Take a Trip: How to Be Vegan Around the World

Booking a weekend getaway? Planning an exotic vacation? Follow these tips, and we promise that you’ll be living like vegan royalty all across the globe:

Plan Your Trip

• Leave the planning to the pros.

Check out our list of travel websites, which will help you plan the perfect vegan vacay. These sites will assist you in finding everything you need, including vegan restaurants, cruelty-free entertainment, and hotels that offer down-free bedding.

• Find restaurants at your destination.

Use the HappyCow app to find local vegan-friendly dining options at your destination. The app Veganagogo offers translations in more than 50 languages to help you communicate to chefs and servers that you want to avoid milk, cheese, fish sauce, and other animal-derived ingredients.

• Investigate local dishes and common ingredients.

Look out for accidentally vegan dishes. For example, did you know that “pizza marinara”—essentially a cheeseless pizza—is a standard menu item in Italy?

• Check out Facebook.

Facebook is a great platform for asking all your vegan friends whether they’ve visited your destination before and have any suggestions. Also, search Facebook for local vegan groups in the area you’re visiting. It’ll be your best source for the lowdown on where to eat.

• Inform your hosts.

If you’re planning to stay with friends or relatives, let them know ahead of time about your vegan lifestyle. You never know what local gems they may have found that will be right up your alley. If you’re staying at a hotel, look for chains like Hyatt that offer vegan options on restaurant menus.

• Choose the vegan meal option when you buy your plane ticket.

Many airlines offer vegan in-flight meals, so be sure to check the box for these, or call in advance to set this up. It doesn’t cost extra, and don’t be surprised if your fellow passengers are envious of your vegan meal.

Pack for Your Trip

• Pack hearty snacks.

Whether you’re museum-hopping or backpacking, it helps to have snacks like vegan jerky or trail mix handy to keep you energetic and sated until your next meal. Check out these great snack ideas.

• Stock up on cruelty-free essentials.

Saving animals goes beyond just watching what we eat, so be sure to pack cruelty-free beauty products. The all-vegan company Squeeze Pod has perfected the art of creating portable, travel-friendly toiletries, as demonstrated in this impressive display:

When You’re on Vacation

• Offer to cook for your hosts.

If you’re staying with friends or relatives, offer to prepare them a delicious vegan meal. It’s a win-win situation because they don’t have to cook and you get to show them how easy it is to whip up a delicious meal that’s cruelty-free.

• Be creative at restaurants.

Restaurants that serve plant-based dishes are ideal, and fortunately, international vegan chains such as Loving Hut can sometimes save the day. But there won’t always be a vegan restaurant nearby, so in those circumstances, find creative ways to “veganize” menu items. (See “Find restaurants at your destination” above for a tool that will help you speak to restaurant wait staff in their local language.)

If you can’t be 100 percent sure about whether the pasta or bun you’re ordering contains trace amounts of animal-derived ingredients, remember that your goal isn’t perfection at all times: It’s about doing your best to minimize suffering.

• Check out local markets.

You’ll find that many local markets carry tons of fresh produce, and they often also offer shelf-stable snacks such as beans, nut butters, and crackers. Check out the beautiful fruit selection at this market in Spain:

• Keep those eyes and ears peeled!

This may seem like a no-brainer, but be on the lookout for the word “vegan,” because you might just come across something like this:

Looking for vegan-friendly travel destinations? This list will give you some ideas for the perfect vegan getaway.

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