(source: www.thewanderfulvegan.com)
Although vegan traveling is much, much easier in this day and age, there are still places--especially remote places of travel--where vegan food and other vegan provisions may be difficult to find. So, here are some travel tips for vegans that may be of help to you.
First, always research your destination. HappyCow is an awesome app in finding all local vegan and vegan-friendly places near your destination.
While packing, be aware of which items will pass security and which ones won’t. Depending on where you are coming from regulations may vary. You can use this list as a reference:
TSA Food Guidelines
https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/whatcanibring/all
While it doesn’t hurt to do a bit of research ahead of time, again, the wonderful Happy Cow app almost always has you covered. Like Yelp for vegans and vegetarians, Happy Cow might not help you find vegan dining options if you’re somewhere very remote, but if there are any vegan options near you, Happy Cow will find them. Yelp is also useful. Available in book or app form, The Vegan Passport is a multilingual phrasebook and guide to eating vegan anywhere in the world. The Vegan Passport includes the languages of over 96 percent of the world’s population and with a small fee, you can download from iTunes or Google Play.
Other useful websites with travel tips are Vegan Travel, Vegan Society, Is It Vegan, Google Translate or Veganagogo for translation, Bunny Free for products tested on animals, and Air Vegan for information about vegan airport food.
Notify Your Accommodation. Before booking into a hotel or hostel online, get in touch with the accommodation management or customer service team and make inquiries on how vegan travel friendly they are. This normally takes a day or so to go through due to the waiting time between the first contact and their reply so it's best to contact them at least a few days in advance. If your airline offers vegan meals, they usually require that you order your meal at least 24-hours in advance of the first leg of your flights. For very long flights, call the airline at least 72 hours prior to your flight to request vegan options. Some flights ask that you state meal options at the time you book your flight. Vegan meals are sometimes called “Strict Vegetarian”, but most airlines use the code VGML for Western style vegan meals. If you want food on boats, planes, trains, or buses, you should research in advance and order plant-based foods with your tours, accommodation, and transport. Although vegan snacks will be available at most airports and on many flights, your options may be quite limited.
For environmental reasons as well as convenience, it's a good idea to try to download your boarding pass to your phone rather than printing them. It’s especially time saving if all you have is carry-on luggage and have the option to just go to the security line without having to check in at a ticket counter. Boarding passes from many airlines can easily be stored on free apps like Wallet on the iPhone. But with some, the airline emails you and asks you to click on a link to view your boarding pass. This is fine if you have good cell phone coverage, which may not always the case. A great idea in that situation is to view your boarding pass when you do have good reception--before you leave your home or accommodations--then taking a screen-shot of it; this will save a copy in your Photos folder so when you get to the security line, all you need to do is pull up the image to show them so they can scan its QR Code.
For environmental reasons as well as convenience, it's a good idea to try to download your boarding pass to your phone rather than printing them. It’s especially time saving if all you have is carry-on luggage and have the option to just go to the security line without having to check in at a ticket counter. Boarding passes from many airlines can easily be stored on free apps like Wallet on the iPhone. But with some, the airline emails you and asks you to click on a link to view your boarding pass. This is fine if you have good cell phone coverage, which may not always the case. A great idea in that situation is to view your boarding pass when you do have good reception--before you leave your home or accommodations--then taking a screen-shot of it; this will save a copy in your Photos folder so when you get to the security line, all you need to do is pull up the image to show them so they can scan its QR Code.
It’s best to bring along your favorite snacks. If you can’t stand black coffee, you should probably start taking your own coffee creamer onto planes. Even though vegan milk is more popular than ever, most airlines don’t offer dairy-free options. So the next time you fly, try to find a vegan coffee creamer or plant-based milk under four ounces.
Don't forget to pack your vitamins/minerals and any other supplements you use on a regular basis, such as omega 3.
Also, don't forget to carry cruelty-free cosmetics; if you can find travel sizes, that's even better. As you know, saving animals goes, of course, beyond what we eat. So also, be sure to keep your toiletries on hand. Health-food stores such as Whole Foods have a great selection of travel-sized products that aren’t tested on animals. Or you can just take whatever you already have at home and fill up empty containers with it.
