From Gluten Intolerance to Adventure

Spencer Hawken
3 min readJul 25, 2023
Gluten free pizza in Venice

Five years ago, my life took a transformative turn as I discovered the wonders of travel. While I understand that travel has existed long before my awakening, it was a profound revelation for me. In the past, I explored various places within the UK, never venturing beyond its borders due to my coeliac condition, making me intolerant to gluten and wheat. I believed that international travel was an unattainable dream. Little did I know that fate had other plans in store.

In 2015, I met my current partner, who captivated me with her unique and intelligent personality. Although I was intrigued, my fascination was not driven by romantic desires. Strangely, two years later, circumstances brought us closer together, and we found ourselves single at the same time. Serendipitously, we ended up working together, and a night of drinking led to the beginning of our adventures as travel companions.

Gluten free cake in Porto

Prior to meeting my partner, I had not left the UK for two decades, while she was well-accustomed to jet-setting, having lived in Denmark and Sweden. As we began traveling together, my world expanded, and my perspective shifted. As a gluten-intolerant individual, exploring foreign lands meant experiencing a…

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Spencer Hawken

A multi-award nominated filmmaker with a passion for travel, film, finance and social media.