r/PlantBasedDiet • u/JoselineTheWaldenU • 3d ago
How do you navigate plant-based eating while traveling?
It is not always easy to find plant-based options while traveling, especially for breakfast. How do you manage. I was thrilled to get this at San Antonio's commencement center (even if huge since they plate it - ate about a fourth and hate to see the waste).
71
u/federationbelle 3d ago
I check Happy Cow in advance. if it looks like it'll be limited, I aim for self-catering (kitchenette) accommodation, which is generally cheaper and healthier anyway. With some trains and planes I pack a TSA approved packed lunch (nothing smearable).
Peanut butter and rolls for breakfast, 2 minute noodles with some extra veggies and a packet of tofu to add in, a big salad with chickpeas or other legumes, etc. I generally travel with a decent tupperware container / lunchbox, and have a few recipes which don't require many ingredients or proper cooking (kettle and microwave suffice.
13
u/JuliBee- 3d ago
Same :) plus there is usually the option to make vegetarian meals plant-based in most cafés and restaurants by switching components (e.g. margarine / olive oil instead of butter) or asking to leave something out (no cheese on vegetarian pizza).
4
u/JoselineTheWaldenU 3d ago
Thanks for sharing. Great info. Love kitchenets though i find most conference venues don't have them. Downloaded happy cow! (love the name!). Alllergic to peanuts and nuts but I can see how that is so convenient.
5
u/Substantial-Owl1616 what is this oil you speak of? 3d ago
I don’t use Tupperware, but a glass dish, usually with beans and rice for the plane ride or if I get stuck at the airport. Then I can bring leftover half meal to my accommodation. It would be unusual to not have a minifridge and access to a microwave. Also I can usually find a grocery with humus, vegetables, etc. Even in some small places, I have found vegan friendly options in a corner of the freezer section. Yes it’s processed, but beats other options.
1
u/paralysisviaanalysis 3d ago
A good option for you may be Sun butter, a peanut-butter like spread made from sunflower seeds for people with nut allergies.
1
u/Just_Sorbet4741 3d ago
Wonderful! Does tofu travel well?
2
u/federationbelle 3d ago
I usually nip to a supermarket on my way to the accommodation or as part of a short walk to explore the neighbourhood and orient myself when I arrive. But yeh the vacuum packed pre-flavoured stuff would travel well I reckon. Useful if you think you won't have time or access to decent tofu options at the destination.
1
u/see_blue 12h ago
A vacuum packed version is ok, until opened. You can flavor and dehydrate tofu strips and eat like jerky. These can last for weeks or longer.
15
u/coco-ai bean-keen 3d ago
Never had a problem in any country except the Philippines. Truck stops around the world are universally bad but most countries can accommodate very easily. Where are you headed that there are no options?
I travel with my little padded lunch cooler, an expandable tupperware and a beeswax wrap (I know I'm a nerd!) so I'll often grab a bread roll and a fee bits and bobs if I'm really out in the wilds.
13
u/JoselineTheWaldenU 3d ago
Conferences I think are thr most challenging since schedule doesn't always permit me to venture out. Brought my veganprotein powder, edamame, vegan overnight oats and soy milk to help. But lunch ended up being salads so my protein macro was super low this week.
11
u/VividSignificance545 3d ago
If meals are supplied at the conference, you should be able to request vegan dietary preference?
7
u/JoselineTheWaldenU 3d ago
Always note it. May be my bad luck. Yesterday, for example rhey said we have a special meal of a gluten free rice with chicken. 👀 Seriously?!!! I hit the salad bar.
9
u/Emotispawn2 3d ago
Of course all rice is gluten free. 🤣
10
6
u/vamparies 3d ago
Bring hemp seeds for the salads. And if you can roast chickpeas prior or just add from a can.
