UPDATE: New Rewards for Gluten Free Friendly Businesses Added!!!

Your Guide to Traveling Gluten Free

Experiencing your vacation through food is one of the most fun aspects of traveling. When you have Celiac Disease or a gluten intolerance, the fun and excitement of eating what you want and wherever you want on your vacation becomes “where can I eat or will I even be able to eat”. This can turn a fun vacation you’ll always cherish into an experience you will never want to remember.

Who is The Gluten Free Explorer?

Hello, my name is Victoria and I live in beautiful Denver, Colorado. After discovering in 2007 I had Celiac Disease, my life went through some interesting changes to accommodate a totally gluten free lifestyle. One of the most difficult aspects of living gluten free was finding food to eat when I traveled. I was totally fine with gluten free eating until I had to leave the safety and security of my gluten free house. While traveling during the last 5 years, I have tried many different approaches to traveling gluten free, from not eating much at all to even eating gluten (not a very good choice I must say).  The end result of my 5 years of “trial and error” is that I finally discovered ways to travel gluten free and still have fun doing it.

Traveling gluten free is not always easy though. It takes considerable research to do it effectively. You have to find gluten free restaurants and grocery stores as well as lodging that have refrigerators and microwaves. It takes hours of research before I can decide on where I will stay and what I will eat when I get there. Travel has to be mapped out for every step of the trip, otherwise I may find myself somewhere with nothing to eat but the snacks I brought. When that happens, it’s not fun for anyone; just ask my husband and son!

According to recent statistics, Celiac Disease affects more than 3 million people in the United States and 1 in 100 Americans have Celiac Disease. And it has been said that 1 in 30 Americans have gluten intolerance and or sensitivity. 

In an effort to help others with Celiac Disease and gluten intolerance avoid all the hours of research involved in planning gluten free travel, I made up my mind, after much research and consideration, that I would become The Gluten Free Explorer and create detailed guides that incorporate everything you need to know to have a successful and fun gluten free trip. Since I live in Colorado, The Gluten Free Explorer: Colorado will be the first guidebook researched and published.

Tell Me More About the Book! 

The Gluten Free Explorer: Colorado will be presented with the traveler in mind. In the book, the state of Colorado is broken down into segments, based on likely travel destinations and travel patterns. For example, if you were traveling to Denver for business and knew you were going to stay in the DTC area, you would need to know what your gluten free options are in the immediate area of where you will be staying. No one wants to travel miles just to get a bite to eat. Here is what the guidebook will tell you: 

• Restaurants with gluten free menus or can accommodate a gluten free diet 
• Hotels and motels that have refrigerators and microwaves 
• Hotels and motels with gluten free breakfast options 
• Grocery stores with gluten free options 

Armed with this information, you can easily plan your gluten free trip. 

So, Is It Just a Directory? 

No, not at all. And this is the part that makes The Gluten Free Explorer unique. In my experience, just because a restaurant shows up in a gluten free directory does not mean it will be a pleasant experience to eat there. That is why I will be visiting and eating at EVERY restaurant that will be included in the guidebook. Readers will have a first-hand experience to help guide their decisions. Additionally, I will be speaking to restaurant owners, managers and chefs to make sure that what they consider gluten free is actually what a Celiac would consider to be a safe place to eat. I will be asking questions about cross contamination, how the food is prepared, knowledge of the wait staff and much more. I will include my findings and comments about each restaurant, hotel, motel, grocery store, etc.

Seriously? How are you going to visit each restaurant? 

My husband, son and I LOVE to travel, especially road trips. From September 2012 through March 2013, we are going to set out on road trips throughout Colorado to conduct the research for the guidebook. I live in a suburb of Denver so the research for the Metro Denver restaurants and lodging will be conducted each week. As I conduct my research I will be posting regularly to the Travel Blog with both written and video posts so you can join us on our journey. After the research for each state segment has been completed, I will write that part of the book. After all the research has been completed, I will write some more, compile the listings and finish up the book. My plan is to have the book researched, printed and ready for sale by May 2013. 

What About Updates? 

The gluten free world is constantly changing and I want to make sure that once the book is purchased, it does not become obsolete in a year. That is why I will be offering an annual subscription that will update the printed book. I plan to confirm all the listings in the book annually and then send out updates to those that subscribe. Also, additional listings that can be added throughout the year will also be sent quarterly to subscribers. 

I’m Technologically Savvy, What About an App? 

The plan is to create an iPhone and Android App from the research compiled from the book. This App will launch when the book is published. 

So, How are You Gonna Spend the Money? 

The money raised from the Kickstarter Project will be used to pay for the expenses involved with the travel research, such as food, gas and lodging. It will also pay for an ISBN number, editing,  printing, PR and marketing of the book and fulfillment of the Kickstarter rewards. 

Since You Mentioned Rewards, Tell Me More! 

As the pledge amounts increase, the number of Rewards you receive does too. Starting at the $10 level, the reward of the previous level is added in addition to a new Reward. So in this case, it really is true that the more you give, the more you receive!

Only Colorado? What About The Other 49 States! We Count Too! 

This is only the beginning. The Gluten Free Explorer has much to explore after Colorado! After the Colorado book, I plan to create a guidebook for each of the other 49 states.

Thank you so much for your support!!! I have a strong desire and passion to complete this project and help others with their gluten free traveling challenges. With your help I will make this project a reality!! 

For more information about this project and living Gluten free, please visit my website: www.GlutenFreeExplorer.com