Our 10 Tips for Travelling with UC
Tip #1: Get a Medical Alert Card for an easier access to bathrooms, especially if travelling abroad. Sign up here.
Tip #2: Download a Bathroom Locator App. Find one here.
Tip #3: Pack mini toilet paper rolls or tissues. Find it here.
Tip #4: Pack your medication, as well as the medication you take during flares. Obtaining medication away from home, and especially abroad can be difficult. Be sure to have your gastroenterologist’s office phone number to call if a flare arises while travelling. Do not self-medicate.
Tip #5: If travel means bathroom anxiety for you, consider packing a few Depends, particularly during early morning flights. Your diaper kit should also include: wet wipes, plastic bag for used diaper, clean underwear.
Tip #6: Pack green and herbal tea bags when travelling. Many parts of the US and abroad might not have green or herbal teas.
Tip #7: Gluten-Free Restaurants are on the rise, but if you are unsure of where to dine the following cuisines have more gluten-free options than others: Mexican, Japanese, Vietnamese, Greek, Turkish, Middle Eastern, Israeli, Thai, Vegetarian, New cuisines, Tapas, Mediterranean.
The two cuisines that can be most difficult to accommodate our diet are the French and the Italian because of their heavy reliance on wheat and dairy. However, if you are travelling countries where bread and cream are national cuisine, don’t be shy to ask the restaurant’s chef for a baked cut of meat or fish and some vegetables. This can be easily arranged. At small restaurants in Europe, the chef of a restaurant is often its owner and can ballpark a price. Tip generously.
Tip #8: Breakfast: ask for a fridge in your hotel room and on your way from the airport get groceries for breakfast – fruit, cheese, gluten-free bread/rolls, hummus, berries. Get paper plates, napkins, and plastic cutlery (or ask the front desk for these) and avoid cereal and flavored store yogurt.
Tip #9: At restaurants, if you can’t find anything on the diet, you can put together several sides (mashed potatoes and several vegetables to create a more wholesome meal)
Tip #10: Pack snacks like nut bars, gluten-free crackers, dried fruits, fruits. Avoid accidental foods when hungry.
Bonus travel tip : pack a change of clothes into a carry on in case the big bag gets lost.