Vacations are supposed to be a time of rest and relaxation, leaving your troubles and worries behind. But that's not necessarily doable if you suffer from a food allergy—particularly celiac disease. The gluten and wheat intolerant are often at a big disadvantage in their local supermarket, and the difficulties in finding gluten-free options while on vacation can be even more challenging.
Wheat and gluten can often hide in unsuspecting places: sauces, soups, salad dressings. And no one likes being that person in the restaurant asking the waiter or waitress to bring out the ingredients lists. While restaurant servers are fairly capable of addressing long-time allergies like seafood or tree nuts that can cause serious—even deadly—reactions, gluten and wheat sensitivities (often dairy, too) haven't yet received the same amount of understanding from the food service industry.
While a small-scale fresh food focused restaurant may be more capable of catering to your specific dietary needs, many of the chain restaurants whose menu items come out of pre-cooked boxes and bags aren't capable of making adjustments.
Still, some places can be more accommodating than others, as anyone with dietary restrictions quickly learns. Disney has gluten-free options at its resorts and theme parks and more restaurant chains are identifying gluten-free menu items to accommodate their clientele.
Around the globe, there are many cultures too where wheat is a less common ingredient than here in the West—venture down to South or Central America and you're likely to find rice and corn as the common grains. Parts of Asia and the South Pacific will yield similar finds.
And, according to the Gluten Free Travel Site, if you're planning a U.S. vacation, look no further than Pennsylvania for wheat and gluten-free vacationing without the worry. It seems that Philadelphia is not just the city of Brotherly Love, it's also the city of gluten awareness. For that reason, Pennsylvania won the title this year of best gluten-free travel destination (previous winners include New York, Florida, Washington D.C. and California).
Many of the city's restaurants have undergone a training program conducted by the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness and now serve a variety of gluten-free meals. Of course, those with celiac or gluten sensitivities should always check with their servers to make sure a meal is prepared free of wheat and gluten.
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Image: J MacPherson
