You know those annoying people who have to modify their orders at restaurants? You know, the ones who need to look up diet-friendly restaurants in advance and basically can’t eat anything without 20 awkward requests to the server? Yeah, I’m *that* person. I’ve been gluten-free for about 8 months and dairy-free for 4 and let me tell ya, it’s been quite a rollercoaster of emotions. But as a traveler, I’ve managed to find some gluten-free and dairy-free travel snacks that have eased the pain.
Trust me: I know how hard it is to travel with a food restriction.
Airplane food barely meets the bare minimum of gluten-free and dairy-free. Restaurants are just barely. And trying to make special requests in a foreign language? Fugetaboutit.
And while I may be new to the allergy scene, I ain’t new when it comes to travel. More specifically, stuffing my face when traveling. So I created a list of my favorite gluten-free and dairy-free travel snacks I take on planes, road trips and hotels with questionable dining options.
Scroll down to the bottom of the post for a printable shopping list of gluten-free and dairy-free travel snacks!
Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Oatmeal Cups
This is my absolute favorite item to bring on planes. All you need is a little hot water and a spoon, (and honey/maple syrup if you like) and you’ve got the perfect breakfast. Only once has an airline denied me any hot water (thanks a lot, Norwegian). In any case, this works well if you can’t enjoy the hotel breakfast buffet.
Simple Mills Crunchy Chocolate Cookies
I’m always craving something sweet on my travels, which is why these cookies are perfect! Not only are these cookies gluten-free and dairy-free, but also free of most major allergens and like soy, corn, sesame, gums and emulsifiers. My favorite are the soft baked cookies, but those tend to break easily while traveling. The smaller cookies are a lot more travel-friendly.
Nature Nate’s Honey Packets
I’m OBSESSED with honey. It’s probably my favorite sweetener for just about everything. But most to-go honey packs are in those plastic sticks. Save the environment by getting Nature Nate’s Honey Packs. I take the whole bag with me because I really do use that much honey, but feel free to take one packet per day to add to your oatmeal, tea, or–if you’re like me–eat straight out of the packet.
Love Grown Cereal Cups
My addiction to Love Grown brand cereals is real. The cereal is made of beans and lentils so they’re 100% GF and seriously, I could go through a box of Lion’s Loops or Comet Crispies with macadamia nut milk IN A DAY. But their portable cups makes this one of the best gluten-free and dairy-free travel snacks out there. I prefer to save them until I arrive at my destination so I can get my hands on some almond or coconut milk (very rarely will I find macadamia nut milk when I travel, which to me tastes better than all the rest).
Easy-to-Eat Fruit
Classic, easy, healthy. My faves are easy to pack and peel like apples, bananas and oranges. Kiwis, grapes and blueberries are good too, but tend to get smooshed easily (so bring these if you’re not cramming them in a carry-on). These fruits are pretty travel friendly and are sold both out of the airport and after passing TSA. Plus, it’s a good way of getting that fiber in during your travels.
RXBars Nut Butter Packets
These are my second-most-favorite items to take while traveling. I usually don’t like to eat plain bananas and apples so I put this on top. But what makes RX almond and peanut butter packets different is their use of egg-whites. It is so hard to get sufficient protein with your average gluten-free and dairy-free travel snacks. This gives you extra protein, plus their vanilla/cinnamon honey flavors are BOMB. They now sell jars, but their packets are better-suited for the frequent traveler for obvious reasons.
Pop Chips Nutter Puffs
Sweet, but not too sweet, these puffs give me a little extra carbs when I’m feeling like stuffing my face. The company has other flavors but this is the only gluten-free AND dairy-free travel snacks the line produces. I find myself eating the entire bag in a single sitting.
Birch Benders Paleo Pancake Mix
Okay this may seem odd, but you have no idea how often this came in handy during our road trip throughout Southern France! Imagine you’ve had a wild night out. You wake up, your head feels like it’s being stomped on by a thousand elephants and the last thing you wanna do in the morning is go out and grab breakfast. Let alone trying to find a gluten-free and dairy-free restaurant. Simply add water to this mix, add syrup from your Airbnb (or add a delicious mix of the RX Butter Packets and the Nature Nate’s Honey), and voila, breakfast for you and your mates!
RXBars
I couldn’t have the RX Butter Packets and NOT add their bars, right? The consistency can be a tad annoying with the sticky dates, but I have yet to find tastier gluten-free and dairy-free travel snacks with enough protein and clean ingredients. My personal favorites are the sea-salted caramel and coconut chocolate.
Epic Bars
As a GF/DF person, you know how hard it is to find substantial protein when traveling. Having a thicker-version of jerky isn’t exactly my favorite way to eat, but it’s amazing how much this will help low blood sugar while walking the streets of Prague without a restaurant in sight.
Numi Organic Earl Grey Tea
Technically, all tea should be gluten-free and dairy-free. (And if they’re not, we’ve got a serious problem.) But nothing is worse to me than a crappy tea bag from the airlines or hotels, so I always bring my own. I also need substantial caffeine on the road and since I’m allergic to coffee (I know, I know…) I need me some tea!
Hippeas Vegan White Cheddar
I’m more of a sweet than savory kind-of-girl, as I’m sure my sugar-laden items above might have revealed. But when I’m feeling for something on the cheesy side, I go for these vegan white cheddar chick pea snacks. Much like the peanut butter puffs, I often bring a couple of bags because I down them in 10 minutes flat.
