Flying with Coeliac disease: What We’ve Learned (Through Real-Life Experience)
- Nicola Emmett
- Apr 23
- 4 min read
Updated: May 8
Flying with coeliac disease? Learn how to travel safely with gluten free food, what to pack, and why preparation is key for stress-free flights.
If you’ve ever Googled before a trip, you’ll know how many questions come up:
Which airlines do gluten free meals?
Where can I eat at the airport?
We’ve been there too, especially travelling with my daughter, who needs a strict gluten free diet due to having coeliac disease.
And here’s the honest conclusion we’ve come to:
You can’t rely on it.
Sometimes you’ll find something great, and when you do, absolutely enjoy it. But we never depend on it anymore.
Why We Always Pack Our Own Gluten Free Food
Over time, we’ve learned that the least stressful way to travel is simple:
We always prepare food and take it with us.
Yes, occasionally that means:
Something we packed doesn’t get eaten
We end up buying food anyway
But honestly? Over the long run, it saves money, and more importantly, it guarantees we’re never stuck without safe food.
Because the alternative is much worse: being somewhere with nothing suitable to eat.
Pack for Delays, Not Just the Flight
One of the biggest mindset shifts for us has been this:
Don’t just pack for the journey—pack for the “what if.”
Flights get delayed. Plans change.
What we aim for now:
Short-haul flights: 2 meals’ worth of food
Long-haul flights: 3–4 meals, or 2 meals + plenty of snacks
It might feel like overpacking but it’s saved us more than once.
Our Go-To Gluten Free Snacks for Flights
Snacks are our safety net, the things we know will always be there if everything else falls through.
We tend to pack:
Crisps
Gluten free pretzels
Rice cakes
Sweets
Apples, carrots sticks, cherry tomatoes
They’re simple, but they work.
One thing we’ve learned to be careful with: Cereal bars with nuts. We’ve been on flights where passengers had severe nut allergies and we were asked not to open them, so now we bring them as a backup, not a main option.
Easy Gluten Free Meals We Actually Take
This is where it gets a bit more practical, and honestly, a bit more fun.
We focus on food that travels well and still feels like a proper meal.
Breakfast flights
If we’re travelling early, we sometimes treat ourselves to Schar’s gluten free pain au chocolats, baked the night before and packed into a container. Gluten free porridge pots are another easy option, you can just ask the flight crew for some hot water.
Lunch ideas
Lunch is usually something simple and reliable:
Gluten free wraps with whatever filling we fancy
Sides like tomatoes, apple slices, carrot sticks, houmous, or a Babybel
Dinner options
For longer travel days, we’ve even taken:
Homemade gluten-free pizza slices (stacked with foil in between)
We rarely eat convenience food but Schar’s chicken/ beef pies have become a bit of a travel tradition
Sweetcorn is an easy side, or more chopped up fruit and veg
And yes—we always bring Tupperware.
It might not feel glamorous carrying it through the airport, but it’s incredibly useful—and we always use it again on the way home.
A Reality Check: Everyone Wants the Gluten Free Food
One thing that always makes us laugh: my son, who doesn’t need to eat gluten free, will often want exactly what we’ve prepared.
Because actually, when you plan it well, the food you bring can be far more appealing than what’s available on the plane or in the airport.
Can You Rely on Airline Gluten Free Meals?
To be fair, some airlines do this really well.
And when it works—when the meal is there, safe, and properly handled—it’s great.
But we’ve also seen the other side:
Meals not loaded onto the aircraft
Limited or no safe options and uncertainty around cross-contamination
Or our personal least favourite: the gluten free meal that is also the vegan and dairy free meal; we appreciate why businesses take this route, but definitely prefer our own grub in this case
So our approach is simple:
If it’s there and it’s good, enjoy it. If it’s not, we’re covered.
What About Space in Your Hand Luggage?
This is a common concern, and we’ve had to figure it out ourselves.
These days, we travel a bit lighter as our kids are a bit older, which means we can prioritise food.
Most of the time, we have enough space.
You can sometimes ask for extra luggage allowance, but it’s not guaranteed so we tend to plan as if we won’t get it.
Final Thoughts (and a Quick Note on Travel)
Flying with coeliac disease doesn’t have to be stressful but it does require a bit of planning.
For us, it comes down to this:
Prepare first. Rely on nothing. Enjoy anything extra.
That way, you stay in control and avoid the stress of being caught out.
And when you do find great gluten free food along the way, it genuinely feels like a bonus.
We’ve recently come back from a trip to Turkey, which was actually far more doable gluten free than we expected, but I’ll share more on that another time.
