Vegan Travel Tips and Hacks
After writing my post about my Tiny House vacation to the North Shore that you can read here, I decided I wanted to make a post about easy travel hacks for vegans. The world is not setup for vegans to be successful unfortunately, so I have had to come up with ways to stay fed while cutting down on single use plastic. The main thing that keeps me successful is planning, planning, planning! I like to not only plan what meals I am eating while on my way to my destination, no matter if I am flying or driving. You are less likely to “cave” and eat something not vegan if you aren’t set up for success. Airports can be difficult, especially during a pandemic.
I also like planning ahead when it comes to my single use plastic items. It’s so easy to take whatever they give you in the airport or fast food place on a pit stop, but it’s just as easy to avoid needing those all-together. It does require you to have to carry items with you instead of throwing them away like single use plastic. If you are carrying most of these everyday staples with you already, it’s a lot easier to remember when traveling. It took me awhile and I am still not perfect, but all you can do is try to be better every day.
Let me know if I forgot anything you use when traveling and if this list was helpful in the comments below.
Thanks for reading,
Jessica
Reusable cutlery and straws: This is something everyone should be using at this point. It’s the easiest way to cut down on your single use plastic use, especially plastic straws. I find I have a visceral reaction when I get a drink with a plastic straw in it and feel the need to cut it up to minimize it’s chances of ending up in the ocean. Extreme I know, it’s something I am working on. I found a company on an Instagram ad that was selling roll up travel pack with bamboo cutlery, chopsticks, a bamboo straw and cleaner. I’ve had it for years and even gave a friend one as a gift. Before having that, I used a kid’s fabric pencil case and kept the straw and cutlery in and put it in my purse. I also have a small fabric napkin that I keep rolled up in the travel pack so I can avoid using paper napkins. Whatever works as long as you don’t need to use plastic straws or cutlery when you are out. This is a travel pack just like the one I have and is made by a company I like. You can also buy metal straws and cutlery that fold up so they can fit in your pocket if you don’t have a purse or bag. I don’t have any of those but would love to get one for days I use a small purse that I have to stuff my full size travel pack into. These fold up straws are awesome because they can be a keychain too! I might have to buy one of these.
Reusable water bottle: This is another everyday staple everyone should be using. Keep one (not plastic) reusable water bottle in your car so you always have one on the go. The key to flying with a water bottle is making sure it is empty when you walk through security. They won’t let you take the bottle through with liquid in it, but they have purified water machines all over the airport once you make it through security to fill up in. I have made my water bottle just like my phone and keys and I make sure I don’t leave the house without it. I have so many water bottles in different sizes so I can still take a small one with me on even the quickest trips out of the house. Hydroflasks are always a great brand to go with, but I like Simple Modern water bottles because they are a fraction of the cost. This is the one I have from Simple Modern, but they don’t have my pattern anymore in this size. I use this one for my days at work, so I don’t have to use plastic water bottles. Thanks to Covid-19, we can’t use the water machine in the breakroom anymore, so this was the best alternative. This is the smaller Hydroflask I have too that I like. This one has taken a beating and hasn’t handled it as well as the Simple Modern bottle.
To-Go Containers: This is something I need to get better at, especially in my day to day life. I want to find a nice set of to-go containers I can keep in my backseat for anytime I have leftovers somewhere. I normally make some food and bring plenty of snacks when road tripping or flying so I have free options on me at all times. I will use the containers I have with me to put leftovers in if I eat at restaurant in the airport. Even if you don’t bring the containers in with you when you go to a restaurant, just having them in the car is handy. You can run out to the car if you end up needing to use them. These are cool because they are collapsible and would be easy to tuck away anywhere. I also love the idea of a bento box, and this one would be perfect to keep in your car because it can hold so much stuff. Stasher Bags are also great for storing travel snacks and sandwiches. The only thing with those is they can get smashed in your luggage or carry on, so make sure whatever is in these can handle the pressure. I use these for everything I would use a plastic freezer/sandwich bag for.
