Vegan & Traveling
I’ve gotten many questions on being vegan, and how I stay vegan.
Honestly, I hate answering this question. It really isn’t difficult. Even if you aren’t living in one of the major cities that offer all the amazing vegan restaurants, you can still find options or buy groceries and cook for yourself. I am lucky to live in one of the most vegan friendly cities in the world, and I’m definitely spoiled here in Los Angeles with an overwhelming amount of options every day. But I was still vegan living in a small town outside of Vancouver Canada, and made it work just fine.
Travelling has made me realize that dietary restrictions can get tricky when away from home, and especially when you don’t have access to the foods and options you are used to. Here are my TOP TWO TIPS when travelling while vegan that have really helped me….
1. Be prepared.
Whether you’re road tripping or hopping on a flight, sometimes our bodies can get a little mixed up. I always bring healthy bars or snacks just incase I need something and end up not being able to eat before my travels or during (usually vegan options on flights are slim and not the tastiest). I also bring these items incase I don’t have access to a sustainable meal once I get to my destination. I usually buy a banana and apple before I board my flight even though they charge me 40 dollars for two pieces of fruit and a liter of Fiji Water (damn airports). Some of my favorite vegan travel snacks to bring along are:
· Nut butters - I get the little Justin’s almond butter packets, or the Artisana Brand) and then have that with some fruit… So bomb.
· Lara Bars – They are the only bars I’ve discovered that have all real ingredients, and only very few (cashews and dates) and they taste like an amazing cookie.
· Kale Chips – I buy local companies kale chips because I find they taste so much better and don’t leave a chemical after taste, like some of the bigger branded packaged types.
· Larry and Lenny’s Cookies- Oh cookies. Why must you be available wherever I go now? I cannot resist. It’s actually pretty freaking awesome that I go into gas stations and see a vegan protein cookie in various different flavors sitting on the shelf, available for me to purchase. Thank you to this company for making that a thing. These are definitely not the healthiest option, but they have an incredible amount of protein, they taste so good, and no animals were harmed.. So count me IN. I will buy these and bring them with me when I travel, or even sometimes score them inside airport stores. The snicker doodle flavor is my favorite but I’ve also tried the pumpkin spice, oatmeal raisin, and lemon poppy seed, and really like them. Okay I live all of them except the white chocolate chip. Sorry to that flavor for the hate. Anyways, you get the point these are good.
· WATER- Vegan or not vegan… Hydration is key. I know it can be pricey in airports, but it’s worth it. If you’re road tripping, bring some water in bottles you have so you don’t need to buy plastic liter bottles a million times. I always feel AWFUL when I get off a flight and haven’t drunk any water. If you’re travelling somewhere with a time change, then that’s already so hard on your body and can cause exhaustion. In that situation its even more important to make sure you’re getting enough water in your system.
My snacks always change. I will keep you updated if I find any new obsessions with vegan travel goodies.
2. Do your research so you know how to order.
I always try and look up places that I can go to when I travel. Happycow.net and Yelp are constantly being used when I’m on route to somewhere I’m not familiar with. I’ve learned some staples though that have saved me being in other parts of the world that aren’t as vegan friendly. My meal staples when traveling tend to be…
Breakfast: Fruits, Soy Milk, Muesli, Cereal or Oats.
Lunch & Dinner: Depends what type of Cuisine they offer. Lunch is usually quicker and smaller, with dinner being fancier (depends where we are, but we like to have nice dining experiences for dinner when we can). When we were in Italy, we ate a lot of bread and fruits and veggies, or pasta with tomato sauce. In Mexico we ate a lot of tortilla chips and guacamole, beans, rice and salsa. Smoothies are offered in many places, so we always try and get our hands on those if they have non-dairy milk instead of that gross cow stuff. If I have to end up getting a salad with no dressing and sides of vegetables (this does happen often), then I just pray they have bread baskets so I can fill up on that and olive oil before my food even gets to the table… Yup. Im a child. Anyways, some people in the world don’t have access to any foods at all, so we are all fortunate. I just want to support anyone trying to be vegan and let you know that It really isn’t as hard as people make it out to be.