From Huel in Kyrgyzstan to Feasts in Vietnam: My Top Vegan Travel Hacks

One night in Bukhara, Uzbekistan, I was sitting in my hotel room, picking at a bag of pistachios and slowly getting tipsy on warm beer coursing through an almost empty stomach. I was tired, cranky, and honestly fuming that I hadn’t had the foresight to plan some vegan travel hacks for my trip through Central Asia.

I’d just returned from a traditional dinner show where I’d been assured there were vegan options. The reality was a plate of limp salad, and not even the astounding beauty of the old madrassa I was in could lift the “hanger” funk I found myself in. I’d spent a week travelling through Uzbekistan, and as much as I loved the architecture and the history of this incredible country, there were only so many side salads and plates of chips I could take.

Non-vegans often like to say that the only way to truly “know” a country is through its food. Well, no offence to Anthony Bourdain et al, but as much as food is a massive part of heritage, it doesn’t mean that the world is closed to the rest of us.

I’ve been a vegetarian since I was 12, and a vegan since 2020. I’ve spent most of my life asking about ingredients, asking for adjustments and reading menus through windows.

After my sad dinner in Uzbekistan, I realised that if I want to keep exploring, I can’t just wing it. I needed a system. Once I got into the swing of planning, it just became second nature. As much as some non-vegans may be rolling their eyes at the “hassle” right about now, it’s really not that hard. People all over the world have medical- or belief-based diets, and travelling is still doable – it just starts with some preplanning.

I’ve broken my vegan travel hacks down into three phases in this post: What you need to plan before you go, what you should do as soon as you arrive, and some advice for handling the day to day. Use the table of contents to skip to the parts most relevant to you. I’ve also distilled my best vegan travel hacks down into a free, downloadable vegan travel handbook. I’ve kept it light so you can save it on your phone and whip out on the go.

Phase 1: The Pre-Travel Prep

The first part of your vegan travel hacks plan needs to happen before you leave home. This is your essential travel checklist, the things you need to think about ahead of time. Planning in advance not only allows you to enjoy your time away so much more, but may even help you find places and experiences you want to add to your itinerary, or get you excited about your trip even before you’ve packed your bags.

The Digital Toolkit

• HappyCow App/Website
  • I know, I know; for seasoned vegan travellers, this is probably about as useful as me telling you the sky is blue. But for the uninitiated, this app is the absolute gold standard in finding vegan and vegetarian food wherever you are in the world.
    
    It’ll show you not only vegan and vegetarian restaurants, but also omni restaurants with vegan options. It’s backed up by user reviews, so it’s a lot more reliable than a restaurant claiming it’s got vegan options, only to find out it’s a marinara pizza and nothing else.
• Google Maps
  • Before I travel anywhere, I use Google Maps to pin all the vegan restaurants in the area around where I’m staying. I’ve got lists for different countries and parts of the world, so I can download the maps to use offline.
    
    I also use it to check what’s available close to any hotels I’m considering booking. If I’m not doing self catering, then it’s going to be another pistachio-and-beer night if it turns out the nearest veggie options are 15km from my hotel.
• Buy an e-sim
  • If your phone plan doesn’t offer reasonably priced data roaming, get an e-sim. I use Airalo, and have generally had good service, even in remote areas like the mountains of Kyrgyzstan.

The Flight Plan

If you’re flying long haul, your ticket will almost always include a meal. Make sure you select a vegan meal (VGML) well in advance, ideally at the time you book your ticket and double check it about 48 hours before you fly. Most airlines can only accommodate special meal requests if they’re made a few days before the flight.

However, be prepared just in case. Things can get mixed up, or go wrong. I’ll give you two real world examples from my experience:

From London to Uzbekistan

I flew Uzbekistan Airways to Tashkent, and selected the vegan option. By the time the meal cart rolled around, they didn’t have a specific meal for me, and offered me the vegetarian option, which was covered with cheese… and besides being vegan, I’m lactose intolerant. I tried to explain that I’d asked for a vegan meal, which the cabin crew insisted this was. I panicked and threw out a few Bulgarian words I’d learned from my husband, hoping they were similar enough to Russian. They were not.

