We traveled today to spend Christmas with family in Florida. I suddenly realized I have not written about how to manage air travel when you are gluten-free…or really when you have any serious food allergy or sensitivity.
Air travel is much easier than road trips if only because you dpn’t need to pack as much food. That said, you now have to personally carry the food through to your final destination without benefit of a cooler or ice packs.
Over the years I have developed a system to make our trips safer and easier. These are my tips and tricks. They are not the only ones and you may have others that you want to share. This is just what I wish someone had told me three years ago.
Stuff your face before you leave home – The one time that I cannot imagine eating another thing is right before the taxi comes to take me to the airport. I eat until I am full and then a bit more. This way, hopefully, I won’t need to haul quite as much food through the airport.
Dedicate a tote bag – You want to be able to just clear TSA without bruising or crushing your bananas, apples etc. and this is much easier if they make the trip in their own bag.
Pack all your meals through to your destination…and think shelf stable – Salads wilt and lunch meat cannot really sit in a backpack for the several hours that it takes to get from your house to the point on a plane when you can eat. They get kind of scary (at least mine do) when they sit around through a one hour cab ride, a one hour getting through security and to the gate area and the 45 minute boarding sequence plus whatever it takes to reach cruising altitude. Sunbutter sandwiches hold up well. So do apples, bananas, clementines, nuts, and sweets.
Be realistic about nutrition – There are a few times each year when I know we are going to eat way too much sugar and not enough veggies. Those times are Halloween, Christmas, and whenever we are flying someplace that is going to take more than 4 hours. Brownies, granola bars, and nut bars may not be good for you but they won’t rot on an overheated plane and they will stave off hunger. Also, what would you be eating at the airport if you could eat gluten? Exactly. So be kind to yourself.
Reload when possible in the airport – Your airport may have a Five Guys with the truly gluten-free fries. It may have a salad place where you can see the salad being made in a way that seems safe enough to you. They may have fresh bananas or vegan smoothies. If you see something you can eat at the airport…buy it. It will allow you to save some of your food for when you have delays. I also find that it makes me feel a bit less deprived.
Pack for at least two extra meals – These “meals” may be gluten-free protein or granola bars and an apple, but having been stranded at 11pm in Pittsburgh overnight before, and having been trapped at Washington National during a series of thunderstorms causing huge delays, it is a really good idea to have food to sustain you if you suddenly need to come up with stuff you can eat that you weren’t planning on. You would be amazed at how many airport places only sell pre-made salads with croutons pre-pressed into the lettuce.
Remember, plain Southwest Peanuts are coated in wheat flour – I don’t mean to pick on Southwest, but the key is that you can never be too careful. I was shocked when I read the label on “plain” peanuts and saw wheat listed as an ingredient. Read every label. Ask questions in the airport. Don’t assume. Some chains have different procedures at the airports so if you are going to eat something you didn’t carry on, you need to check everything.
Yes, it can be a hassle to travel with food allergies, but in the end it all boils down to carrying and extra bag full of fruit, nuts if you can eat them, a sandwich, and some protein or granola bars to eat in flight.