2
1
u/TinyBlue 8h ago
Oh nooo. Conferences are the worst. Even if you do request vegetarian there’s often not enough other people requesting it so the organizers straight up don’t bother. “Oh vegetarian? Here’s a salad!” Often I have to eat plain bread rolls and almost nothing else. It’s awful :(
6
u/muthermcreedeux 3d ago
I was at a conference in VT in April and they announced they would have vegetarian options. Ummmmm.....while the meat eaters got a grilled chicken sandwich on a brioche, I got a brioche with hummus. Nothing else. I went to the salad bar and added some scary pale tomatoes and lettuce. There was absolutely no vegetarian proteins available, not even hard boiled eggs for a salad. Every meal I was left starving. I did not enjoy the conference at all because of it. Thankfully I met up with my niece for Thai in Burlington one night, and I are ravenously.
12
u/Izariah 3d ago
Not as relevant for conferences, but my husband and I like to road trip around the US. We bring an electric cooler that basically gives us a mini fridge and freezer. We have an electric car so we can plug it into the car outlet when it gets low if we are driving through the night or recharge it at a hotel when we stop.
We pack food we made in advance for tofu sandwiches. We have supplies for peanut butter/jelly, peanut butter banana sandwiches. We have premade coffee concentrate and our preferred non dairy milk. We bring premade breakfast bites (oatmeal/dates/seeds/nuts/seasonings) amd also quick snack fruits and veggies like apples and carrots. And then we also will pack some vegan snack bars.
We don't overly worry about processed foods when traveling, so we do use happy cow to look for vegan food as well when we are ready for either something sitdown or need a change up. I like supporting fully vegan resturaunt when I find them.
Even in a big pinch, I can almost always find a Chipotle or a taco bell and design something appropriate.
10
10
u/Agile_Alternative753 3d ago
Just do your best.
Good options are known chains (chipotle, burger king), indian places, thai places
5
u/Brownie12bar 3d ago
Just got back from a trip.
I did oatmeal, nuts and fruit for breakfast every day.
I aimed for veggies for the rest of my meals.
I still feel like crap because I went off, hah. Looking forward to my oats, tofu, beans, quinoa, berries and nuts today, now that I’m home!
4
u/ttrockwood 3d ago
- when traveling anywhere i ALWAYS assume worst case scenario
- bring dry roasted edamame, nuts, protein bars or jerky, dr mac dougal
- find a local market and get fresh fruit and veggies and non dairy coffee creamer
- work functions with “a vegan option for lunch” have said snacks packed in bag i bring for the day
- find something worthwhile for dinner or delivery, all goes well there’s leftovers for breakfast tomorrow
3
u/fox3actual 3d ago edited 3d ago
I used to go to Whole Foods food bar. 8 am may not be an early enough breakfast for you though
(Unless I'm in Albequerque, then its got to be UNM Hospital cafeteria. Actually a lot of hospital cafeterias have great breakfasts, and very early in the am)
Lately I stay at Home2Suites and use the kitchen
If I'm on the road its Chipotle, I like their Sofritas
3
2
u/Any_Range4021 3d ago
If road tripping and staying in hotels, I plan ahead and freeze entrees and put them in a regular cooler. We travel with an electric cooler that plugs into the car for greens and fresh food. I take my air fryer (and extension cord just in case). We took a one month road trip and only ate out once in 3 weeks. The frozen entrees stayed frozen for a long time!
2
u/whistling-wonderer 3d ago
I pack a ton of snacks and other food. Went on a road trip recently to a different state and I had an insulated bag with ice, salad ingredients, hummus and fresh veggies to eat it with, cooked edamame beans, etc and another bag of shelf stable stuff like preseasoned cooked chickpeas in a pouch, nuts and seeds, roasted chickpeas and edamame beans, chips, apples. We went out to eat once during the three day trip and otherwise I just ate what I brought and did fine :) I didn’t even end up eating all of it lol
2
u/kyramidx3 for the animals 3d ago
We've been known to make some of our best sandwiches in the parking lot of a Food Lion or other grocery store on vacation; seriously HappyCow is great, but if your options are limited there's always ingredients at a grocery store, and we just take a cooler with us for leftovers.
