How I Travel Plant-Based Without Missing Out

One of the questions I get surprisingly often is whether I am “only vegan at home.”

The assumption seems to be that traveling changes the rules. That perhaps I eat plant-based most of the time, but when I’m on vacation, I make exceptions.

I don’t.

I’ve eaten plant-based for decades, and I don’t have cheat days. Not at home. Not on vacation. Not even when I’m standing in front of an incredible menu in a city I’ve never visited before.

That doesn’t mean I travel with a suitcase full of protein bars or spend my vacation searching desperately for the one vegan restaurant in town.

Quite the opposite.

I’ve discovered that traveling while plant-based can actually be one of the most delicious parts of exploring a new place.

The secret is preparation.

Being plant-based doesn’t have to make your world smaller. In many places, it opens the door to discovering an entirely different way of eating.

I Do a Little Homework Before I Go

Before I travel, I research the food.

Not obsessively. Not in a way that turns my vacation into a spreadsheet. But enough that I have a general idea of what I’m walking into.

What foods is the destination known for?

Which traditional dishes are naturally plant-based?

What ingredients should I look out for?

What words might indicate dairy, eggs, meat, fish, or other ingredients I don’t eat?

And if I’m traveling somewhere where I don’t speak the language, I learn how to say and recognize the word vegan.

That one little bit of preparation can make a huge difference.

I also look at restaurant menus before I arrive. Sometimes I’ll bookmark a few places that look particularly interesting, but I don’t plan every meal. I want room for spontaneity too.

The goal isn’t to control the entire trip.

It’s simply to give myself enough information that I can make good choices when I arrive.

Learn What the Destination Already Does Well

One of the biggest misconceptions about eating plant-based while traveling is that you’ll spend the entire trip eating salads.

You know the meal.

A sad little side salad.

Maybe some French fries.

And if you’re lucky, someone can find you a plain baked potato.

No thank you.

Plant-based food is much more common around the world than many people realize. And once you start looking at a destination through that lens, you often discover that there are already plenty of foods you can eat.

Sometimes they’re foods you would never have thought to seek out at home.

Indian cuisine has an incredible variety of naturally plant-based dishes. Mediterranean countries offer vegetables, legumes, grains, olives, breads, salads, and countless combinations of them. Many Asian cuisines have long traditions of cooking with tofu, vegetables, rice, noodles, mushrooms, and other plant-based ingredients.

And then there are places where vegetables aren’t treated as an afterthought.

They’re the main event.

Look Beyond the “Vegan Restaurant”

I love finding a great vegan restaurant when I travel.

But I don’t necessarily need one.

Some of my favorite meals have come from restaurants that weren’t specifically vegan but had plenty of plant-based options.

That’s another reason researching the local cuisine is so helpful.

Instead of asking, “Where is the vegan restaurant?” I start asking, “What does this place traditionally eat that happens to be plant-based?”

That’s a much bigger world.

And sometimes it’s an entirely different culinary experience than anything I would have found at home.

A little preparation before you leave can turn “What can I eat?” into “What should I try first?”

The Internet Is Your Friend

I also lean heavily on people who specialize in vegan travel.

There are wonderful websites, blogs, social media accounts, travel guides, and online communities devoted to helping plant-based travelers navigate destinations around the world.

These resources can tell you things that a generic restaurant search won’t.

Where locals actually recommend eating.

Which restaurants have genuinely good plant-based options.

Which traditional foods are worth trying.

And perhaps most importantly, which seemingly harmless foods contain hidden ingredients you may want to avoid.

This is especially useful when traveling somewhere unfamiliar.

I would much rather spend five minutes reading recommendations from someone who has already navigated the destination than spend an hour wandering around hungry and frustrated.

And Then There’s HappyCow

One resource I almost always have with me when traveling is HappyCow.

It’s an app and website that helps travelers find vegan and vegetarian restaurants and plant-based options around the world.

It’s particularly useful when you’re hungry right now and don’t want to spend half an hour trying to figure out where you can eat.

I love being able to open it in a new city and see what’s nearby.

