It can be very challenging to be vegan on the road. If you are a vegan and decide to travel, you can sometimes find yourself in a quite difficult position. All of sudden, you are out of your safety net and your comfort zone. You cannot go shopping at your favourite fruit and veg shop nearby where the shop assistant who knows you well always offers you the freshest pieces. You cannot go for dinner at that amazing vegan restaurant in your town where you know exactly what suits you the most and what to order.
For us vegans, travelling will be always a bit more complicated than for other people who don’t have any special food requirements. When you find yourself in a new, unexplored place, suddenly, it can feel a little bit intimidating. But don’t worry! With some research and planning ahead, you will make your travelling awesome without having to worry about finding vegan options.
There are 10 tips for easy vegan travel.
1. Research vegan places in your destination
Vegan travelling requires a bit of planning ahead. By this I mean you should spend some time researching your final destination (or destinations if you plan to visit more places). It is very important to know how vegan-friendly your destination is, and try to find all vegan places. That includes restaurants, casual eateries, and natural foods stores.
How do you find these places? It is easy. Just go online and visit all-vegan sites, such as happycow.net or vegdining.com. These websites have an extended list of vegan and vegetarian restaurants all around the world. They are also great sources of inspiration because they outline many vegan recipes so you will be all covered!
2. Use social media for your vegan research
Social media is a great alternative source for your research. If you want to learn more about your travel destinations, you cant always find the information on travel websites. When you come across social media, you are able to find more personal and authentic stories.
Try Instagram or Pinterest. These platforms are full of travel tips and they also state several places which are suitable for vegans. Just type keywords and hashtags such as #vegatravel, #vegantraveltips, #veganfriendlyplaces etc. Depending on the places you go, you can also search for vegan restaurants. For example, you travel to Prague. Just type #veganrestaurantsPrague and all appropriate information will come up. If you wish, you can search for keywords separately, too.
3. Stay in vegan-friendly accommodation
If it’s possible, try to find accommodation in vegan-friendly places. Go to some booking sites (for example booking.com or tripadvisor.com) where you can search for any special or unusual requirements, including dietary requirements or using no animals products (such as bed sheets or pillow cases etc). Most of the hotels nowadays state all this information on their websites.
If you cannot find this information on a booking site, you can call or email your chosen accommodation. Let them know you are a vegan and explain politely that you will need a little bit different meals and treatment than the rest of their guests. In most of the cases, the hotel management will try to accommodate your needs. If the hotel management has a rude or even offensive communication with you, then you better find another, friendlier accommodation.
Sometimes, hotels cannot prepare vegan meals for you but they are still willing to make your stay pleasant. If it is accommodation with breakfast included, ask them to store your own non-dairy milk so you can use it for your morning coffee and/or breakfast. There shouldn’t be a problem!
4. Choose accommodation with a kitchen
Another great option is to find accommodation where you can cook your own meals. If this is your travel style, search for hostels or semi-hotels with a kitchen area or go to couchsurfing.com or airbnb.com.
Depending on how much time-sensitive your travelling is, cooking your own meals several times a week (or even a day) can save you so much money, too! If you are not a fan of overpriced local restaurants targeting tourists, cooking for yourself will be a smart solution. You will make sure you eat 100% vegan meals which you like. This can also save your life (literally) if you don’t find any vegan restaurants around or restaurants with no vegan options available.
Using Couchsurfing is also an amazing way how to connect with local like-minded people and build your vegan friend network all around the world. If your host is not a vegan, there is nothing better than show them how easy and the delicious vegan food is and share your vegan wisdom with them!
5. Connect with other vegans in your destinations
Like I mentioned above, connecting with other vegans and like-minded people in your travel destinations is a fantastic way how to make your travel experience unforgettable. Vegans tend to be very friendly and they will surely like to show you their favourite places to eat. They will introduce you to their friends and other local vegans and together you can create an amazing vegan feast or picnic!
Using applications such as meetup.com helps you find out what’s going on and where many vegans gather. Just search for vegan meetups and you will be surprised how many events come up! Usually, you find the largest vegan communities in big cities. Some of them have over 10 000 active members!
Not all vegan meetups are only about food. Some of them were established as animal advocate groups or environmental protection groups. It is entirely up to you which meetups catch your interest and which events you would like to be participating in.
6. Think about your food on a board
If you fly somewhere, contact your travel airlines before the flight. Many airlines allow you to make your order online while checking-in and choose a suitable dietary option for you. Most of the major airlines require to make your request 72 hours before the flight, so make sure you don’t forget to order your meal. If you are already on the airplane, it will be too late to claim your vegan meal!
Once you are aboard the airplane, a flight attendant should come to you and confirm your special meal request. If no one comes, ask for assistance and check it again. If your request didn’t come through the system, you will most likely still be able to get at least vegetarian food, but be aware that meal options will be significantly limited for you.
Another thing you should familiarise yourself with is, to choose the right meal option for you. Most of the airlines offer little variety of meal options. When you browse across your check-in page, you might see these options: vegetarian oriental meal, vegetarian lacto-ovo meal, raw vegetarian meal, fruit platter, vegetarian meal – vegan, Asian vegetarian meal.
