 
  They hate that -- they check bags at the gates -- but I would just 
say, "he has a restricted diet and can get deathly ill if he eats 
something withgluten in it" and that was enough to scare them into 
letting me go through
with my goodies.  So you might want to stop at the nearest store and 
load up on yogurt, fruit, string cheese, etc. and take it in with you.
(9)  PF Changs has a gluten free menu that can be downloaded from the 
internet.  Just click on their special menu section on their web page.  
CA.
(10)  We also eat at Wahoo Fish Tacos.
(11) The chef at Albert's at the San Diego Zoo is great.

* Please include your location in all posts about products *