There seems to be a number of sites on travel.  Karen reached out to me to share a bit about her travel site and here is her story as well:

Tina,

I launched a website almost exactly two years ago to address this specific challenge: traveling safely on a gluten-free diet. My son, who was diagnosed with Celiac before he was even two years old, is now almost seven. We had taken a Caribbean vacation and had realized there wasn’t really any place to share our feedback with other Celiacs looking to plan safe and fun vacations with gluten-free family members…and few places to go to GET feedback when in the initial planning stages of a trip.

Two years ago I launched my own gluten free website to help people find restaurants, grocery stores, hotels/resorts, and cruise ships around the world that accommodate gluten-free diets. It is a review-based site, with dining and travel reviews submitted by people all over the country — and the world. We have over 800 reviews, and they are organized geographically to make it easy to access the ones most relevant to you. In fact, we just added new and improved search technology to allow users to narrow their search down to the city/town or zip code level — and map the results.

We also have a section of our site called Gluten Free Restaurant Menus ( http://www.glutenfreetravelsite.com/restaurants ) dedicated to listing some of the best national and regional chain restaurants with gluten-free menus (with direct links to those menus).

So all told, our site helps users find thousands of great places to safely dine gluten-free around the world. I hope you’ll find it useful Tina!
Karen Broussard
http://www.glutenfreetravelsite.com

In my work as a children’s author, researcher, and humanitarian, I am always looking for ways to help people with celiac disease or who are gluten-sensitive by raising awareness and making the gluten-free diet easier to maintain. Therefore, I’m incredibly excited to announce the Gluten Intolerance Group of North America’s 2010 campaign, which you can find out more information about at the following link: http://gluten.net/events.php. This campaign will help to spread awareness about celiac disease and gluten intolerance by partnering up with restaurants that offer gluten-free foods.

According to GIG, the 2009 campaign was an extraordinary success, which helped people all over learn about gluten intolerance and the gluten-free diet. By partnering with GIG this year, your organization will be included under the media campaign listings as well as on their website—free of cost! When you become a sponsor, contributing toward the cost, you will get your logo featured on the literature in restaurants.

Last year, they sent out over 5,000 pieces of literature to 196 restaurants, including a number of
chain restaurants, in the U.S. and Canada, and they estimate that the campaign reached 1.6 million people alone during Celiac Awareness Month—a very impressive number!

Tina Turbin
www.GlutenFreeHelp.info

Home-schooled 12 year old Logan and his dad Matt Winkler are traveling all 50 states during Logan’s 6th grade year and skateboarding wherever they go.

This weekend they are staying at Bobbi Burger Brunoehler house in the Los Angeles area. They still have the following states to go to:
HI, AK, OR, WA, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Kentucky, W Va and Va.

The travelers are staying with friends, family and couch surfing. According to Bobbi they are wonderful guests.  Bobbi shares, “Matt is a fabulous dad and a great conversationalist and Logan is a pleasant young man.  I recommend them highly as guests, especially if you also are into skateboarding.”

If you would like to invite the Winklers to stay with you or know someone in the above states who would like to host them for a couple of days, you can contact them at: 50skatekid@gmail.com Their story is being documented at:
www.50skatekid.wordpress.co.

Tina Turbin

But what about if you’re traveling with a celiac child?  Learn some of my tips on how to easily manage the task.  In fact this is helpful advice for all parents whether your child has celiac or not!   Read Tid Bits with Tina in the NFCA’s (National Foundation for Celiac Awareness) November newsletter.

Thank you,

Tina Turbin

View a sample of our press coverage here at one of the many news sites that covered the event.

I’m so thankful to have been able to participate in such a fine event and performance.

More news to come about our upcoming projects for our Danny the Dragon DREAMS CD (audio version of my children’s book), as we are gearing up to launch an exciting promotional campaign.

Today is the big day and we’re absolutely thrilled to be a part of the Sesame Street Halloween Concert!

To have this opportunity to introduce my Danny the Dragon series (the book and the new audiobook Danny the Dragon DREAMs) and provide the audience a special sneak preview of our latest creation: Danny the Dragon Meets Jimmy on DVD, is such a pleasure.

If you haven’t already, be sure to read the Sesame Street Halloween concert press release.

Danny the Dragon (lovable character from my children’s series of the same name) will surely enjoy this introduction. And I hope that the 2,000 attendees will as well.

Time to get back to getting prepared for the event!

We are seeing great press coverage of this well-loved family event. Click here and scroll halfway down to read a recent article about the concert.

The excitement is mounting for the “Sesame Street Halloween” Concert (to be performed by the Pasadena City College Orchestra) at Pasadena City College on October 30th 2009.

Not only is this a big debut for my children’s book series Danny the Dragon, but this also marks the official release of the accompanying Danny the Dragon DREAMS CD and audiobook, profits of which are donated to the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University Medical Center. We will also be providing a sneak preview of the Danny the Dragon Meets Jimmy DVD with sign-language interpretation, profits of which go to the Blossom Montessori School for the Deaf.

Read the full press release here.

John A. Sexson Auditorium – main performing arts venue on the campus of the Pasadena City College.

I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with the distinguished conductor of the Pasadena City College Orchestra.

On October 30th, as part of a very special “family” concert that the Orchestra will perform to an audience of 2,000, we will be releasing my Danny the Dragon DREAMS CD and the “Danny the Dragon Meets Jimmy” DVD (sign interpretation for the deaf), based off of my award-winning children’s book of the same name. The CD which also features the “Danny the Dragon Meets Jimmy” audiobook, is composed of beautiful classical music, and one of the classical pieces will be performed live for the first time ever at the concert.

Profits from the sales of the CD will be generously donated to the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University Medical Center, to support Dr. Peter Green’s research and efforts to raise celiac awareness.

Profits from the sales of the DVD will be donated to the Blossom’s Montessori School for the Deaf.

The concert promises to be a wonderful event. It is the Orchestra’s most sought-after and prestigious concert of the year. More details to come!