I still remember when I first started traveling as a vegan. My colleagues were beyond baffled — how could I go out into the world and survive?! To them, veganism was a bridge too far at home, but leaving the country seemed absolutely impossible!
They would ask me some of the craziest and funniest questions — did I lose weight? Did I check a bag filled with food? Did the TSA stop me because I was traveling with a supermarket? And on and on and on, the questions would go.
To be honest, vegan travel wasn’t really a thing a decade or so ago. Staying at a vegan hotel? Ha! vegan Michelin-Starred experience? Ha, again! But today, that’s all changed.
In recent years, vegan options have seen a remarkable surge in popularity, reflecting a global shift towards a more conscious and ethical lifestyle. Many people are starting to connect what’s on their plate with their health and the environment. As that awareness expands, it naturally begins to have a ripple effect of change in other industries like travel.
With the growth of veganism (the vegan food industry alone is expected to double to $92 billion by 2027), growing awareness of travel’s environmental impact, and a desire to support sustainable and ethical tourism practices, vegan travel is becoming a thriving and influential segment of the travel industry.
You might be wondering where to start. Well, this vegan travel guide is for you! I’ll cover everything from fully curated vegan tours to tips for planning your own epic adventure.
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Upcoming Veggies Abroad Vegan Travel Tours
Let’s start with the most straightforward route and take all the guesswork out of it by taking a vegan tour. There are quite a few vegan travel companies popping up around the world, offering experiences ranging from enjoying vegan street food in Mexico to sailing in the Mediterranean. One such fabulous company to do that with is mine! Veggies Abroad has multiple vegan tours lined up for 2024 and will soon announce more for 2025 (join our newsletter to be the first to know about them).
We take care of everything for you, from food and accommodations to local experiences and guides — it’s an actual vacation!
Check out the vegan tours
Six Tips for Planning Your Vegan Vacation
Not interested in a small group tour? That’s okay. Let’s discuss the best tips for planning your own vegan vacation! Here are a few things to keep in mind when deciding where to go.
#1 Determine what kind of vegan vacation you want to have
On the surface, this might seem like a no-brainer — you want to eat food and see some stuff, right? Well, yes, partially, but there is a little more to it than that. Not every vacation will be a vegan culinary extravaganza, sometimes leading to severe disappointment.
If you want to have a fantastic hiking and nature experience, make that your focus, but keep in mind that the food part of the trip might be underwhelming. For example, I planned a hiking trip to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Going into the trip, I knew that the focus would be on the beautiful scenery and that I might have to pack some extra food and be prepared for limited options, but that was okay because food wasn’t the overall focus.
On the other hand, when I want to have a full-blown, knock-your-socks-off vegan food vacation, I choose cities like London and NYC.
There are definite levels between the two, but it’s vital that you recognize the focus going into it. If you’re unsure how friendly a city is, do a quick Google search and see what comes up, or you could also shoot me an email, and I can give you my opinion.
#2 Research before you go!
I always thought this was a well-duh point to make, but after chatting with quite a few people, I realized many of you don’t enjoy the research portion of trip planning. Well, I am sorry to say, but it’s essential to do it; otherwise, you could be super disappointed. But what should you research?
I like to start by researching restaurants and looking at menus and photos to understand what they offer. I’ll jot down the spots, and then from there, I will also search for bakeries, ice cream spots, markets, grocery stores, clothing shops, etc. I find that searching for a variety of different things helps me find great places.
#3 Use Google Maps
Once you find all the spots you want to visit, save them to your Google Maps. You have the option to save things as a green flag, pink heart, and gold star. I save my accommodations and important points (airport, train station) with the gold star, green flags are for sights, and the hearts are for food. I find this incredibly helpful when I am out and about because I can look at the map and see what’s near me. I also can use it to plan my itinerary and make sure I’m staying close to the vegan action (or at least public transit).
#4 Join local vegan Facebook groups
You can find vegan groups in a variety of cities and countries around the world. I prefer to join the city groups, as the members are generally hyper-aware of what’s going on in the city. These groups are terrific for searching for suggestions and asking for feedback. You’ll often find things in these groups that you wouldn’t normally find Googling.
