What It’s Like To Study Abroad With Celiac Disease

Meet Chloe, a CIEE High School Summer Abroad alum who studied Marine Ecology & Sustainability in Palma de Mallorca this summer. Chloe shared her experience living abroad with celiac disease, from visiting local restaurants and sharing meals with her host family to everyday life in Spain. 

Read on to learn more about her pre-departure planning, as well as her experiences during the program.

Before I went to Spain, I was terrified. I didn’t know how I was going to be able to survive for three weeks abroad with celiac. However, I was reassured by the fact that I was staying with a family whose household was gluten-free because their daughter has celiac. We had a Zoom call with my host mom before I left, and it completely eased my nerves. My host mom told me all about the kinds of foods they ate at their house and asked about the types of foods I liked.

On the plane, I was given a special gluten-free meal. The bread was good for airplane gluten-free bread! When I arrived, I was greeted by my family with hugs and gluten-free snacks. I immediately knew my time in Spain was going to be amazing. The first night, I was introduced to “a picar”: a meal that Spanish people have often. They have meals of snacks, “picking” the different foods they want to eat. With my CIEE program, the host families are required to pack a lunch for their students every day. This was very helpful because I always had a lunch I knew was safe for me to eat. 

My host family was the most vital part of my eating abroad. My host mom was incredibly kind and welcoming and always bought me gluten-free snacks and foods I liked. I connected really well with my host sister, and she always told me the best places to eat and what foods were good. In my opinion, staying with a host family that is also gluten-free is the easiest way to study abroad. If you are worried about traveling but will be living in the same situation as I did, I promise you have nothing to worry about!

In Palma, there were lots of restaurants and cafes that accommodated celiac much better than in the U.S. When I told them I had an allergy to gluten or that I had celiac disease, they immediately knew what I was talking about. I always felt very safe and taken care of when eating! One regret I have is not eating out more when I was in Spain, because I would have loved to try the restaurants, desserts, and different types of cuisines. Unfortunately, in my program, I was always very busy and had little time to eat out. My host family and I ate out one night at Bistro 080, an Italian spot that had gluten-free pasta options.

Here is a photo of our food. The pesto pasta (bottom right) and tomato pasta (top right) were gluten-free. Both were delicious! The pasta and sauces were great. The staff fully understood the importance of my gluten allergy and confirmed with us the separation of dishes in the kitchen.

My host family took me to four different gluten-free bakeries in Palma. I love going to gluten-free bakeries because I find they are always delicious in other countries! I haven’t found any I truly love where I live. The first gluten-free bakery is called Gluky. They had lots of pastries, some savory treats, bread, and smoothies! I got a plain croissant, and my host sister got a cinnamon roll. They were very good! 

We went to another gluten-free bakery called Dulceliaco, which was amazing. I had an incredible meringue with cream, and my host sister had a brownie. The owner was very sweet (pictured above). We also went to Can Pinyol Bakery, which was close to my homestay. They had incredible gluten-free Nutella doughnuts.

Tipic Sin Gluten had lots of savory foods, and I got a chicken empanada and a beef empanada. They were delicious. It was the first time I’ve had an empanada since my diagnosis!

When I was out with my friends, we would sometimes get tapas or random food. I didn’t eat anything when out with them, but if I had wanted to, I could have asked, and we could have found somewhere safe for me to eat. I found that the food packed by my host mom was enough for the whole day until dinner. Sometimes I would buy chips or gelato before returning home. It was a little sad going out where everyone was eating but me, but that’s the way it often is in my normal life, too! 

On the last weekend of my trip, the students went on a trip to Alcúdia. We stayed in a hotel and went snorkeling, cliff-jumping, and swimming. It was such a fun weekend. We ate at a buffet for many of the meals. There were two staff members who helped me navigate celiac at the buffet, which was very helpful! I was able to eat a gluten-free pizza for dinner, meats such as steak and chicken, and gluten-free bread rolls and croissants! The staff members helped me speak to the chefs about celiac, and they prepared food for us in a separate area of the kitchen. They gave us bagged bread products which we were able to heat up in a microwave. I was so grateful that the staff members were able to help me in Alcúdia, and I was able to have the best weekend ever with no stress about food! 

A lot of people find that food is the main reason they travel, which scared me before leaving. However, my host family was amazing, and I loved the food I ate in Spain. Food was the least of my worries during my entire trip, which is shocking to say now. 

The best piece of advice I can give to another teen with celiac who is considering traveling abroad is to go! I had the greatest time and met the most amazing people. It was truly the most fun trip I have ever been on, and I loved every single day I spent in Mallorca. I cried incredibly hard when it was time to leave. Most importantly, food was never an issue or even a first thought!

Thank you, Chloe, for sharing your CIEE experience! For more first-hand student stories, follow us on Instagram.