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Being vegan at home is easy. You’re in complete control of what food you buy and where you eat. When you go on vacation – it’s a different story. It can be difficult to stay on track when your daily routine changes.
- Research your vacation destination. Even if you’re heading to a familiar place for the holidays, make sure you have a vegan/vegetarian friendly grocery store option. Maybe there’s a new restaurant with vegan options – or old restaurants added vegan friendly meals to their menu. If you have restaurants in mind ahead of time, the question “where should we eat” won’t be so daunting.
- Pack your own meals whenever possible. Flying to the mainland usually means hours crammed on a plane with subpar food. If you are able, packing your own meals for travel is always preferable. Whether you stop by Down to Earth to grab a box of vegan granola bars, or scroll through our website for a salad or sandwich recipe, you’ll be happy you planned ahead when your stomach starts to grumble.
- Let friends/family know about your diet ahead of time. Every time I visit home, I hear the same question…”what do you eat?!”. Giving your friends or family a heads up or a friendly reminder can reduce stress for you and for them! Include a couple recipes or dish ideas, especially if they aren’t familiar with a vegan/vegetarian diet. Even better – offer to prepare a couple dishes to share so they can taste too!
- Read labels carefully. It seems that any time I go to an unfamiliar grocery store, I grab something I’m sure will be vegan. Rushing to buy food to last my whole vacation, I don’t read all my labels carefully enough. Once I leave the store and take a closer look, I end up with a bar of dark chocolate or a loaf of bread that isn’t vegan. To avoid wasting time and money, make sure to double-check all labels before purchasing food.
- Bring an arsenal of filling foods with you. Going to a restaurant that isn’t very vegan friendly? Jazz up that sad pile of lettuce with nuts, hemp seeds, chickpeas, and don’t be afraid to be that person who brings their own avocado. Bring a tablespoon of chia seeds to dump into your water to make the meal more filling and nutritious, or have a travel pack of nutritious bars or nut-butter just in case you’re still hungry after your impromptu vegan meal.