What travelling Europe as a coeliac was like for me

Prior to being diagnosed as coeliac, I was such a foodie.

Wherever I would travel — mostly to Asia — I would eat absolutely anything, trying street food and new things.

Being diagnosed, maybe four years ago now, was really hard, because I felt like a part of my identity was stolen.

I just got back from Europe, and it was really nerve-wracking travelling for the first time since all of that, especially for five weeks, in mostly non-English speaking countries.

But really, food became the highlight of my trip.

You learn the rules very fast

I'm unable to eat anything that even 'may contain' gluten, which is where it's been made in the same facility as a gluten product.

Even at home in Australia, going out for dinner is really hard. You have to have that conversation every time you go somewhere to eat, because some restaurants don't understand the seriousness of it, and I get embarrassed.

Then there's an added complexity when travelling, because of the language barrier.

Some people call a reaction 'glutening', or a gluten attack. Everyone's really different [in how they react].

For me, it's kind of like a two- or three-day hangover — my body aches. Within the first 24 hours it's severe abdominal cramping, bloating.

Even if I don't get unwell, it's still doing damage; eating gluten causes internal damage to the lining of my intestines, [and can] increase my risk of things like bowel cancer.

I did my research as I went

I spent five weeks in London, Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, Barcelona and Madrid.

I'm not a very organised person, so finding where I could eat was on the fly, mostly.

I learnt the word for 'gluten' in the different languages, and the gluten-free logo is the same everywhere.

I downloaded an app called Find Me Gluten Free, which has information about what processes a restaurant has in place, and people can share photos or leave reviews.

I also checked Google reviews and maps, looked at online menus and jumped on Facebook groups.

In supermarkets, I'd take a photo of foreign ingredients lists and put that through translate, or look up the product online.

Emergency snacks for adventure days

I took some nut bars for the plane, and stocked up on protein bars when I arrived in London, just as emergency snacks. Fruit is always a great option too.

It was quite challenging when travelling with friends, because negotiating what to eat is challenging at the best of times, let alone when you add in coeliac needs.

But when I was on my own, I took my time.

Like in Paris, where there were all these delicious pastries. I'd wake up in the morning and have a look online. I'd find a dedicated gluten-free bakery on the other side of town, but I'd make an adventure of it, and that was my day out.

I'd have a look at different sights along the way, stop and enjoy them, and take my time getting to these gluten-free venues.

Get creative with your meals

The best piece of advice I can give any travelling coeliac is that you don't have to find restaurants for three meals a day.

Eating out every meal would be very financially challenging anyway.

It was really great staying in Airbnbs and picking apartment-style hotels that had cooking facilities available because I was able to prepare some of my own meals.

I actually ended up buying a little frying pan and putting it in my suitcase and travelling with it, to avoid any cross contamination.

And when I was out and about, sometimes I'd just call into a supermarket and grab some cheese, tomato, and ham, and make myself a little sandwich.

Travel can be empowering

It definitely took me a couple of days to get into the new routine of travelling. Because it's kind of foreign — as most coeliacs would know — to eat out so regularly. It's something that we can't do.

At home, I eat out maybe like two to three times a month. That's it. Otherwise, it's all self-prepared.

But my trip has changed my view of home now. I used to get really nervous about places and do lots of research. And even afterwards, I would leave a restaurant going: "Oh my god, am I gonna get sick?" and just really overthink it.

I think this experience has made me just feel a lot more relaxed about eating out in general.

Travelling as a coeliac is so doable. You don't even have to be organised — I'm not, and I survived.

We have the internet now, so you can use a translating platform to communicate exactly what your needs are.

My trip made me really confident. I feel like I can go anywhere now, because I know there's always an option.

Scott is a 28-year-old health manager based on Gadigal land in Sydney who was diagnosed with coeliac disease in 2019.

Quotes have been edited slightly for clarity and brevity.