Episode Details

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A year ago, my partner Emma was diagnosed with celiac disease, completely changing the way we think about travel. In this special episode, I'm sharing my conversation with Leigh Francis from The Gluten Free Advocate Podcast about what it's really like adapting to gluten-free travel while still chasing adventure.

We discuss the emotional side of a diagnosis, how our travel style has evolved from spontaneous backpacking to careful planning, and why destinations like Victoria, BC and parts of Europe have given us confidence that incredible travel is still possible.

We also dive into my recent adventures through El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico and Bhutan, my future plans for French Polynesia, Central Asia and Africa, and how this experience is changing the content I create on both the Winging It Travel Podcast and YouTube.

Whether you have celiac disease yourself, travel with someone who does, or simply love hearing honest travel conversations, this episode offers practical advice, encouragement and plenty of wanderlust.

In this episode you'll hear:

• Emma's unexpected celiac diagnosis and how it changed our lives
• Why travelling with celiac disease requires a completely different mindset
• The challenges of avoiding cross-contamination while travelling
• The best gluten-free destinations we've experienced so far
• Planning our upcoming trip to French Polynesia
• How this journey is changing my podcast and YouTube content
• Bucket list destinations still waiting to be explored
• Why travel is still absolutely worth it—even with dietary restrictions

If you want to be able to listen to our conversation from Season 1 - check out this episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynv84AuSkek

If you have any questions or fun stories to share, feel free to reach out at ⁠⁠hieatexplorelove@gmail.com⁠⁠.

Substack: https://substack.com/@theglutenfreeadvocate

Tik Tok: @theglutenfreeadvocate

Facebook:⁠ The Gluten Free Advocate

Instagram: @theglutenfreeadvocate

This episode is produced by Leigh Francis Productions.

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⏱️ Timestamps

00:00 Introduction and why I'm sharing this interview

05:45 Catching up since our last conversation

07:45 Emma's celiac diagnosis and what happened

10:45 Life changes after going gluten-free

13:10 Supporting someone with celiac disease

15:45 How travel planning has completely changed

18:40 Future destinations and travelling with confidence

21:40 How celiac disease is changing my travel content

25:30 Podcast updates, YouTube and future plans

27:45 Bucket list destinations around the world

33:40 Rapid-fire travel questions

42:20 Final thoughts and where to find