Planes, Ships, Cars-Long Haul Travel with IBS

This past August was a month that I looked so forward to… the trip we planned two years ago was finally happening!!! Having waited so long, and it was happening, I did not want anything to interfere with my trip and the joy of going to Croatia. Actually the place I was born. I was SO excited about discovering the country of my birth. So NOTHING must not go wrong… well lost luggage is a simple solution, go shopping BUT IBS out of whack much more of a worry.

Being a trip to Europe it was a long a haul trip with over 9 hours of flight and transit time, and a six hour time difference to deal with. Lack of sleep part of the equation, who sleeps on planes? I never did.

With my nicely managed IBS I do have to confess there were concerns. Concern #1, over the impact of time change which affects your biorhythm and of course messes up everything including bowel movements.

Concern #2 eating on the plane! We know that food on airplanes is not gourmet, it is not a restaurant so we cannot order whatever we want. The key for me was gluten and dairy (Cow’s Milk) sensitivities. These if ingested really take my IBS into a dark place.

Then there is the adjusting to time and re setting quickly how to best manage that.

So this is what happened….

Prior to the trip I started adjusting my sleep and wake time to get my body used to time zone changes. Just prior to the trip, ate lighter foods fish and chicken vs read meat which is more difficult to digest. Continued with my healthy eating of fruits and vegetables. My Align gummies and Metamucil for added fiber continued to be my mainstay. Heading to the airport was feeling good!

As expected slight delay in the departure, but otherwise things went smoothly. Was able to pick a ‘Gluten Free’ Meal for the airline I was travelling with but not dairy free. Something that airlines need to look at as an option.

When my meal arrived, much to my surprise it was both dairy free and gluten free… YAY! Having ordered a special meal, it was served first, a nice bonus. It was actually not bad. Later snacks provided were also gluten/dairy free and tasty.

When we arrived at our final destination, Dubrovnik, oh i was tired ! No sleep on the plane. No worries. Just went to bed and slept. Woke up later in the day and had a light meal. Align and Metamucil were in tow as well. After a light supper, back to bed. The next day woke up feeling great and was able to start the day touring the majestic walled city of Dubrovnik. No gut pain, gas or bloating!! What a great start to the trip!!