Travel Tips for Plant-Based Vegans

When you are away from home, sometimes you can feel stranded. You’ve committed to eating an optimal diet consisting of a variety of amazing plant foods and you have ditched the meat and dairy. You’ve gotten into a groove at home. You know how to stock your refrigerator and pantry, you know how to combine these foods and make them flavourful. You know how to shop, and you don’t bring in the things that you used to be addicted to and that used to make you feel lousy.

But you’re on vacation or on a business trip. It’s not just another outing from which you’ll be returning home on the same day. And you can only bring along so much from your own house.

How do you not give in to what’s around you and what’s being dangled in front of you? It’s that hurdle called convenience. Often what’s readily available simply does not jive with the choice we’ve already made.

Here are a few tips:

1. Go to the bulk-bin section of a grocery store and buy a few things to assemble your own portable snacks. Buy some walnuts, almonds, or any nuts and seeds you like (and aren’t allergic to!) and some dried fruits. When a hunger pang strikes and you are still a way’s away from your next meal, you can eat a combination of dried fruits and nuts. They provide that fiber we need to feel full and replenish energy stores so we can function.
2. If you are staying at a hotel, you can buy oats and keep them for a quick and healthy breakfast in the mornings. Boil water in the kettle or coffee machine in your room and pour over your oats. Add your nuts and dried fruits. If you have a mini fridge, you can certainly keep some plant-based milk in there.
3. If you do have a mini fridge, consider keeping some simple veggies on hand and maybe a container of yummy hummus available from the grocery store.
4. If you are eating out for dinner but don’t want to spend a fortune, consider eating at a taco place like Chipotles, where you can customize your meal, and it’ll be a satisfying and fairly inexpensive meal.
5. You can go for different variations of the same idea by going to the salad bar of a mall food court. Subway also assembles salads in a takeout container now. Some grocery stores like Whole Foods have extensive delis where you can box up a great variety of items by weight. Assemble a salad, or a selection of entrées you would typically cook up on your own but simply don’t have the resources and tools to make while you’re away from home.
6. Depending on where you’ll be staying and how much you can pack, you can consider packing your blender and making yourself a smoothie every day; that takes care of one meal.
7. Think about packing a smaller container of your favourite meal replacement or protein powder, plant-based of course. Pack a shaker cup. It’s easy and convenient and the perfect thing to do when you’re not home.

Some forethought is all it takes to make sure we have a good experience while travelling. There’s no need to feel trapped or bound by the default offerings in the food industry. Some creativity, thinking outside the box, and knowing what to look for is all it takes.

Learn to not be afraid to ask questions and make special requests at restaurants. You’ll be surprised how accommodating kitchen chefs and restaurant managers are. Each time that you are intentional about staying commitment and then follow through will make it seem so much easier the next time you are faced with similar challenges. Eventually, thinking this way will become automatic and you won’t want to do it any other way. Talk to other plant-based friends or go on the Internet to discover more ideas.

About the Author:

Stevan Mirkovich, Certified in Plant-Based Nutrition

Plant-based living literally saved his life. As a recovering food addict, he's journeyed  through overeating, junk-food veganism, and finally found the life-giving ways of a whole-foods plant-based style of  living. Stevan has guided hundreds of people, introducing them to plant-based nutrition, cooking and shares education to help by break down the stigmas and myths that many people encounter as they transition to a better way of eating.