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How to Plan a Vegan Trip

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By Brianne Nemiroff  •  Posted on Dec 12, 2020

Through the vegan lens: Everything you need to know before booking hotels, restaurants and your itinerary through a lens that considers kindness to animals, the earth, and you.

The demand for vegan travel has skyrocketed over the last five years. While this means that there are more vegan restaurants available for locals and tourists, it also means that food tours, resorts, and shops need to understand what it means to travel as a vegan.

As the world figures out how to accommodate vegans, we need to travel in the meantime and know what questions to ask before we leave and upon arrival.

If you are planning your first trip as a vegan, or are looking for ways to avoid the mishaps you’ve encountered in the past, here are some tips so you can travel as a vegan with ease.

RELATED: How a Plant-Based Diet Fights Climate Change

 

HOW TO PLAN YOUR RESTAURANTS

Before you book anything else on your itinerary, it’s imperative that you research restaurants in your chosen destination. Depending on the destination, you may have a plethora of options, like in New York City, Philadelphia, Austin, or Salt Lake City. In these cities, you may even be able to book vegan food tours to try more restaurants than your itinerary would normally allow.

In destinations closer to national parks, cultural centers whose diet revolves around meat and dairy, small towns in the country, or secluded beach towns, vegan options may be tough, or even impossible, to find. This is where you’ll have to put more effort into the planning stage.

If you find there are no vegan restaurants or obvious vegan-friendly restaurants in your destination, consider contacting them in advance to see if they can make arrangements for you, such as a personalized vegan option or to simply confirm that they can veganize already-established menu options. Travelers can also turn to local vegan Facebook groups to ask where the best vegan options are in the area, as well as find out if there are any speciality vegan brands or hangouts to look out for during your visit.

If no restaurants are happy to make accommodations or are not equipped to do so, consider looking into co-ops and farmers markets to get fresh fruit and vegetables and to find locally-made vegan treats.

No matter how big or small your destination is, never travel assuming that every restaurant can cater to your needs. And when in doubt, bring snacks with you at all times.

RELATED: Set a Vegan Table: Tal Ronnen's Crossroads Cookbook

 

Nicole Huertas of Kind Traveler at The Gentle Barn LA

HOW TO PICK A VEGAN-FRIENDLY LODGING

While there is beauty to be found everywhere around the world, some destinations are more vegan-friendly than others. For instance, many hotels in Montana and Wyoming will have taxidermy proudly displayed on the walls. If you are vegan for the animals, this may make you uncomfortable.

Make sure you take a look at the hotel’s website before booking to see if their decor may be off putting to you. Otherwise, you might end up in a leather and suede hotel room with Bambi staring at you while you sleep. Nightmares, anyone?

HOW TO PLAN A VEGAN-FRIENDLY ITINERARY

Many things about traveling vegan are exactly the same as any other kind of traveling. The only difference is that vegans often generally avoid destinations that feature animals as entertainment, such as aquariums, zoos, circuses, and SeaWorld. If you’d still like to include ethical engagements with animals on your itinerary, consider visiting an animal sanctuary that’s open for tours.

Other vegan-friendly activities would include hiking, shopping on streets with small businesses, visiting museums, pretty much anything else except taking a horse-drawn carriage ride through a park.

RELATED: 14 Animal Attractions to Avoid

HOW TO NAVIGATE A CULTURAL TRANSITION

If you have chosen a destination that is not vegan-friendly ⁠— i.e., a town whose tourism and way of life thrives off hunting, fishing, or livestock ⁠— you might have to answer a lot of questions anytime it’s important to mention your vegan lifestyle.

Be prepared to verify any vegan accommodations you may have arranged prior to your arrival and ask follow-up questions to ensure everything is to your liking.

Furthermore, assume the locals and your host know nothing about veganism and be willing to answer even the most basic questions about it. Where do you get your protein? And what about cheese?! Try to be patient with them and consider this an educational opportunity, but avoid preaching as that’s a big turnoff.

The only difference between traveling as a vegan and traveling as an omnivore is that it might require more planning if you’re vegan. But the benefits surely outweigh the inconveniences, if you can even call planning an inconvenience. (Some of us love planning!)

Eating a vegan diet could mean your food bill is lower, you’ll get a better night’s rest, you’ll be less likely to encounter food poisoning, and so much more.

When you’re ready to plan your next kind getaway, choose a vegan-friendly city guide on ItsBreeandBen.com to make your planning even easier, and head back to Kind Traveler to book a Kind Hotel where you can continue supporting animals.

For example, through Kind Traveler's Give + Get booking model, you can unlock exclusive rates and perks with curated Kind Hotels when you give a $10 nightly donation to a local charity that positively impacts the community you are visiting, or to a charity of choice. With more than 70 charities to choose from, you can support animal welfare organizations such as The Gentle Barn, Animal Defenders International, Manta Trust, Marine Mammal Care Center LA, SPCA Los Angeles, SF SPCA, and many more. Planning a kind vacation has truly never been easier.

Stay safe and stay kind!

Brianne Nemiroff and Benjamin Hagerty from vegan travel blog 'It's Bree and Ben'

Brianne Nemiroff is the Co-Founder of It’s Bree and Ben, an ethical vegan travel blog. She and her husband, Benjamin Hagerty, write about ethical travel, vegan restaurants, and small shopping all over the world. Brianne is also a Product Sourcing Specialist for Kinder Beauty, a cruelty-free, vegan, and clean beauty subscription box in the U.S.

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