general, USA

Gluten-Free Globetrotter in Santa Cruz, CA

Hiking in Santa Cruz, California
Hiking in Santa Cruz, California

2016 has been quite the whirlwind. Moving from New York City to Santa Cruz, California is a difference as big as night and day. Life here on the left coast moves slower but is sunnier and warmer than winters in NYC which I cannot complain about at all. I do NOT miss the cold winters in New York, but I do miss New York. A LOT! I miss the convenience of having everything you need within a few blocks of your apartment. I miss all kinds of gluten-free friendly food day and night. I miss my friends and family.

Dolphins and whales in Monterey Bay
Dolphins and whales in Monterey Bay

On the flip side, Santa Cruz is gorgeous. The ocean, the redwoods, the hiking, biking, and walking… it’s so beautiful. Every day, I am so thankful I landed in a location that has so much natural beauty to explore. I recently bought the Golden Poppy Pass for the California State Park system and I am so excited to explore this spring and summer. I’ve been whale watching and saw hundreds of dolphins and at least six whales. I am going kayaking in a protected nature reserve that is teeming with baby otters. To say I am taking full advantage of the natural world of Santa Cruz would be an understatement.

bike
Biking in Capitola, CA

I am also keeping busy building my west coast clientele for my GlutenFreelancer consulting business and starting a new celiac support group. If you are local, I encourage you to join Santa Cruz Celiac on Facebook. I hope to have our first event during the US Celiac Awareness Month in May.

I am staying active on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and hope you visit me there as I get this blog back up and running. Drop me a line and let me know you are still reading Gluten-Free Globetrotter! Miss you all. xo

facebook   witter    instagram

general

Gluten-Free Travel Prep for Paris

Paris Eiffel Tower
Source

I have been researching gluten-free in Paris for years now with the hopes of finally traveling there one day. Well, that time has come and I am Gluten-Free Globetrotting off to France later this week. I have a long list of patisseries, épicieries, and markets that I plan on visiting during my trip!

Much of my research has come from gluten-free bloggers, Twitter friends, and even Instagrammers. The information these people have given me have helped me plan where to eat, where to shop, and even where to stay. While France doesn’t seem like the easiest place to be gluten-free, I do feel more confident with this information at my fingertips.

If you are planning a trip to France, I highly recommend following these people! They all have personal experience living, eating, and traveling gluten-free in Paris.

I plan to share my gluten-free travel experiences and maps of Paris when I return. In the meantime, please share any additional gluten-free blogs about Paris with me in the comments section below!

 

general

Gluten-Free Travel Snacks from Be Free Village

Exactly one week ago, Be Free Village and I co-hosted an hour-long chat on Twitter all about gluten-free travel. After I had a few technical glitches (and almost chucked my computer at the window!) we had participants from across North America joining in our live tweet. Thank you to all of the Twitter friends who participated!

If you missed it, you can read the conversation by searching #GFreeTravel on Twitter. The time flew by and we didn’t even get to finish all of the great travel topics we had planned. Looks like we will have to do it again.

Also included at the end of our chat was a discount on gluten-free travel snack boxes from Be Free Village. How would you like to get a box of gluten-free goodies sent right to your front door or to your hotel? Having food waiting for you when you check-in sounds like a great idea to me! Be Free Village does not require you to subscribe for membership like other food box companies do. This could be a one-time purchase or you can come back and buy as frequently as you would like!

Visit the Be Free Village website to learn more about the company, the snacks in the boxes, and to place your order today. Boxes range from 3-days worth of snacks up to a week’s worth in the 7-day box. When you place your order, be sure to use code gfreetravel for a special discount. Just because you don’t Tweet, doesn’t mean you should miss out!

Enjoy your gluten-free snacks from Be Free Village and safe gluten-free travels!

Be Free Village 5-Day Snack Pack
Be Free Village 5-Day Gluten-Free Snack Pack
Europe, general, United Kingdom

Twitter Planning for Gluten-Free Dining in the UK

I find Twitter to be an awesome resource for planning gluten-free meals while both at home and abroad. All you have to do is Tweet where you are going and that you want to eat gluten-free and someone is bound to tweet you back. Here’s an example:

I sent a similar Tweet when look for places to eat in Cardiff, Edinburgh, and Glasgow. Twitter did not disappoint. I got a number of responses for each city that helped me put together a map of places to eat while in the UK. I also connected with a few restaurants and cafe owners who were eager for me to come in and try their gluten-free food while I am in the UK. While I cannot go everywhere, I am going to do my best to eat safely, and obviously 100% gluten-free, while overseas.

A special thanks to these fine Tweeters who gave me some awesome gluten-free tips:

@reynolds79a
http://andreasgfjourney.tumblr.com/

@GlutenFreek
http://www.glutenfreekblog.co.uk/

@HealthJourno
http://foodallergyandintolerance.blogspot.com/

@gf_traveller
http://glutenfreetraveller.com

@cardiffbites
http://www.pinterest.com/cardiffbites/

@MatLee
http://matleereviews.blogspot.co.uk/

@Pulsetta
http://www.pulsetta.com/

@city_bakehouse
http://www.thecity-bakehouse.co.uk/

@want2bakefree
http://iwanttobakefree.blogspot.com/

@PetersWestEnd
http://www.pwerestaurant.co.uk/

Thank you all!
Readers, have you ever used Twitter to help plan your trip?