By Jessica Kelly
One of the great joys of traveling solo is the chance for exploration and discovery. You’ll have complete control over where to go, what to do, and what to eat – so you’ll be sure to have a truly fulfilling experience! For those doing solo travel as a vegan, particularly those who want to explore beyond the cities, there are a few factors that are worth considering when traveling solo.
Here we’ll talk you through everything you need to know.
Contents
Be aware of cultural differences
As travelers, we know that part of the experience is immersing yourself in a different culture. For vegans, however, it can sometimes be difficult to find suitable culinary options abroad. There are plenty of countries where veganism is very much in the minority, and hence it’s more difficult to find places that cater to vegan diets. For example, in Japan only 2.1% of the population is vegan and this makes it hard to buy vegan food in supermarkets and find vegan options in restaurants. Whereas, in Israel 5.2% of the population are vegan and many travelers report on the delights of the vegan food there. Similarly, countries within the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) such as UAE, Oman, and Kuwait have tasty vegan options, such as falafel, readily available as part of their culinary culture.
It’s always worth researching the countries you want to travel to in order to understand how difficult or easy it might be to find vegan options.
Be prepared
Whatever the approach to veganism in the countries you choose to visit, it’s important to be prepared for circumstances where vegan food is more difficult to find. Whilst you are more likely to find vegan options in urban centers, the further you go off the beaten track the more likely you are to need your own provisions.
If you are camping, of course, you can be more in control of your food. But it’s a good idea to stock up in supermarkets and delicatessens before leaving cities to explore the great outdoors. Having a stash of vegan snacks, fruit and vegetables should mean that, even if you find yourself without a full vegan option at a restaurant or cafe, you can enjoy your own tasty options when you get back to base.
If you are not camping, don’t be afraid to ask politely for meat products to be removed when buying dishes.
Learn the language
In order to find vegan food abroad, it’s crucial to learn key phrases in the local language – otherwise, confusion can occur all too easily! It’s important, after all, to know the names of the vegan dishes you’ll be able to eat, especially if there aren’t many to choose from. And knowing enough of the language to ask for advice and directions is always handy too.
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Apart from these practical considerations, it’s also polite to learn as much of the language as possible, rather than forcing others to speak English. Locals will appreciate the extra effort and will be more likely to go the extra mile in helping you on your vegan journey.
Consider self-catering
Finding accommodation with self-catering options may not always be possible, but this is definitely worth considering if you want to make your own vegan dishes along the way. It will also be much cheaper than dining out at restaurants every night – ingredients can be bought cheaply from supermarkets, meaning you’ll have more of your budget left for other expenses on your trip.
You may decide that it’s not much fun to cook for yourself every night, and you may still be keen to try out local vegan delicacies, but having the option to self-cater at least some of the time could make all the difference.
Be curious
Take a day or two to orient yourself in urban centers, find the vegan restaurants there, and then ask them for their recommendations on other places to eat outside the city. They may be able to suggest recognized local dishes that will work for you wherever you go. For example, cucumber rolls or kappamaki are a very popular sushi option, available in most sushi restaurants.
They may also be able to recommend restaurants along your journey that they know will cater to a vegan diet.
Finally, don’t let nervousness about food options get in the way of your love of travel. You can still have some outstanding cultural and culinary experiences, and come back with great tales to tell!
Solo travel as a vegan: your thoughts
Have you tried solo travel as a vegan? What have been your experiences? Please share your comments below.
Jessica Kelly is a freelance writer based in the UK, writing on a range of subjects including lifestyle, small business, and transport. When she’s not writing she can be found curled up with a good book and a cup of tea.
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Jessica Kellyhttps://www.campingforwomen.com/author/jessica-kelly/
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Jessica Kellyhttps://www.campingforwomen.com/author/jessica-kelly/
There’s got to be a vegan senior fit lady somewhere who wants to travel with a male companion by van or trailerable trawler boat. Problem is all the web sites just don’t feature such situations.
I have been a vegetarian for most of my life, and it has definitely been a challenge to find foods I can have along the way. It takes some compromising and I would often eat something like sides as my meal (guacamole, salads, baked potato, etc).
I have to share this with my friends who are vegans. They will appreciate this post!
These tips are really helpful for people who are vegan and who are traveling. I am not vegan and I somehow don’t find any difficulty for eating while traveling .
Struggle with our family on how to do vegan as we are all meat lovers and when we travel as a group, we try every food available in that particular city we visited. I was curious how you guys keep up?
I can imagine how difficult it must be to find vegan food options, especially in remote areas like you mention. For people like me, food isn’t one of the things we need to think too much about because we know we will find something to eat wherever we go. After reading your post, I realize how it can be an important point to consider as part of your trip. Getting accommodation that has an option of self catering is a very good idea!
