VEGAN WHILE TRAVELING
Many people think that maintaining a vegan lifestyle while traveling is difficult, but honestly it doesn’t have to be. Today I’m going to share a few tips on being vegan while traveling!
When You’re at the Airport
Ok this is probably the hardest part of traveling while vegan. Many airports are not vegan friendly and if they are, the food can be pretty expensive. Typically when I’m traveling I like to bring my own snacks to eat while I’m at the airport and on the plane. I’ll bring things like an oatmeal cup from Trader Joe’s and I’ll ask the flight attendant for hot water or I’ll stop by a cafe in the terminal and get some hot water so I can have my breakfast on the go. I also try to pack things like bars, crackers, trail mix and chips.
Vegan.com is an excellent resource for all things vegan. They even have a post about the most vegan friendly airports in the US. Now, it hasn’t been updated since 2014 but it is still a good tidbit of information. Caitlyn Shoemaker (one of my favorite YouTuber’s) also has a few videos on how eat at airports and how to pack snacks as a vegan. Checkout my Vegan While Traveling playlist on YouTube!
While You’re on the Plane
If you’re flying domestically, airlines like Delta and American airlines offer Biscoff Cookies which are vegan friendly. You can also call your airline ahead of time to let them know that you are vegan and sometimes they will make accommodations. Please don’t try this with Spirit, they will laugh and hang up on you (I’m lying… I’m just bitter from that stunt Spirit tried with me back in May. If your airline doesn’t have any accommodations check out Oh She Glows post on vegan travel snacks for your flight.
If you are traveling internationally on a flight that is more than 5 hours, most likely you will be offered meals and snacks on your flight. You can contact your airline and let them know your dietary restrictions and they will accommodate. I’ll be traveling internationally later this month on Ethiopian Airlines and I was floored when I saw all of the meal options they had. They had options for every type of dietary restriction like pescatarian, vegetarian, vegan, low sodium etc. Airplane food usually isn’t the best, but it’s always nice to know you have options available.
When You Get to Your Destination
While traveling abroad, I have yet to have difficulty with finding food to eat as a vegan. Honestly I feel like finding vegan eats in the US is a lot harder than it is around the globe.
Here are a few tips:
Download apps like Happy Cow and Vanilla Bean. These apps are kind of like FourSquare and Yelp, but for vegans and vegetarians. You can look up restaurants around the world and see what food spots fellow vegans like and don’t like.
Look up hashtags on social media such as #veganinbangkok or #veganinlondon to see what other vegans in those countries are eating. You can also reach out to other vegans on social media for insight on where to eat. When I traveled to Iceland last year, I reached out to several local vegans to see what their favorite spots were.
Research the area you are traveling to. There are a ton of of vegan travel blogs out there like The Nomadic Vegan that share food chronicles for fellow vegan wanderlusters.
Chat with your friends that have already visited the places you are going. When I went to Sydney two years ago, it really helped that the friends I was visiting were vegan because they knew everywhere to eat, plus all of the restaurants there had a plethora of vegan options (Dear America, please take notes!!!)
Vegan goodies I took on the plane, cuz Spirit Airlines is WHACK!!!! – Cancun 2018
Me looking like proud mama with my lentil burger – Sydney 2016
This coconut yogurt bowl I had was flavorless- Amsterdam 2018
Breakfast at The Southern V – Nashville, TN 2017
Honestly, I’ve never had any vegan food I didn’t like internationally. Oh wait, I’m lying!!! While Amsterdam had a smorgasbord of vegan options, the food was GROSS and flavorless! I told someone that the best food I had was french fries because everything else was edible but super bland.
While traveling domestically, I’ve experienced a little bit of difficulty but I have found that websites like Spoon University and Veganuary make it easy to find vegan food wherever you are. Last year, YouTuber Sweet Potato Soul traveled from New York to California and stopped at a ton of amazing vegan friendly restaurants across the US. She documented her journey and spotlighted several amazing vegan friendly spots. I’ve actually had the opportunity to try a few of them, so I know you won’t be disappointed.
Websites like Veg News have information on the most vegan friendly restaurants in the US and abroad. Veg News also provides frequent updates on restaurants that are offering more vegan options. I like to save their posts on Instagram when they post about new restaurants and new menu options just in case my travels take me to those areas so that I know exactly where to go.
See, it really can be easy to maintain your vegan lifestyle while traveling both internationally and domestically. I’ll be sure to document great food places I try during my adventures. I’m actually heading out-of-town this weekend so, if I find any cool food spots I’ll be sure to share!
