Gluten-Free Travelversary

Last week was my “travelversary.” Six years ago this month, my friends were either too poor, too busy, or too married to leave NYC with me for an adventure. I decided the only way I was going to see the world was to go by myself. Instead of throwing a pity party, I took matters into my own hands and booked a week-long trip to Sedona and Grand Canyon, Arizona. It was one of the scariest things I ever did, but I have no regrets in the world.

I decided to start my solo travels in the United States for many reasons, the biggest being language. As a Celiac, it is always a little bit scary to try to communicate that you cannot eat wheat, rye, oats, and barely in English let alone in another language. I figured staying in the US would allow me to talk easily to restaurant staff and get safe meals. As I traveled to the Grand Canyon, I dined at the famous El Tovar Hotel overlooking the majestic Canyon. I explained (in English) to my server my dietary needs. Besides being my first solo trips, this was also one of the very first times that I ate alone in a restaurant. I was not that comfortable and felt like everyone was looking at the lone diner but I kept myself busy with my postcards and journal. Dining alone is something I got used to as I continued to travel alone.

After my first solo trip in 2005, I continued to travel alone over the next 6 years. I went to California, Seattle, Vancouver, New Orleans, Honduras, Guatemala, Belize, Mexico (those last 4 were via a cruise), Turks and Caicos, and most recently the Czech Republic. All solo, all with gluten-free language cards, maps, and more in tow. I also traveled to Las Vegas, Miami, Italy, and Canada with others without a problem. I never was glutened and although at times I sat in my hotel room eating cheese and gluten-free crackers, I never went hungry on any of these vacations.

I love to travel and I am 100% gluten-free. To many, this is a scary combination. To me, it is a challenge that I love to research, plan and execute. If this blog helps to encourage one person to travel while living a gluten-free lifestyle, then I consider this website a success.

I have some really exciting things happening over here at Gluten-Free Globetrotter. I hope you stick around to see what’s to come and join me on future gluten-free travels!