One time, I had limited time in a city, so I used a local Facebook group to help figure out which restaurants I should prioritize. I asked something along the lines of, if you only have 24 hours, which of these restaurants would you visit, and it was so helpful. I ended up visiting a spot that I probably would’ve skipped and loved it.
#5 Learn the lingo & use Google Translate
If you’re traveling abroad, don’t assume everyone will understand English. It’s important to learn a few key phrases before you go (if you join our newsletter, I will send you language cheat sheets in 7 different languages).
In addition to that, make sure you download Google Translate; it’s a lifesaver. You can use it to type in a few words and translate them or scan a package and have it translated. I use it a ton when looking at products and want to know if the ingredients are vegan.
There are also these awesome vegan travel cards from the Fussy Traveller Club that translate “I am vegan” and what vegan means in 52 languages. These are perfect to put in your bag and pull out when needed.
#6 Consider your accommodations
Have you ever stayed at a vegan hotel? If you haven’t, let me tell you, the experience is next level. It’s so nice not to have to ask 100 questions or have zero options! Vegan hotels are popping up around the globe, and so are vegan-friendly ones. Major chains are starting to adopt more plant-based menu options and sustainably sourcing things like toiletries. When you’re considering accommodations, aside from looking at dining menus, also look to see if they have a sustainability page or policy on their website, and this will help determine if they are even thinking about any of this.
The Best Vegan-Friendly Destinations Around the World
Forget about researching which cities are the best to visit — book your ticket to one of these major cities — they all have amazing vegan scenes!
London
It is home to 161 fully vegan restaurants and nearly 2,000 vegan & vegan-friendly spots. Make sure to check out my vegan travel guide to London.
Restaurants to visit:
- Mildred’s & Mallow
- Gauthier Soho
- Tofu Vegan
Vegan-friendly hotels:
- Inhabit Queens Garden
- Hilton London Bankside (vegan suite in partnership with the UK Vegan Society)
Vegan-friendly things to do:
- La Fauxmagier
- The Third Estate
- Camden Town Vg Food Tour
- Afternoon tea – at Farmacy, The Egerton Hotel, or The Ritz
Brighton
It is home to 219 vegan and vegan-friendly restaurants — there are 7.9 vegan restaurants per 100,000 people. Make sure to check out my vegan travel guide to Brighton.
Restaurants to visit:
- Botanique
- Round Hill Pub
- No Catch
Vegan-friendly hotels:
Vegan-friendly things to do:
- Vegetarian Shoes
- Kindly of Brighton – Vg market
- Vegan Food Tour
- Vegan Open-Air Market
Berlin
It is home to 209 fully vegan restaurants & over 1600 vegan & vegan-friendly spots. Make sure to check out my vegan travel guide to Berlin.
Restaurants to visit:
1990 Vegan Living
Lucky Leek
Brammibal’s
Vegan-friendly hotel:
Vegan-friendly things to do:
- REWE supermarket – opening soon
- Avesu – shoe shop
- LOVECO & Deer Goods
- Vegan Food & Sustainability Tour
Hamburg
It has experienced a 55% growth in vegan options in one year! There are 99 vegan restaurants and businesses and over 1,000 vegan-friendly places. Make sure to check out my vegan travel guide to Hamburg.
Restaurants to visit:
- Kkokki Loves Vegan
- Vincent Vegan
- TA Vegan House
Vegan-friendly hotels:
Vegan-friendly things to do:
- Vunderland & Mr. and Mrs. Green
- Denns BioMarket or Alnatura
- Katers Köök – Veganes Deli & Katzencafé or Katzentempel — vegan cat cafes
- Vegan Street Festival & Veggie World
Paris
It is home to 160 vegan restaurants and businesses and over 1,000 vegan and vegan-friendly spots. Make sure you check out my vegan travel guide to Paris.
