If you find yourself frustrated by airline travel, especially if you are a gluten-free passenger, then you are not alone. This guide will help you plan ahead, pack smart, and ask the right questions so you can spend more time enjoying your family and less time worrying about eating gluten-free.
What You’ll Learn
Let me start off by saying that I still find traveling to new places as a gluten-free passenger extremely challenging and worrisome. Despite society’s enhancements, traveling can be far from relaxing, joyful, and family-friendly. Frankly, it can be a nightmare, especially when circumstances don’t go as planned, and you have kids. Let’s not even talk about flight delays or the weather.
In this guide, I will walk you through navigating airline travel so you can gain more confidence as a gluten-free passenger.
You will learn practical tips on how to:
1. Plan ahead
2. Pack Smart
3. Ask the Right Questions
Step 1: Plan ahead
- Research what restaurants and gluten-free options are available at each airport.
- Read What can I Bring? on the TSA website, which provides a lists of items that you can and cannot bring.
- Try to purchase shorter flights, like nonstop.
- Eat before and after the trip.
- If you have Celiac Disease, get the TSA Notification Card: Individuals with Disabilities and Medical Conditions. It’s a discreet way to notify TSA that you have a medical condition, but it does not exempt you from screening.
Step 2: Pack Smart
First off, airports still don’t have many gluten-free options or restaurants. What can you buy at Bradley International Airport in Connecticut that is gluten-free? Pretty much nothing. They have McDonald’s, and nothing there is gluten-free except the apples, milk, or yogurt. You can try to get some cheese and fruit at one of the shops, but those places come and go. So, I always pack sandwiches, fruit, and tons of GF snacks. TSA never bothers me; I just put all items in their own plastic storage bag. When it comes to security checks, I make sure to take out the bag and put it in the gray bin. Usually, I don’t need my son’s doctor’s note, which says he needs to eat a gluten-free diet, but I like to pack it anyway or have it readily accessible on my phone.
For breakfast, you can pack yogurt (3 ounces or less, like GoGo Squeeze), fruit, cereal, and bread, like bagels. You should be able to buy milk, individual cream cheese, and pick up some utensils at one of the shops.
For lunch/dinner, you can pack a sandwich with some fruit, carrot sticks, crackers, and gluten-free pretzels.
Healthy snacks: Hummus with veggies, cheese sticks, protein bars, fruit, etc.
You can also pack gluten-free food in your checked bags, anything that you don’t mind getting a little crushed.
Step 3: Ask the right questions.
- Ask your flight attendant if there are gluten-free food or snack options.
- Ask the restaurants if they have a gluten-free menu or how they prepare their gluten-free food.
- For questions about packing, call TSA at 1 (866) 289-9673, use their contact form or text “Travel” to AskTSA (275-872). There are different requirements for carry-ons and checked bags.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Here are some of the common pitfalls travelers might encounter
- Not packing enough snacks and food, just pack more, easy enough (see Pro Tips)
- Not figuring out your itinerary and gluten-free meals.
- Not checking menus ahead of time.
- Not confirming, just confirm, and reconfirm
- Not informing your flight attendant of your gluten-free diet. Always let your airline know you are gluten-free if they are serving any kind of food.
Additional Tips and Best Practices
Fly JetBlue, the preferred celiac-friendly airline.
- JetBlue offers gluten-free snacks and meals. View their mint accommodations here. You must pre-order via “Manage Your Booking” at least 24 hours ahead. They also have free snacks through their partnership with Flying Food Group.
- Book in advance
Buy Snack Boxes
- Buy pre-made variety boxes from brands like Gluten Free Palace and Amazon, focusing on protein bars, popcorn, nuts, peanut butter, beef jerky, sweet treats, and individual sample items.
- Buy DIY snack boxes on Amazon, and fill them with nuts, dried fruit, cheese, GF crackers, jerky, and fresh fruit.
Don’t Forget to Pin!
Your Takeaway
After reading this post, I hope you gained more confidence as a gluten-free passenger and are ready for your next flight. We can’t control flight delays or the weather, but we can plan ahead, pack smart, and ask the right questions.
Helpful websites to check out:
- Tips for Traveling Gluten Free
- 7 Tips for Flying Gluten-Free
- The Ultimate Celiac Disease Travel Guide: How to Stay Gluten-Free on Vacation (+Video)
- How do you travel while gluten-free?
Next Steps
Do you have any tips about traveling gluten-free? Let them in the comments below.