Thanks so much for this detailed vegan sharing for solo travelers, saved this as my reference.
I travelled to Japan with my vegetarian friend about 10 years ago, and I remember she had problems finding vegetaran foods then let alone vegan. In one hotel she explained she was vegetarian, so they brought her this very ornately carved bird, like a peacock. Made entirrely from fruit. It was beautiful, but that was her main meal for the evening. Just fruit! I would hope things have improved since then, at least the bigger cities. Although I lived in Korea for a number of years, and I know being vegan was difficult in Seoul.
I’ve never even thought of anyone solo traveling as a vegan. Good thing you’ve brought it up. Self-catering should be top on the list.
I am not a vegan but I know it is not easy to travel as a vegan. I got on a short trip with my vegan friend so I had been vegan with her. We had to ditch so many places!
I could definitely understand not being able to find vegan meals while traveling abroad. I do think most places do offer a vegan alternative at most restaurants.
This is very helpful. While in some countries it’s easy to stick to your vegan diet, in other places it’s basically impossible to order something without meat let alone vegan food.
Being aware of the culture is really important—especially for women in the area of dress and possible head coverings. Learning a little of the language is a great tip, too. So many things to learn!
Good tips. I thinking knowing the language will help cut back when finding and selecting food choices.
Whether you’re vegan or not, preparing your own meals when traveling is a great way to save money. It’s also pretty fun to shop in local grocery stores or markets and see what they’re selling!
I am not a vegan nor I am allergic to anything but very picky when it comes to food. I try not to experiment with my food. The tips shared are useful for anyone like me
This is very interesting! I am planning to go for a hike and these tips will help me a lot. Thanks for sharing! I will take note of all of this.
I am not a vegan but I am allergic to seafood. I can imagine some of the challenges vegans may face as I face similar ones in certain countries where seafood is a component of many dishes and the language differences may mask that fact. Research, research, research can be a lifesaver!
I am a vegan since 6 years and been traveling much before that. My experience has been amazing as I always do some pre-research of what kind of food is available and trust me, I was never disappointed. I have traveled 15 countries as a vegan from Kenya to Iceland to more, and there have always been vegan food.
Nice and informative post, I also look for vegan options while travelling and sometimes you may not get many choices . But these days they are getting better. Interesting to know about Japan with minimal vegan options.
I can so relate to this because it is, in many cases, equally difficult to find vegetarian food when you travel. Doing your research does help a lot and having friends at your destination who will help you navigate the food scene really helps.
This is really interesting actually. Im not vegan but Im vegetarian and I often find it hard to find vegetarian options so I imagine vegan would sometimes be really hard! When we go to america and eat out there doesnt seem to be the same level of restaurants deliberately providing options for vegetarians as there is in the UK so its pretty hard.
I can understand how difficult it is to find vegan dishes while on a trip or on the go. Most of the time I find myself in corners with only non-vegan meals. Thanks for these reminders. With enough preparation, our dietary lifestyle won’t be negatively affected by decisions related to travel.
We are not vegan but I am following a special diet which sometimes requires extra work on trips. These are great tips for anyone looking to stick with a certain diet. Cultural differences can be huge. I love to visit grocery stores on our travels and see what they have. That way I will also see what diets do they accommodate.
Finding accommodations with self catering is a great idea for vegans or even non-vegans! It’s great to be able to prepare your own meals while on vacation.
I’m Vegetarian, and decades ago found it extremely difficult to eat well when travelling. But now there is much more accessibility to restaurants that offer vegan or vegetarian options. But I still learn in the language I’m travelling to some key phrases to make sure.
I can imagine how difficult it may be to travel around when you are a vegan. I am not a vegan but still have found it difficult sometimes to find vegetarian food. And cooking and preparing the food by ourselves helps sometimes. Also it is better to join some local groups on social media to get some ideas on local food and where to find certain cuisines.
I am not a vegan, so I can only imagine how difficult it must be to find vegan restaurants when you travel. Vegetarian food is not hard to find, but finding vegan food may be a real hustle. In big cities it’s not so hard though, but if you travel to more remote areas you’ll probably have to cater for yourself like you say.
Yes, it is reallly hard to find a vegan restaurant in other countries that you may visit. I am glad that you have alternative ways for this matter and can still save. Thank you for this wonderful sharing.
So many places are accommodating to vegans nowadays so it shouldn’t be hard solo traveling as a vegan.
We are not vegans but we do occasionally seek out vegan options to get less meat in our diets. Hubby was hard over vegan before he met me and fortunately he can cook if we have cooking facilities where we stay. Good thing that vegan cuisine if far more available these days when we travel.