It's worth packing a number of light, reusable items that come in handy such as a fork, spoon, tote bags for shopping, and a coffee cup.
Sit near the front of the plane whenever possible, because often, vegan snacks and meals are more popular with omnivores than the options with animal by-products. Airlines don’t always pack enough for every passenger, so you can end up missing out on snacks or meals altogether if they run out of vegan options before they get to you. So when possible, choose a seat near the front to ensure you’ll be among the first passengers to make your food selection.
If a vegan meal is not offered on your flight, it is easy to bring your own meal with you. You can carry most meals through security lines. And you can even bring sauces and salad dressing with you as most airport security allow you up to take containers with liquids up to 100 ml/3.4 oz. Here for example are the TSA Liquids Rules for all U.S. airports. Security in the USA usually has stricter traveler requirements than airport security in most countries, so as a general rule their rules are a good guideline of security requirements for most international and domestic airports worldwide. Whether it's a short flight or long flight, it's always a good idea to pack your own food. Even if the travel destination or mode of transportation (such as your flight) guarantees vegan food, carry at least some snacks just in case; there could be that rare time when your vegan meal went somehow missing, so it's better to plan ahead and be prepared.
When the flight attendant serves your vegan meal, please be sure to verify that any condiments served along with your meal are also vegan. Many times, less knowledgeable flight attendants will serve non-vegan bread spreads, creamers, or snacks along with your pre-ordered vegan meal. The ingredients can be tiny or in another language, so be sure to ask your flight attendant to confirm that they are vegan.
Once you land and get to your accommodation, be sure to take a look around or ask your host where the nearest grocery store is located. While there, you can stock up on your vegan favorites, like fruit, nuts, veggies, hummus, salsa, etc.
Should your chosen bed for the night not provide a vegan-friendly meal or vegan-friendly bed covers, remember that you may be the first vegan they've come into contact with, so be mindful of the things you say and the decisions you make. Do your best to inform and help them prepare for the next vegans who decide to book with them.
If you're in a restaurant that doesn't have vegan options, get creative. For example, replace the meat in burritos or fajitas with vegetables, potatoes, rice, and/or guacamole. Order pasta dishes with marinara sauce or grilled veggies tossed in olive oil. If you can’t be 100 percent sure about whether something you’re ordering contains eggs or other animal ingredients, don’t worry. Veganism isn't about perfection; it’s about doing your best to minimize suffering. You can also compromise by choosing a non-vegan restaurant that still has vegan-friendly options. Cuisines known for being the vegan-friendliest include Chinese, Indian and Middle Eastern, although you can delve into other restaurants' menus to find even more choices. Learn the local language for the word 'vegan' and learn the words for milk, eggs, chicken, meat, etc. by saving them onto your phone. Research how to express that you’re vegan. Here’s how to say “I’m Vegan” in the world’s 10 most widely spoken languages.
Unfortunately, some cities just aren’t that veg-friendly and eating out gets expensive. So when you have the option, make sure to book lodging that provides access to a kitchen. You don't have to spend all of your time slaving away to prepare a vegan feast each night. However, it's a great idea to have yourself the option to cook, should you struggle to find a place to eat out. Plus, there are plenty of AirBnBs and home rentals that are both functional and architecturally gorgeous. You can also rent an apartment if you plan to stay at your location for a long period of time.
If you’re planning to stay with friends or relatives, politely let them know ahead of time about your dietary preferences. This will save them from going through the time of cooking animal-based foods that you won’t eat, and you never know, you may even get them interested in a vegan lifestyle. As long as you’re respectful about it, other people usually will be, too. Or you can offer to cook one night. In this way, they don’t have to cook for a night and you get to show them how easy it is to make a great meal that’s also cruelty-free!
Some cultural events will include animal abuse/exploitation; avoid partaking in tourism that uses animals, supports animal exploitation and the illegal wildlife trade, such as horse, donkey, or elephant riding, and monkey selfies. Research your destination’s food norms. Every culture has unfortunate rituals, celebrations, and customs that revolve around killing and eating animals. Plus, people from one culture might eat the animals that your culture has historically protected, and this can be especially unsettling if you’re not expecting it. So while unpleasant, learn about how your destination’s culture uses animals for food.
I hope these tips really help you in making your vegan trip planning a lot easier.
