Traveling Vegan: 7 Easy Tips for Your Next Trip

Traveling vegan can be challenging, especially when exploring new destinations. Before we embraced a plant-based lifestyle nine years ago, finding food on the road was relatively straightforward.

However, as plant-based eaters, we quickly realized we needed to adapt our approach to food as we explored the world.

Whether you’re following a plant-based diet or not, you should be prepared for where you’ll eat when you embark on a new trip. Vegan travel is a choice filled with opportunities, and we’re here to share our insights, ensuring you’re fully prepared for exploring new destinations without the worry of hunger or feeling out of place.

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How To Prepare For A Vegan Trip

• Embrace eating whole foods and not crappy foods. We know people advocate for on-budget trips and that it’s fine, but when you visit other cities, you should try their authentic cuisines, which, most of the time, are whole foods instead of fast food (even if they are vegan food options).
• Always have a backup restaurant plan when you are traveling vegan. It’s not uncommon to find that a restaurant’s online information is outdated, or that the restaurant is permanently closed or closed for the holiday. Especially if you travel to Europe, you will notice that most restaurants tend to be closed on Mondays and also during August, which is typically their holiday season.

Read More: If you want to know our experience visiting fine dining plant-based restaurants, check out our reviews of El Cielo in Miami, Encanto in Lisbon, and Xavier Pellicer in Barcelona. Also, if you are traveling to Europe, don’t miss our vegan travel guides for Lisbon, Valencia, and Barcelona.

• Stay open-minded; you may find yourself eating the same meal several days in a row.

Disclaimer: We travel as plant-based eaters, and this post reflects our personal experiences and is not intended as dietary advice. While we prioritize gluten-free choices by preference, we also include some non-gluten-free options that my husband enjoyed. Please always confirm ingredients with staff if you have a gluten allergy or severe sensitivity.

1. Best Vegan Meals To Pack For Travel

If you’re the kind of person which gets irritable after several hours without a bite to eat, you need to pack some vegan snacks for traveling. Here are some of our favorite snacks:

• Use a sealed plastic bag to keep everything fresh and organized.
  • Organic fruits (mandarins, bananas, dates)
  • Carrot sticks and/or broccoli with hummus
• Organic nut mix
• Organic teriyaki seaweed
• Protein plant-based bars
• Almond flour crackers

2. How To Find Food While Traveling Vegan?

Thankfully, technology has made plant-based trips much easier. One of our go-to resources is the Happy Cow app. This app has become indispensable for planning our trips. Not only does it help discover vegan restaurants, but it also identifies non-vegan eateries that offer delicious vegan options.

Note: Happy Cow app is filled by people who contribute to reviewing it, so providing a review is very important for future travelers.

Here are some additional resources for finding vegan food while traveling:

• GPSmyCity. This app is great for creating self-guided walking tours and exploring cities on foot (we shared our personal experience using it in our GPSmyCity review post).
• Veggl app
• Google map
• Tripadvisor
• Yelp
• Reading plant-based blogs. Some of our favorites, besides our blog vegan guides, include
  • The Nomadic Vegan
  • My Vegan Travels

3. How To Handle Language Barriers As A Vegan Traveler?

When exploring new destinations, we have often experienced that people don’t fully understand the difference between vegan and vegetarian-friendly foods.

To be on the safe side when we notice the person doesn’t understand the difference, we simply request no meat, dairy, eggs, or any other animal products instead of using the word “vegan”.

While you don’t have to learn a whole new language, learning at a minimum the words for meat, dairy, eggs, and animal products will truly give you peace of mind. This way, you can communicate dietary needs and ensure your meal is free from animal products.

Another useful tool is Google Translate on your mobile device to help you translate meal ingredients and ensure they align with your plant-based lifestyle. We’ve also incorporated some quick translations for animal-based ingredients in different languages, complete with phonetic pronunciations, to make your travels even easier.

4. Explore Local Cuisine In A Vegan Style

Traveling vegan doesn’t have to be intimidating. Nowadays, in many cities, it is easier than in others to find vegan options. Even at non-vegan restaurants, you can customize meals to fit your dietary preferences.

