Exploring new destinations as a vegan can be an exciting journey, full of intriguing challenges and delightful surprises. Whether you're discovering bustling cities, venturing into remote landscapes, or immersing yourself in new cultures, embracing a vegan lifestyle while on the move requires a blend of preparation, creativity, and enthusiasm. Join us as we uncover six essential tips for the adventurous vegan explorer!
How to Stay Vegan While Exploring New Destinations: A Short Guide
You can discover plant-based culinary delights in unexpected places and ensure your nutritional needs are met—these tips are crafted to enhance your travel experience while staying true to your vegan commitment. Get ready to embark on an incredible journey that combines both empathy and excitement. It’s time to pack your bags and start this unforgettable adventure.
#1. Do Your Research!
Our top tip for vegan travellers is absolutely crucial. Exploring the globe as a vegan can be enjoyable and hassle-free, provided you come well-prepared. As an experienced traveller, you understand local cuisine and are adept at navigating dietary preferences. Whether it’s finding vegan options or adapting non-vegan dishes to suit your needs, you’re always prepared to maximise your culinary adventures. You’re well-versed in vegan cuisine, with a wealth of knowledge about vegan restaurants, snacks, plant-based milks, and meat substitutes. It can be frustrating when you arrive at a new destination and find that useful information is lacking. If you're fortunate, you might be fluent in the local dialect. However, often you'll face the challenge of a language barrier, which can make communicating your dietary preferences more difficult. That’s why thorough research is essential and can take a significant amount of time during your preparation. To ensure you’re fully prepared, we highly recommend exploring the sections that interest you in our country guides. Every country offers a wealth of vegan-related information across nine different categories.
#2. Plan Your Food Supply!
When heading to your next remote working destination, it’s important to plan your route, whether you’re driving, taking the train, or flying. Have an idea of how long your journey will take to plan your schedule accordingly. Consider the time it will take to reach your accommodation. Once your travel plans are set, think about the amount of vegan food you'll need for your journey.
For a three-hour flight, packing some delicious dry snacks (hot tip: peanuts are the best for protein!) to stave off hunger while in the air is a good idea. For longer journeys, such as an eight-hour trip, you might want to bring a well-stocked cooler with tasty sandwiches and snacks. The duration and mode of transportation will dictate the best approach for your journey.
#3. Communicate How You Ethics Influence What You Eat!
Regardless of your accommodation choice, it’s important to inform your hosts about what you eat as a vegan. This is not a simple dietary preferences, but an ethical stand that happens to influence what we can and cannot eat. For example, when staying in a large hotel, you might not always find the sympathetic ear you desire. However, based on our experiences, even in these situations, assistance is often available. Hotels are dedicated to ensuring customer satisfaction and may go above and beyond to accommodate your dietary needs, including providing delicious vegan meals. There are of course also vegan hotels in some countries, and they're becoming more and more popular. If you’re staying with family or at a family-run hostel, letting them know about your dietary preferences is a good idea. This is likely to yield a favourable outcome. They might even help you source vegan provisions before you arrive. You might also spark their interest in your plant-based lifestyle. Respecting others is key to earning their respect in return.
#4. Utilise Local Markets and Kitchen Facilities!
Even with meticulous preparation, finding vegan cuisine while travelling can sometimes seem challenging. It can be difficult to locate plant-based menu options or speciality grocery stores with vegan snacks in small towns. When planning your trip, consider staying in a place with a kitchen near your co-working space. This is especially useful if you’re heading to a remote location or if dining options are limited around your destination. Having access to a kitchen in your hotel room or rental property can greatly facilitate maintaining a vegan lifestyle. You’ll need only a local market to acquire the ingredients for your favourite dishes and treats. Many places, such as cafes or spots with restaurant furniture, can also serve as ideal locations to enjoy your vegan meals.
#5. Embrace Kitchen Cooking!
Having access to a kitchen in a hotel room or rental property can greatly aid in maintaining a vegan lifestyle. You’ll only need a local market to gather the ingredients for your beloved dishes and treats. To keep a recipe moist without using animal products, consider replacing eggs with flaxseeds. Make sure to add protein powder and / or nuts to replace the protein. Exploring alternative cooking methods, such as using nut-based cheeses or substituting mushrooms for ground beef, can help you maintain a vegan diet while on the move, especially if you have kitchen access. Don’t forget to pack some storage containers that are suitable for both your rental fridge and the fridge at your co-working office. This way, you can keep your food fresh and avoid spoilage.
#6. Travel with a Portable Blender!
Travelling with a portable blender can truly enhance your travel experience. A blender is an incredibly versatile cooking tool. Why not start your day with a refreshing home-made fruit smoothie? The flavour is delightful, made exclusively from the finest locally sourced fruit, making it a genuine treat. Add peanuts to give it a protein boost. In addition to creating shakes and smoothie bowls, you can whip up a range of raw energy bars, cookies, spreads, dips, sauces, and much more. Let your creativity flourish as you explore the endless possibilities of blending local cuisine with your compact blender.
