As a relatively new vegan, I have sometimes found it quite difficult to travel according to my new dietary requirements. Below I have listed some tips that I have found very useful when planning trips and whilst on the road!
Research! It may seem straight forward to some, but I have been caught out a few times having not researched thoroughly enough. If you are travelling to a foreign country, you may find it useful to look into what is typical of the cuisine where you are going, and also some easy phrases to learn. As a languages student, I find this particularly exciting! Even if languages aren’t your thing, you can always rely on phrasebooks to get the message across.
Local restaurants - It's also helpful to use apps such as HappyCow to find vegan food in the area, and also use sites such as TripAdvisor and Google reviews to see if there are other vegans who have had a good or bad experience there. It’s also helpful to try and find menus before you go to places so that you are not wasting time or money.
Packing plenty of snacks for the journey is also a must – there have been many times when I have not been able to find vegan snacks at service stations in Europe, so bringing enough with you is a good idea, so that you are not left hungry. Personally, I love raw fruit and nut bars as they are really delicious and easy to just carry with you.
Following vegan travel blogs to get a feel of which cities and places are great for vegans and others which are not. For example, after travelling to Freiburg in Germany, I found that the city was super welcoming for vegans, with massive sections of supermarkets dedicated to plant-based eating. This was one of the pull factors for travelling here, so knowing which cities are vegan-friendly is super helpful.
If it’s possible, try and get in touch with other vegans and arrange travel plans – for example, Facebook has many different group pages to meet other vegans and exchange advice and tips for travel. Don’t be afraid to ask others for their experiences and maybe even share a room with someone who is vegan if you are staying in self-catered accommodation.