Tip: Always check the sides offered at a restaurant because most of the time, you’ll find options that you can combine to make a complete meal.

Several cuisines tend to have accidentally vegan options or dishes that can be easily tailored to a vegan style. Some of these delicious options come from delightful nationalities, including:

• Mexican (veggie tacos, veggie rice bowl)
• Asian (Vegetable fried rice)
• Italian (Marinara pasta)

5. Where To Stay: Hotel with Kitchens

There are several fully vegan hotels worldwide, but what if there isn’t one in the city you’re visiting?

• Consider our experience staying in Las Vegas, Nevada. On one of our trips, we booked the Hilton Grand Vacations Club Flamingo Las Vegas because their rooms include a small kitchen. It was perfect because Las Vegas has several vegan lunch and dining options, but we found options limited on the breakfast side, so we prepared our breakfast every day in our room prior to exploring the city.

Read more: Check out our vegan guide in Las Vegas for more tips.

• If a hotel with a kitchen is beyond your budget, at the very least, opt for one that includes a microwave and fridge. Many convenient microwave vegan meals can be purchased and heated right in your room, making your trip much smoother.

6. Traveling by Air on a Plant-Based Diet

If you’re traveling by air, the best option is to have a big meal before heading to the airport. However, for long flights, being well-prepared is essential.

Vegan Food To Take On A Plane

Based on Transportation Security Administration (TSA) food regulations, you’re allowed to bring your snacks, such as dried fruits, vegan protein bars, nuts, cooked vegetables, and other foods.

• Opt for Solid Foods. Pack as much solid food as you can because any liquid food is limited to 3.4 ounces under TSA rules.
• Separate Packing. To facilitate the TSA check-in process, pack your food in separate plastic bags and place them in a bin apart from your other belongings.
• Mind the Liquids. Keep in mind that even hummus and peanut spreads are considered liquids. Instead, you can prepare a vegan sandwich with hummus or peanut spread directly on the bread to avoid hitting the 3.4-ounce liquid limitation.
• Know the International Rules. If you’re traveling internationally, consume all food before landing because any leftovers will be confiscated at immigration.
• Best Airplane Snacks for Long Flights. For those lengthy flights, we often buy instant vegan and gluten-free food that requires only hot water because on some occasions it is hard to find meals on the airplane that meet both dietary needs. You can request hot water at airport cafes or even on the plane.

Here are a few plant-based (and gluten-free) snacks perfect for long flights:

• Vegan instant noodles
• Vegan instant rice ramen
• Vegan instant pad Thai
• Instant organic oat milk powder (great for coffee)
• Instant oatmeal

Check Airport Vegan Options

Before your trip, check these resources to find out what’s available at both your departure and arrival airports.

• PCRM vegan airport guide
• Veggl is an excellent tool for finding vegan options available in several airports across the USA. 

Even if a restaurant isn’t fully vegan, many offer dishes that can be easily transformed into a vegan meal. You can grab your vegan food at the airport and take it on board with you.

Booking Inflight Meals for International Flights

When traveling internationally (such as on trips to and from the USA and Europe), we have had to choose our inflight meal requests in advance.

These can be selected via your airline’s website using your booking information, typically anywhere from 30 days up to 20 hours before your flight. Always check directly with your airline company, as booking timeframes and options can vary per carrier.

7. Plant-Based Options On A Cruise 

You’ll find several cruise lines that have incorporated vegan options within their menus. We’ve personally sailed several times on Virgin Voyages cruises, and we find that they have a variety of vegan food options on board that are truly outstanding.

No matter which cruise line you decide to sail with, we highly recommend that you notify the cruise line before your trip about your vegan lifestyle to ensure that the crew is well-prepared to accommodate your dietary needs during your trip.

Read more: Check out our guide on eating plant-based on board Virgin Voyages.

Wrap-Up: Traveling Vegan

Traveling vegan doesn’t have to come with stress or anxiety if you take the time to prepare ahead of your trip. You can enjoy worry-free experiences while trying delicious, plant-based cuisine with a little planning.

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