Traveling as a vegan can be a challenge. But it’s also well worth and rewarding if you follow these tips!
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Vegan-friendly tours, excursions, and travel apps are trending for travel companies looking to attract trade as companies within the travel industry recover from the pandemic’s impact. While this highlights the influence that veganism is having on the travel industry, however, those who wish to take their first vacation as a vegan may find that doing so successfully can bring a number of challenges — such as not finding a vegan-friendly restaurant. From the importance of being prepared to how choosing a vegan-friendly destination can make for a wonderful solution, here are three simple tips to ensure your first vegan trip is a success.
Traveling as a vegan – the value of preparation
While proper preparation is ideal when planning for any vacation, preparing for a trip as a vegan can be especially beneficial in maintaining a vegan diet on your travels. One way to do this is by ensuring that you bring along enough dry vegan snacks, which can help stave off hunger while looking for vegan options in the area or when traveling by plane/train/car. “Airports and Amtrak are getting more friendly, but I always have nuts and dried fruits or seeds in my bag,” states Michelle McMacken, an internal medicine physician in New York, whose practice focuses on plant-based nutrition.
While bringing along a few snacks is always a great idea whether you’re going abroad or on a local trip, planning what restaurants you may want to go to in the area or along the way can also be a great way to find vegan options ahead of time. This can aid greatly in cutting out any guesswork when it comes to mealtimes, though it’s important to not cut other, non-vegan restaurants out of the equation altogether. For example, should you find an ideal restaurant for a dinner night at your travel destination in your research, calling ahead and asking about any vegan options is always a great idea. McMaken, for instance, further states that “Most cities now have at least one vegan restaurant, but I’m amazed by other restaurants that have vegan options or will prepare something if you call ahead of time.”
Choosing a vegan-friendly destination
While researching and planning out vegan friendly restaurants ahead of time can be a great way to prepare for your upcoming trip, it may be challenging depending on your chosen location. If you’re planning a vacation from the beginning, however, choosing a vegan-friendly location right off the bat can be a great way to ensure you’ll have plenty of options for dining out. India is just one location that not only is home to rich culture, but also happens to be a country with the largest population of vegetarians. In fact, eight in ten Indians limit meat in their diets, while four in ten consider themselves to be vegetarians. While the standard definition of vegetarianism in India happens to include the exclusion of meat and fish, it also excludes eggs — meaning that as a vegan, you’ll primarily be on the lookout for dishes that don’t contain any dairy products. Nevertheless, choosing a location that already focuses on limiting meat will allow you to have a variety of options to choose from, making for a great consideration if you don’t want to meticulously plan too far into the details.
Traveling as a vegan – How vegan-focused travel apps can help
No matter where you plan on going, downloading a few vegan-focused apps before you leave for your travels is a great idea. Veg Visits, for instance, is essentially a vegan friendly take on Airbnb, allowing travelers to rent a room, house, or even a kitchen from a vegan host. While this has the additional benefits of being a great hotel alternative for travelers who want a more unique and meaningful stay, having a vegan host will allow you to have access to local knowledge on everything from the best markets to the best vegan friendly restaurants in town.
Traveling solo or as a couple for the first time can be an amazing and exciting experience, though can be a bit challenging when it comes to finding the right restaurants around if you’re a vegan. Whether you’re going for a romantic weekend getaway or if you plan on backpacking abroad, downloading vegan friendly apps like Veg Visits, pre-planning restaurants ahead of time, or even electing to choose a veggie friendly destination altogether can make for a successful trip.
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