As you see, there are different varieties of food for vegans and vegetarians, so make yourself familiar with these terms. Choose the right meal for you and book it in advance.
7. Bring your own food
Carrying your own food could be a true lifesaver in places or events with no vegan options at all. No matter how you travel, remember to bring at least small treats with you, just in case you will have a sweet tooth.
If you find yourself stuck in a long journey and catering available on board serves not much more than chocolate bars and bacon chips, then you definitely should pack your own food.
What to bring with you? Consider small and easy ingredients, such as few pieces of fruit and/or vegetable. Carrots, apples, bananas, pears, celery, grapes or plums will do you a great favour when you are hungry. Think ahead and make your own sandwiches, vegan wraps or salads. Put them in a sealable, reusable plastic boxes and keep them in a cold pack with a little bit of ice. If you don’t have a cool box, skip the sandwiches and salad and you are all ready to go!
If you crave sweet things, pack a few pieces of dark vegan chocolate, muesli or protein bars. This satisfies your sweet tooth and also keeps your sugar levels normal so you don’t feel dizzy or tired. Eating small snack throughout a long journey helps you boost your energy and your immune system.
8. Learn ingredients and phrases in a local language
This might sound a bit funny, but trust me, it can save your life. Learn about the most common ingredients in your travel destinations and figure out whether your final place is vegan-friendly. Do people use a lot of meat or dairy for cooking? What is a traditional meal or broadly-favourite dish in the destination? If many popular dishes are made of meat or include eggs or dairy, you have to prepare yourself for staying in a not-so-vegan-friendly environment.
Learn some of the most useful phrases which you would use in a communication with locals while shopping in a market, shops or dining in a restaurant. Phrases like “is this dairy/meat/egg/soy/gluten/-free”, “is it vegan/vegetarian”, “does it include eggs/butter/dairy products” help you avoid misunderstanding with locals and enhance your positive experience and leave you with fantastic memories of a visiting place!
When you go shopping in a local grocery store, always carry a small pocket dictionary with you. When you are not sure what item you want to buy is, or what ingredients it includes, you have two options. You can ask a shop assistant who might or might not speak your language or English and would be able to explain, or you have a look in your dictionary. Make it easy!
9. Pack your vegan cosmetics
I absolutely understand a backpacker’s life. You count every item which is necessary to pack and bring with you and you try to get rid of anything which only makes your backpack heavier. I have been there. But, you probably realize when you are a vegan, you might take more things with you. Especially your vegan cosmetics.
In a nomadic life it is very common to buy all essential items, such as shampoo, shower gel, toothpaste, soap or conditioner in a place prior to arrival, but what if there is no vegan-friendly shop around? It sounds cruel, but you have to carry everything with you. Buy small travel containers and transport a small amount of absolutely necessary cosmetic items. This is how you make sure you don’t carry a whole big and heavy bottle with you.
Once again, you can avoid carrying your cosmetics when you do some research before your departure. Search for vegan shops, for example on google maps or just type your question in a google search. If nothing comes up, then probably no vegan shops are available in your travel destination. What a sad world!
10. Look for vegan travel agencies
Over the last few years, you might have noticed a new trend in the amazing vegan world: vegan travel agencies. It is still a very fresh idea but it is so helpful! When you find yourself lost in a new, unexplored place and you are not sure where to go or eat, you can always contact a local travel agency. You would be surprised how many agencies offer vegan tours with a vegan guide!
Vegan tours are packed with many very useful tips and a lot of information which vegans need to know. Plus, if you are looking to make new friends or meet like-minded people, a vegan tour is the best choice for you!
An itinerary for a vegan tour includes several places where you can eat delicious vegan food, you can also learn about popular and traditional dishes which can even be modified to a vegan form so you can taste it without having worry. You visit local markets full of the freshest vegetables and fruit, nuts, oils, flowers and homemade and/or handmade cosmetics and crafts. That sounds like the most amazing vegan experience, don’t you think so?
Being vegan on the road is so easy!
There you go! As you see, being a vegan doesn’t necessary mean that you’re travelling has to be more complicated or even impossible because of your special dietary requirements! With a little bit of planning and research on your travel destinations, and connecting with other vegan and like-minded people, you can make your travelling very easy and super enjoyable!
Follow my 10 tips for easy travel and you will always have your travelling under control! Let me know in comments below what your travel tips are for vegans and how you make your travelling easier as a vegan! Don’t forget to share this article with your friends!
Great tips. Although I’m an omnivore, my eldest is vegetarian, and prefers to be vegan. She is also an avid traveller. I’ll pass along your tips to her, as I’m sure she’ll enjoy reading them as well.
Thank you, Anna! I appreciate you like my article!
Great tips for vegan folks, and also for anyone trying to “eat healthy”. It’s not easy in our junk food society!
Yes that’s true and even vegan food is now becoming fast food! Check my other article about the future of vegan fast food!