By offering new sights and experiences, travelling has always been crucial for personal growth and human connection. The good news is that in recent years, travel has increasingly become friendlier to the vegan population, which now equates to about 4.7% (2.5 million people) of the total population in the UK.
As the number of vegans increased by 1.1 million people in 2023, gone are the days when plant-based diets and lifestyles were not properly recognised by hotels, food establishments, and tourist attractions. In light of this exciting new development in the travel industry, here are a few tips for planning your next vegan-friendly getaway and maximising your experience.
Search for vegan-friendly destinations
Before anything else, it helps to narrow down your travel prospects to destinations that are proven to cater to vegans through ample dining options and access to amenities. Do your research on cities or countries with thriving vegan food scenes and whose local cuisines use various plant-based ingredients.
Fortunately, such destinations do not have to be costly.
There are cheap flights via easyJet to cities like Prague, which has vegan restaurants that serve a variety of traditional Czech dishes like trdelnik (chimney cake), and Copenhagen, which has a growing vegan and vegetarian community from cafes to fine dining.
Besides having a low fare finder for comparing flight prices, the airline is committed to reducing its environmental impact and carbon emissions by 5% through fuel-efficient aircraft.
Go on vegan food tours and experiences
Aside from researching potential restaurants to try, consider booking a vegan food tour organized by travel agencies. For instance, the agency Intrepid Travel is keeping up with the growing trend of veganism in the UK and worldwide by adding a vegan dining experience to its list of culinary tours.
Specifically, Intrepid promotes vegan eating habits and food choices by highlighting countries whose cuisines have vegan-friendly options.
In recognition of South Korea as one of the agency’s best-selling foodie destinations, vegans can enjoy a tour that includes local vegan dishes, a traditional kimchi cooking class, and a plant-based celebratory dinner at Golgulsa Temple.
Learn key phrases for asking locals
During the planning and preparation phase for your trip, it also helps to learn key phrases in your chosen destination’s local language to help you communicate with staff at hotels and restaurants.
Such phrases include vegan-related keywords like ‘no dairy,’ ‘no meat,’ and ‘fruits and vegetables only’ to help them accommodate your dining requests.
Alternatively, you can also use these phrases to ask residents for more tailored recommendations within your vicinity.
Bring vegan snacks for your trip
If you’re the type to keep your itinerary packed with restaurant hopping and cultural tours, you never know when you’ll get hungry and thus need to fuel up instantly.
So, it helps to plan which vegan snacks to take for a quick bite while on the go.
A previous post suggests energy bars, which you can easily make yourself through basic ingredients like dates, peanut butter, chia seeds, oats, and dairy-free dark chocolate.
Those craving something sweeter can try the recipes for no-bake desserts like protein brownies and matcha bites.
In summary, travelling as a vegan doesn’t have to be challenging. By learning about vegan-friendly options for destinations, tours, and snacks, it’s possible to gain fun and memorable travel experiences without compromising your eating habits and overall lifestyle.
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