As a vegan, even just going to a new restaurant can require you to do research beforehand — checking menus and coordinating side dishes into a full meal. We know the struggle. Traveling while vegan can seem like the ultimate obstacle; when you’re in a new place, the last thing you want to do is restrict yourself from experiencing a new destination or culture and spend extra time on your vacation, coordinating which restaurants you’ll be able to fully enjoy.
If you worry about sticking to a vegan diet while traveling, you’re not alone; as veganism gains more popularity, more vegans are figuring out ways to navigate travel while staying vegan. Here are some of the best tips for sticking to your vegan diet, even while traveling.
Become a Planner
The best way to stick to a vegan diet is to avoid ever getting so desperately hungry that your motivation to stay vegan becomes less powerful than your hunger. Avoiding those moments of blind hunger is best done by having a plan in place. Just spend 10 to 15 minutes before your trip, making a list of all the vegan and vegan-friendly restaurants in the different parts of your destination you’ll be visiting. Plan your itinerary by including which places you’ll eat on that day. If that’s too much planning for you, just keep the list handy, so when hunger hits you, you’ll have a list of options ready.
The Vegan Lifesaver
Every vegan probably already knows about the Happy Cow, an online community and database started in 1999 that is a traveling vegan’s bible. The Happy Cow logs vegan restaurants, bed-and-breakfast spots, and lots of recipes and other information. If you’re traveling to a new spot, chances are the Happy Cow has lots of useful information on vegan and vegetarian restaurants in the area, including reviews. Once you use the Happy Cow, you’ll never have vegan-while-traveling anxiety again.
Stock Up on Snacks
Part of what makes being vegan while traveling difficult is getting hungry when you’re nowhere near any vegan-friendly food options. For these moments, keep your motivation strong by stocking up some vegan snacks. This way, it doesn’t matter where the nearest vegan spot it, you’ll be able to hold out longer and stick to your vegan diet.
Being vegan while traveling can be a tricky balancing act between hunger and your motivation to stay vegan. Yet, with these tips, sticking to your vegan diet while traveling can be just as simple as you need it to be, letting you thoroughly enjoy your new destination with no worries about staying vegan.