It’s also reassuring.

Even if I haven’t planned every meal, I know I have a resource in my pocket if I need one.

Learn to Read the Labels

Another pleasant surprise when traveling outside the United States is how clearly many countries identify allergens on food packaging and restaurant menus.

For someone eating plant-based, this can make navigating unfamiliar foods considerably easier.

If dairy is something you’re avoiding, for example, being able to quickly identify milk or other dairy ingredients can take much of the guesswork out of choosing packaged foods.

Of course, labeling practices vary from country to country, so I still pay attention and do my homework.

But I’ve found that once you understand how a particular country communicates ingredients and allergens, grocery shopping can become surprisingly easy.

And sometimes grocery stores become one of the best places to explore.

Don’t Assume Plant-Based Means Boring

This might be my favorite lesson from traveling.

There are places where plant-based food isn’t a substitute.

It’s simply food.

Beautiful food.

Creative food.

Food that celebrates vegetables, grains, legumes, herbs, spices, fruit, nuts, seeds, and all of the incredible things plants can become.

I’ve been pleasantly surprised more than once by meals that felt less like someone had removed the animal products and more like someone had created something entirely new.

Sometimes the food is so beautiful that it feels like plant-based art.

And that is when I really appreciate being a plant-based traveler.

I’m not missing out.

I’m experiencing something I might never have discovered if I had approached travel food with the assumption that my diet would be a limitation.

The best travel meals aren’t the ones you eat despite your dietary choices. They’re the ones you discover because of them.

My Simple Strategy for Traveling Plant-Based

I don’t have a complicated system.

Before a trip, I generally:

Research the cuisine.
Understand what foods are traditional and which ones may naturally work for me.

Learn the language.
At minimum, I learn how to say and recognize “vegan” and a few key ingredients I need to avoid.

Research restaurants.
I save a few possibilities, particularly for the days when I know I’ll be somewhere without many options.

Use vegan travel resources.
People who have already traveled plant-based can save you a tremendous amount of time.

Download HappyCow.
It’s one of those travel tools that is worth having even if I never end up needing it.

Check menus and labels.
I don’t assume something is plant-based just because it looks like it should be.

Stay flexible.
I plan enough to avoid frustration, but leave plenty of room to discover something unexpected.

And perhaps most importantly, I don’t approach the trip as though I’m deprived.

I’m there to explore.

That includes the food.

You Don’t Have to “Cheat” on Vacation

I think this is where people sometimes misunderstand a plant-based lifestyle.

They assume that if I don’t make exceptions while traveling, I’m somehow missing out.

But I don’t feel like I’m missing anything.

I’ve spent decades figuring out how I like to eat. I know what makes me feel good. I know what I enjoy. And I know that I can travel almost anywhere in the world and find delicious things to eat.

So why would I suddenly abandon all of that because I got on an airplane?

Vacation isn’t a break from taking care of yourself.

For me, it’s an opportunity to experience more of the world while still living in a way that feels good.

And honestly, I think there’s something wonderfully freeing about that.

A Few Final Thoughts

If you’re plant-based and nervous about traveling, don’t let the food be the reason you stay home.

Do a little research.

Learn a few words.

Find some resources.

Know what you’re looking for.

And then go.

You may discover that the destination you’re visiting has a much richer plant-based food culture than you ever imagined.

You may find a restaurant you’ll talk about for years.

You may discover a new ingredient.

Or you may simply sit down at a little table somewhere far from home and eat a meal that makes you incredibly happy.

That’s what travel is supposed to be about.

Not worrying about what you can’t have.

But discovering everything you can.

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Explore More

Continue exploring plant-forward eating and the joy of enjoying good food wherever life takes you:

• You Don’t Have to Be Vegan to Eat More Plants
• Favorite Plant-Based Cookbooks
• How I’ve Eaten Plant-Based for Decades Without Feeling Deprived
• Travel Essentials Worth Packing
• The Loaf That Made Me Fall in Love With London
• Food & Travel: The Best Souvenir Is Often a Recipe

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