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In This Chapter

Planning before your road trip

Eating on airplanes and in airports

Surviving meals on a cruise ship

Dining abroad successfully

Picking a date for your vacation is important, but planning your eating strategy while you’re away is just as significant for a successful vegan adventure. You may be set in your eating and shopping routine at home, but going on the road in this meat-minded world is another story. You’ll have less control over when you eat, where you can shop, and what choices you have.

The danger lies in the easy temptation to rely on junky, nonnutritious food that can lead to health problems during your trip or after you get home. Changing your dietary routines also can wreak havoc on your digestive system, especially while traveling. Vacation food can be loaded with sugar, unhealthy fats, and sodium. The food also may be of questionable origins — who knows where that salad was made? And how was it washed? Was it even washed at all? Don’t be lured in by the standard away-from-home-mindset of “All rules are off! I’m not home!” Eating poorly can lead to a regrettable vacation experience.

Several fast-food chains are now serving vegan veggie burgers, and you may even find a vegan hot dog. You also can get by on a baked potato topped with veggies and a little salt, so be sure to get creative with the server behind the counter. Whether going overnight to grandma’s, flying away for the weekend, shipping out on your reunion cruise, or touring Southeast Asia for a month, you need to prepare yourself with options, strategies, and vocabulary to travel smart and stay true to your vegan commitment.

The world of vegan-friendly travel options is expanding every year. Are there more vegans or just more people who want to walk on the wild side? I can’t say, but this bodes well for the adventurous tofu eater. Search online or talk with a travel agent about packages geared toward vegans. There are bike trips, tour groups, cruises, private yachting trips with private chefs, and yoga retreats around the world that can provide all the rest and relaxation you need — all while providing you lovely, vegan food.

Mapping Your Meals on the Road

Thinking through your entire road trip before you set foot out the door is the first step to successful travel — especially when your eating habits are different than most people you’ll come in contact with. Not spontaneous enough for you? Don’t worry. You’ll find plenty of opportunities on every journey to explore unplanned sites and meet new people. But as a traveling vegan, you need to remember that proper sustenance is as important as your traveler’s checks. You can still find great surprises and the best soy latte you ever had, but you need an outline of where to get something substantial to eat, too.

Thanks to the Internet and a little contraption called a cooler, you’ll never be at a loss for healthy, delicious food when traveling by car or by train. Mapping your route well in advance allows you time to explore and plan your pit stops before you leave home. Just follow these steps:

1. Get out your map and draw a red line along your planned route.

2. Circle a sizeable town or city every 50 to 100 miles along your journey.

3. Search the Internet for health food stores, grocery stores, and vegan and ethnic restaurants at each location.

Try searching the well-organized vegan restaurant finders like www.happycow.net and www.vegdining.com to look for vegan-friendly restaurants and grocery stores.

4. Put together a list with addresses, maps, and basic directions from the freeway. Also include business hours and a phone number for each stop you’d like to make.

You also want to put together a snack list and perishable meal list. Nonperishable snacks, such as crackers and pretzels, can be stored in the car or overhead storage on a train in bags or boxes and won’t go bad if unrefrigerated. Perishable items can be kept in a cooler with refreezable ice packs or ice cubes.

If using ice cubes, plan on replenishing with new ice every two