Traveling on GAPS is likely inevitable at some point. We have done it a handful of times and learned some valuable things each time.
Trip #1: 2-3 years on GAPS
We tried a short trip into the mountains, about an hour away, to stay at a cabin with a kitchen. We wanted to see how difficult it would be to navigate in hopes of going to visit family in another state. I planned out the meals, packed snacks, and brought a cast iron pan as well as my Instant pot. The Instant Pot is a great thing for traveling on GAPS. The sautee function works to cook anything from scrambled eggs, a stir fry or even tacos! I did not know what kind of pots and pans would be available for us, assuming they would be toxic non-stick, I decided to bring things just in case. I’m glad I did because everything was nonstick and really scratched. I also brought some parchment paper and used it to line a baking sheet to warm food. All of these items worked well and I was able to make full GAPS meals for the whole family.
That trip was a short two day, two night trip and showed us that we could in fact travel on full GAPS.
Traveling on GAPS requires quite a bit of forethought and planning to pull off successfully. Lists are your friend! As a GAPS coach, I would not recommend traveling on the Intro diet (If at all possible!) except for maybe stages 4-6. In these later stages you could roast meats and have raw fruits and vegetables as options. Traveling on stages 1-3 will be increasingly difficult since the majority of food you are consuming at that point is soup and stew.
Trip #2: 4 years on GAPS
The second trip we took was the following year. We took a cross-country, two-day road trip. I felt more confident in my ability to pull off this type of trip after our short, dry-run mountain trip the year previous. However, this trip required a great deal more planning for food and snacks. This trip also required an overnight stay somewhere on the first day. I opted to rent an Airbnb so that we would have access to a kitchen.
We purchased a big cooler for this trip. We needed many snacks, lunch and ingredients to make dinner upon arriving at our Airbnb for the night. Again, I brought my instant pot and an extra pan just in case it was needed to cook. A cross-country drive like this required a lot more planning and shopping. We have now done this trip twice on the GAPS diet.
Trip #3: Coming off GAPS (6-7 years)
Last year we decided to fly. This was without a doubt the most concerning to me with the possibility of a delayed flight and running out of food. Thankfully that did not happen, and since you can bring food through the airport, I packed extra food in the event of a delay. We packed small, soft coolers in each of our backpacks for the plane. I packed a bag full of snacks for Raleigh as well as prosciutto and other full GAPS approved foods. I had extra food packed in my pack in the event that we found ourselves in a delay situation and food was running low.
I put in a food order ahead of time and my wonderful mother-in-law picked it up so that I had food to make dinner and breakfast the next day.
Staying at a Hotel
We have also stayed at a hotel on a return trip. For this trip I pre-made some flank steak before we left and put it in the cooler. When we got to the hotel we brought in the Instant Pot and I and warmed it in the hotel room. Having stayed in a hotel and an Airbnb/Vrbo I would recommend access to a full kitchen if it is a possibility. It is certainly possible to get a meal made in a hotel with an Instant Pot but having access to a kitchen, no matter the size, is certainly preferable.
Traveling on the GAPS diet is do-able. When we travel I will meal plan for a few days after arrival and have a grocery list ready so I can go shopping fairly quickly after we arrive. I have also placed a grocery order and had family members pick it up ahead of time for me. This can be really helpful for a long travel day.
I think it is also worth noting that we did not attempt to travel until Raleigh had achieved some substantial healing. I did not want the added stress of traveling with a very sick and itchy kid. The food stress is enough! Obviously, this won’t be the case for everyone. Sometimes travel is inevitable. If that is the case you simply do the best you can with what you have and that is okay!
Next week’s post I will give a list of full GAPS foods we brought with us on these trips that helped make traveling possible.
Get an Instant Pot here.
I have many simple and easy meals in my GAPS for You meal plan that can work on trips. Check them out here.