Restaurants to visit:
- Aujourd’hui Demain
- Sweet Rawmance
- brEAThe Restaurant
Vegan-friendly hotels:
Vegan-friendly things to do:
- Arsayo – vg handbags
- Mon Epicerie, Aujourd’hui Demain & Vegami – vegan markets
Los Angeles
It is home to over 200 vegan restaurants and businesses and nearly 700 vegan and vegan-friendly spots. Make sure you check out my vegan travel guide to LA.
Restaurants to visit:
- Cafe Gratitude
- Gracias Madre
- Chaumont Vegan
Vegan-friendly hotels:
Vegan-friendly things to do:
- Justine’s Wine Bar
- Bestie’s Paradise
- Vegan Exchange + Vegan Street Fair
New York City
It is home to nearly 100 vegan restaurants and over 1000 total vegan & vegan-friendly spots. Make sure you check out my vegan travel guide to NYC!
Restaurants to visit:
- Delice & Sarrasin
- Jajaja
- Beyond Sushi
Vegan-friendly hotels:
- The Arlo Soho
- 1 Hotels (Central Park & Brooklyn Bridge)
Vegan-friendly things to do:
- Moo Shoes
- Orchard Grocer
- Save the Duck & Stella McCartney
- Riverdel/Rebel Cheese
Surprisingly vegan-friendly destinations
The vegan options in these destinations surprised me, and we will continue to see them improve and evolve in the coming years! Now, that’s not to say these are destinations for culinary aficionados; they are places that you might not think have much vegan food aside from lettuce and a Beyond Burger (no shade at Beyond!).
The Finger Lakes
This beautiful area of upstate NY is filled with stunning waterfalls, picture-perfect small towns, dramatic gorges, and vegan food! Thanks to the excellent organization, The Farm Sanctuary (you can visit them), vegans can have a fantastic getaway in this rural part of the state. There are multiple vegan and vegan-friendly B & Bs (I recommend Black Sheep Inn), and quite a few restaurants have great vegan menus (there’s a vegan and vegetarian restaurant in Ithaca). The area is also a well-known wine region, and many wineries are vegan-friendly. Check my Finger Lakes vegan travel guide before you go.
Iceland
Before heading to Iceland, I prepared my snack bag and mentally told myself that this trip would be all about nature and that I might be hungry—imagine my surprise when I realized that wouldn’t be the case. The country prioritizes operating as sustainably as possible; in light of that, plant-based options have expanded. Reykjavik has multiple vegan and vegetarian restaurants; most restaurants and markets have options, too. When we headed outside the city, I was surprised to find vegan options at rest stops (like a vegan burrito, burger, and chocolate) — we barely have vegan options at rest stops in the States! In smaller towns, options did get slimmer, but they were rarely nonexistent.
Make sure you support ethical & vegan-friendly activities
In addition to making cruelty-free food choices, you can’t forget to do the same thing when choosing activities, especially if they involve wildlife. Here are a few things to ask yourself when deciding if an activity is ethical.
- Are animals confined in cages, tanks, or other determined area? Could they get away from you (or other people if they wanted)?
- Why are the animals there? Is it their natural habitat or only for humans?
- Are the animals forced to perform tricks?
- Can you touch, hold, ride, or swim with the animal?
- Do the guides chase, bait, or lure the animals to people? Do they offer guaranteed sightings?
- Does the activity or attraction sell animal parts (snakeskin, tusks, etc.)?
If you answered yes to any of those questions, take your money elsewhere. It’s not an ethical activity, even if the marketing or people managing it say something different.
In addition, The World Animal Protection Organization has a great animal-friendly travel guide to check out, and they have these dos and don’ts to follow when it comes to animal experiences.
Wildlife Dos and Don’ts According to World Animal Protection
DON’T hold wild animals for selfies.
DO take lots of photos of wild animals from a safe and respectful distance.
DON’T watch wild animals perform tricks.
DO watch humans perform tricks in animal-free circuses.
DON’T ride an elephant.
DO watch elephants grazing with their herd in the wild or in a genuine sanctuary.
DON’T swim with dolphins or visit dolphin shows.
DO see them in the wild from a safe and respectful distance with a responsible
dolphin-watch tour company.
DON’T buy souvenirs made from wild animals.
DO buy local souvenirs and give back to the local community
