So, they say a picture is worth a thousand words. This is how our recent family vacation with a three year old went.

No, that is not singing it is SCREAMING!

We have taken several gluten free vacations and there are a couple things I have learned.

1. Take lots of gluten free snack foods.

If you feel like baking before the trip, we like Double Corn Snack Mix or gluten free rice crispy treats. If you can eat peanut and tree nuts, those make great snacks as well as dried fruits and trail mixes.

2. Carry a cooler for yogurts, puddings, applesauce, string cheese and plenty of fruits and veggies. Don’t forget to pack some spoons.

3. Be prepared ahead of time for what restaurants you can eat at.

It is frustrating to try and figure out if the town you are passing through or staying at has any gluten free offerings. With the Internet you can do all this research before hand and even print out the menu and directions.

We haven’t had a lot of luck eating out gluten free, but I know lots of people feel otherwise. It ruins the vacation to get ill from a quick meal.

4. It is so much easier to stay somewhere with a kitchen.

Trying to find safe, gluten-free meals while vacationing can become overwhelming. If you can cook your own food it relieves a lot of stress. It may seem too expensive to stay at a condo or vacation house (or inconvenient to stay with relatives) but the cost and logistics of eating out gluten free for every meal shouldn’t be underestimated.

5. Although I am not a fan of mixes, vacation is one time I try a few gluten free mixes and prepared foods I normally wouldn’t buy.

For vacations I cut myself some slack and buy pasta sauce, Chebe mixes, and packaged cookies.

6. Vacationing gluten free can be challenging and slightly stressful, but it can be done. And although there were tears on our vacation, it wasn’t because of the food : )

Flora Holidays & Special Occasions gluten free vacationing