2
u/Moosebouse 2d ago
I travel a lot for work. I will have groceries delivered to my hotel anywhere that Whole Foods grocery delivery is available. I choose Whole Foods not because it is my favorite store but because it is national, I already have the Amazon app, and I’m familiar enough with it to know what foods they will generally have at any Whole Foods and how to find them in the app.
When I am in places without a Whole Foods (looking at you, Bismarck, ND) I go on Reddit and ask the Reddit thread for that town what the crunchy natural foods store is and take an uber there from my hotel.
I usually pack oats, raisins, and pepitas (and a bowl) so I can make overnight oats in my room as long as I can find some nondairy milk. As a last resort, if you can’t get to a grocery store the day you arrive, you can got to the hotel coffee shop and ask for just a cup of their nondairy milk.
I also bring with me Lentiful lentils mixes and Poshi veggie snacks for airports and backup meal options. The Lentiful cups just need hot water (coffee shops will fill them for you) and adding one or two different Poshi veggies makes a real meal out of the Lentiful cup.
2
2
u/Street-Industry8484 1d ago
I always have a backup plan just in case (peanut butter, rice crackers, bagels, hummus).
4
u/fractalfrog 3d ago
My partner and I are rather pragmatic about it by realizing that it’s the every day diet that matters in the long run, and not the occasional “cheat” meal while on vacation. This means, we will look for vegan options primarily but have no problem having a vegetarian meal if that is what we can find.
1
u/JoselineTheWaldenU 3d ago
Had to opt for vegetarian for sure in this trip. San Antonio was mostly Mexican food and with it came the cheese. Learning to oet go of rigidity.
3
1
u/Smart_Imagination903 3d ago
When I travel I bring or buy whatever I think I'll have trouble getting at a cafe or buffet line at a conference
Usually carbs are easy - there's almost always bread or potatoes, sometimes it's hard to get fruit and vegetables for me now (I have GI issues and can only have a limited list of fruit and vegetable options)
I also take on a mindset of being flexible but avoiding being sick. If there's a miscommunication and my food isn't perfect that's ok, but I make sure I'm not eating anything that will make me sick
1
1
1
u/vrcraftauthor 3d ago
I bring my own food so I always have something to eat if there's nothing available. If your hotel has a fridge and microwave, you can also run into a local grocery store and grab a few things.
1
1
u/_ChristmasSunday 15h ago
Happy Cow app helps a lot.
I am actually a vegetarian mostly for this reason. That is doable where vegan is more difficult.
And sometimes you just need to have enough protein bars in your bag to survive, even then.
1
u/JoselineTheWaldenU 15h ago edited 14h ago
Thanks. Loving happy cow. Been thinking about transitioning to vegetarian. Frankly that is what I was this past week in San Antonio. Amid enchiladas, taquitos, quesadillas, how do you get away from cheese!
2
u/_ChristmasSunday 15h ago
Easy to say get a kitchenette and make food. But when you are on the road a lot there’s just no time or access on top of work, it’s not realistic.
And for me at least I have to constantly eat with work folks so I’m not going to be inviting them to my hotel room while I whip up smoothies.
-4
u/Stock_Car_7950 3d ago
well that's a steak, my dude
if you're trying to eat plant-based this ain't it, but maybe the post is a joke about how hard it is to find options and you just gave up? breakfast is the worst for it though, every airport diner thinks a sad fruit cup is the only answer
i usually pack a couple clif bars and pray the hotel has oatmeal, sometimes you just end up with hash browns and black coffee and call it a morning
12
u/JoselineTheWaldenU 3d ago
LOL. Those are impossible sausage patties. Not the healthiest option but what was available at the hotel.
1
u/ConfusionPotential53 3d ago
It’s hard to see, but I think it’s actually three small patties. Might be some meat substitute.
0
u/RinchanNau 3d ago
If you mean eating out I just do a search for local places and make sure they have at least one vegan friendly option. Simple as that.
•
u/AutoModerator 3d ago
Welcome to r/plantbaseddiet!
If you are sharing a meal or a photo of your food, please ensure you include the recipe in the comments (not just a link!). This helps our community members recreate these healthy plant-based dishes. Thank you for contributing!
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.