Have you just gone vegan and are overwhelmed by the prospect of sticking to it while travelling? Or do you have years of experience, yet still struggle to plan your trips sufficiently ahead of time to allow yourself to relax and have fun once you’re there? Either way, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we’ll take you through four of our best tips for small, yet impactful changes you can make to the way you travel – to ensure you’re taking care of your body on the go, experience delicious local cuisine and have the quality, ethical travelling gear you need for the vacation of your dreams.
#1. Look Up Vegan Spots Beforehand!
First off, you should of course make sure you’ve done plenty of research on wherever you’re going – and to what extent the locals embrace veganism. While in an ideal world, you should of course be able to go anywhere and be met with plenty of delicious vegan alternatives, that unfortunately isn’t always the case. When settling on a destination, try to look for countries that are known to be at least somewhat vegan-friendly. Then, once you’ve found out where you’re going, look up reviews of local restaurants, grocery stores and markets offering vegan alternatives. While doing this, remember to diversify your searches, e.g. by also using terms like ‘plant-based’ – since more and more businesses now use it interchangeably with ‘vegan’, preferring it due to its broader appeal.
#2. Bring the Right Supplements!
You’ll also want to take as many precautions as you can to ensure you’re always able to have your nutritional needs met. Of course, you should ideally be getting most of what you require from foods and liquids – but, as mentioned above, this can sometimes be a challenge when travelling. Depending on your destination, you may find that vegan options are few and far between (apart from the typical potatoes, rice and roasted vegetables), and you might even have to cook many of your meals yourself.
To give yourself a bit more leeway with how much you can afford to slack off and eat out, stock up on and bring plenty of supplements. If you want recommendations, HelpMeVegan is an excellent resource tailored specifically to the needs of vegans. Whether you’re looking for sources of protein, calcium, iron, vitamin C or pretty much anything else, they’ve got you covered.
#3. Invest in Quality Vegan Footwear and Outerwear!
Something you’ll also want to look for recommendations of is comfortable, durable footwear for your trip. What this means for you of course depends on where you’re going and what the climate there is like – as well as the amount and kinds of physical activity you’re planning on doing there. If you’re going on long walks in colder weather, now would be an excellent time to invest in some timeless, vegan boots – HelpMeVegan also has a list of recommendations for theses – or, if you’re going somewhere sweltering, a pair of ethically made sandals that won’t give you blisters might be more suitable.
#4. Learn Basic Phrases to Communicate Your Veganism!
Lastly, something many vegan travellers fail to consider is that local restaurant or grocery store staff might not know what you mean when you ask for vegan alternatives – because they don’t speak English and/or know veganism by a completely different name in their language. So, in order to make it easier for you to ask questions about the food you’re being served, take the time to learn basic phrases in the local language related to your dietary needs before leaving for your trip. When doing this, remember to take into account that certain languages like Farsi (spoken in Iran) don’t have a word for veganism specifically. If that’s the case, learn how to say you’re a vegetarian as well as phrases like ‘no meat’, ‘no fish’, ‘no honey’, ‘no cheese’, ‘no eggs’, etc. Taking the time to look up local, traditional dishes that happen to be vegan is also a great way to go about it. That way, you can safely order your food without having to ask the staff questions about its contents or request changes to your order.
What about you, how do you travel as a vegan? Feel free to share any tips & advice below!