Happy Cow website and app: This app is a lifesaver for me whenever I travel or move to a new city. You can make folders for various trips or cities and can “love” your favorite spots so you can come back to them later. It’s like the vegan Yelp for restaurants, grocery stores, airports, and other food popup shops/food trucks in your area and it’s great. People can leave reviews and pictures to help you make choices on where you end up going. It is available on Android and iPhone or at their website here. I still use it depending on where I am in town to see what vegan spots are next to me if I’m not near my house. It’s an easy way to find and try new spots. It does cost $4 to get the app, but I think it is totally worth it. There are other free apps like goVegn, PlantEaters, Vegman if you don’t want to spend money on an app, but I haven’t tried these out. I heard early on into becoming vegan that Happy Cow was the way to go so I took the leap. Their website is free though.
Plan snacks and easy meals: It’s so easy to road trip vegan because you can make so much food that can be kept in a cooler or you can swing by most name brand fast food spots now a days and get something. Taco Bell, Del Taco, Burger King, Subway, and Carl’s Jr. are just some of the fast food spots you can eat on the road or airport if needed. When I fly, I like to bring homemade trail mix that is filled with lots of nutrient dense ingredients. I’ll share that recipe with you at some point, but your favorite store bought one will work. Apples and clementines are great because they travel well whole and are easy to eat on the go. Grapes don’t need to be refrigerated and do well in a mason jar. If I fly in the morning, I will make a breakfast bagel/wrap/sandwich with either vegan cream cheese or hummus and fill it with veggies and hempseeds. An easy hack is to get a bagel with agave packets from Starbucks and add your own peanut butter and banana. If I fly later in the day, I’ll make a bean and potato burrito, PB&J, or a wrap filled with vegan meat, cheese, and veggies. I also like to bring my standard salty, crunchy snacks so I don’t get tempted to buy the over-priced snacks at the airport or gas station. While packing my luggage and carry on bag, I will transfer all my snacks into containers that can withhold being in luggage or carry-on bags. Mason jars and Tupperware containers are my go-to’s for flying. Google or search on Pinterest for “vegan travel snacks or meals” to get inspiration on recipes or snacks you would never think to take with you. Protein bars or homemade protein balls are great, along with dried fruit, (I love mango, mandarin oranges, and chili spiced pineapple) or muffins. Baked potatoes of any kind are great to travel with. You can wrap them up to keep them warm and even stuff them with goodies if you want. They also travel well, stay warm for awhile and are a great thing for you to eat in general. Ellen Fisher has a couple of vegan travel videos on her YouTube channel that are really helpful, I recommend looking into those. The goal is to have high calorie, nutrient dense meals to keep you going while traveling. Traveling, especially flying takes a lot of your body and you want to give it want it needs while away from home.
Stay hydrated: Flying takes so much out of your body and dehydrated, that’s why I take my big water bottle with me when I travel. Coconut water is a great hack before a flight to hydrate quickly with the added benefits in the coconut water over regular water. I will sometimes make a green smoothie before I leave the house to get myself started with a super hydrating meal before a flight.
Bring your own spices: Hear me out. Lots of non-vegan spots are trying to get with the times and have vegan options which is great. The only issue is they don’t seem to always know how to cook vegan meals. They over think what should and shouldn’t go in the meal, so they just keep it basic aka bland. If you have a little Tupperware or mason jar with your favorite mixed spice seasoning blend, you can always spice up any meal no matter where you are.
Insulated cooler bag or lunch box: This is an easy way to take a salad or yogurt with you while traveling and you can’t eat it right away. I have a small, insulated lunch box that collapses and goes into my luggage when I am done with it.
Stay somewhere with a kitchen if possible: If you don’t want to eat out a lot or are going somewhere that doesn’t have a lot of vegan options, staying somewhere with a kitchen or kitchenette is ideal. Air BNB’s are great for this if you want to cook while traveling.
Eco-Friendly Toiletries: Unless you stay somewhere that you know has vegan toiletries, it’s just easier to bring your own stuff with you. I used to love taking all the samples in the hotels I stay in just because they were fun and fancy, but now I just use my own stuff. Occasionally I will stay somewhere that has plant based toiletries that I don’t normally use like a face mask, and I might treat myself. That’s only if I know it’s vegan and cruelty free, but honestly, I normally just use my own stuff. There are some vegan resorts around the country and world I want to try one day.
