It’s easy to get into a routine of eating plant-based at home. You know what vegan products your local supermarket stocks and where to buy animal-free ingredients to whip up a tasty meal. But what about when you’re out of your usual surroundings and traveling, either for business or pleasure?
The good news is that it’s much easier to travel as a vegan nowadays. It just takes a bit of pre-planning and research to make everything simple and smooth during your trip.
The Vegan Journey
How are you getting to your destination? Driving? Bus or train? Flying?
If you’re loading up the car, make sure you take some snacks, maybe pack some sandwiches or a meal the day before and put it in a container. Services en route vary widely but in many countries, there are vegan options readily available; in others, not so.
The same applies to traveling by trains, buses and coaches. It’s best to be prepared and take your own food, but it’s worth finding out if vegan options are available on your journey. Rail operators are starting to offer more and better options for vegans, and there are some great foods available at stations.
If you’re traveling overseas by plane, most airlines have a vegan meal option but you do need to book it in advance. Some airlines are better than others so it’s best to have a back-up plan just in case.
The Vegan Destination
If you’re on a business trip and have been booked by your company into a particular hotel, you may need to check with the kitchen or in-house restaurant if there is one as to what breakfast, lunch, and dinner options are available to you.
Fortunately, hotels are finally starting to recognize that more and more guests want animal-free options. And there isn’t a city in the world where you won’t find vegan foods. Even budget hotels are likely to offer a dairy-free milk to put on your cereal, toast with jam, and a selection of fruit for breakfast.
There are many vegetarian and vegan hotels and B&Bs if you’d like to be well fed at every meal, or check out Vegvisits, which is similar to Airbnb, only just with vegetarian/vegan accommodation listings.
If you’re loving being vegan so much that you’re keen to join like-minded people in exploring the world, there are also now several vegan tour companies where you can do just that. Vegan Travel Asia and Vegan Cruises are just two examples. There’s even an eco-vegan travel agency, which has been running for more than 20 years in the US: Green Earth Travel specializes in helping you plan special vegan and environmentally-conscious adventure trips worldwide.
Eating Out When Traveling As a Vegan
In terms of eating out, you’ll be well catered for in most cities worldwide. Use the HappyCow website or app to plan where you’ll eat. If you’re planning to visit a more remote region, be prepared to take your own snacks, and you might be wise to consider self-catering accommodation if it’s available.
One final tool that’s handy to download is the Vegan Passport app, which will help you communicate your dietary requirements in 78 languages.
Bon (vegan) voyage!
