My B.C. Adventure & Top Tips for Travelling with IBS

Hi friends! Last month I didn’t post a new recipe and you may be wondering why. I was extra busy because I went on a trip to beautiful British Columbia (B.C.). I spent the first two days in Vancouver, and then the rest of my trip in Victoria. This post is about my adventure and also my top tips for travelling with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)!

My B.C. Trip

My trip was a big reminder how wonderful Canada is, and how massive! On my flight I passed over three provinces and the Rocky Mountains. It was my first time in B.C. and I had an amazing time seeing friends, camping, hiking, whale watching and exploring the island.

Traveling with Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Even though I have IBS and now follow a modified low FODMAP diet and can be more flexible, I still need to be careful with my food choices. I was very lucky to be staying at my friends’ apartment in Victoria. Having access to a kitchen makes it so much less stressful to travel with food intolerances. We made some delicious meals, including a mixed veggie salad with chicken and my pizza flavoured frittata recipe. When we went on adventures to explore the island we always brought a bag full of snacks with us. Our snacks included fruits, almonds and walnuts, cheese, rice crackers and tons of cut veggies with hummus. I am now able to tolerate small amounts of store-bought hummus. It can be hard to find a low FODMAP hummus but you can make it at home during elimination, here’s a link to one awesome recipe.

Since I was on the west coast, at restaurants I ate a lot of fish and sushi. Unfortunately, at one restaurant, my salmon rolls were served with a lot of wasabi inside and spicy foods are one of my major triggers. Luckily my friend was happy to eat them for me and I ordered new rolls without wasabi. This minor issue reminded me how important it is to clearly communicate with your server.

Top tips

After I got home from my trip, I wrote down my top four tips for travelling with IBS:

1. Manage stress – travelling can be extra stressful with dietary restrictions, and stress itself can be a trigger for digestive issues! Make sure to give yourself plenty of time for travelling to avoid rushing. Before leaving, you may want to think of some things you can do to manage stress while travelling. Personally, some stress management tools I use regularly are taking deep breaths, stretching, listening to music, reading a book, and listening to a guided meditation on my phone.
2. Always bring a reusable water bottle with you – dehydration can make you feel generally unwell and can contribute to digestive issues. Also, if you have a water bottle with you, it’s less tempting to buy high FODMAP or sugary drinks.
3. Keep your travelling companions informed of your needs – if you are travelling with other people or visiting someone, before the trip starts, let them know about what you need to feel your best. Food is a big part of travelling and socializing! Let your friends and family know what you can and can’t eat. You may want to tell them a bit about why you need to be careful with your food choices. Clear communication can help to avoid social pressure to eat or drink something that may make you feel very unwell.
4. ALWAYS bring low FODMAP snacks with you – this one might be the most important! You never know what might happen or if you will be able to find low FODMAP food. It can help you worry less and focus more on enjoying your trip! My snacks ebook has a printable list of 54 low FODMAP snack ideas, and twelve quick and easy recipes. My favourite travelling snack to keep in my bag is the “monkey trail mix”.

I hope my tips are helpful! Do you have any other travel tips? Leave them in the comments below!

As a bonus, here are a few pictures from my trip! If you are someone who loves adventuring and being outdoors, I highly recommend visiting Victoria and Vancouver Island.