The man in the seat next to me got involved, and between the three of us and an odd mix of Uzbek, English, and Russian, it was established that I was an Asian Vegetarian and I was presented with a chickpea curry.

From London to Tokyo

On my most recent trip to Tokyo, British Airways kindly decided to bump us from our flight. I could write a whole separate post about how poorly they handled the whole thing, but the relevant part for this post is that in rerouting us on a Qatar Airways flight, the vegan meal we’d booked months earlier vanished.

The staff on the Qatar flight were lovely, and did their best, but it meant that in 16 hours of travel time, all we had were a couple of bread rolls and some crackers.

The Vegan Travel Kit for Flights

So, as you can see from my experiences, and maybe some of your own, things can and do go wrong. This is where it’s smart to have a back up plan, just in case. You don’t need to pack the entire kitchen, but there are a couple of things I’ve been seriously grateful to have in my bag:

• Protein bars
  • Grab a pack of vegan protein bars before you fly and stick a few in your bag. I like these Yubi ones, or Huel’s protein bars. Because both of them have 10-15g protein per bar, they’re a good snack to help you feel more full.

• Homemade Food
  • If you’re not feeling Huel or protein bars, another option is to make something at home to bring, but you do need to think about food safety. By the time you’ve left your house, gotten through airport security and gotten onto the plane, your food has been sitting out for hours.
    
    If you do go this route, I strongly encourage you to get an insulated lunch bag like this one, ideally with some ice packs. Or, if you’ve already got an insulated food pot like this one, you can use it to store things like pasta or rice dishes.
    Either way, you want something that will keep your food safe to eat for hours out of the fridge. The last thing anyone needs is a dodgy stomach on a flight.

The Suitcase Pantry

Once you’ve got your digital toolkit downloaded, and stocked up on Huel or snacks for your flight, here are a couple of extras that can make your trip smoother.

Phase 2: On the Ground

You’ve landed, you’ve gotten through passport control, and you’ve eaten more of your snacks than you told yourself you would on the plane. If you’ve done some pre-prep in bookmarking vegan restaurants abroad and thrown a few protein bars in your bag, you’re already doing well.

Navigating a new country as a vegan is always a fun puzzle, as you don’t know what you’re going to experience and what your new favourite places are going to be. I’ve found a few habits that help keep my trips fun and easy on the ground.

Upon Landing

As soon as I land, I switch on my Airalo esim. With Airalo, and other providers, you usually set up your sim before you take off, so it kicks in as soon as you switch off airplane mode. Before you buy an esim, do check that your phone is compatible.

My day-to-day phone actually isn’t, so I bought a cheap secondhand one on Backmarket for a long trip once. It’s still going strong, and it’s earned its keep on multiple trips since. If you do similar, look for the cheapest e-sim compatible one – you don’t need the brand new iPhone, this is just to keep you connected.

Accommodation Strategy

As I mentioned earlier, I normally look up food options close to hotels I’m considering booking. It’s rare that I’d book a hotel just because of a restaurant (although my husband would very gladly move into a vegan restaurant if he could), but it can be the dealbreaker if I’m trying to decide between a couple.

If you’re visiting somewhere like Bangkok or Hanoi where vegan options are plentiful, you’re all set. Otherwise, I’d usually advise choosing an Airbnb, an aparthotel or a similar option that has cooking facilities. Having a way to cook and store food means you’re never truly stuck.

If you have your heart set on a hotel, this is again where Huel comes in handy. Most hotels will at least have a kettle, so even though it’s not gourmet, you can at least whip up a filling meal for yourself in a pinch.

When booking your accommodation, use Google Maps to check for supermarkets nearby. If your choice of places to stay comes down to it, this may be the deciding factor.

The Supermarket Sweep

One of my favourite things to do in a new country is visiting the local supermarket. I love seeing what they have that I can’t get at home. In Utrecht in the Netherlands, I was absolutely thrilled to find an entire fridge full of vegan food.

This is where your e-sim can be particularly handy, as you can use Google Translate’s camera feature to check for hidden ingredients. I really appreciated this in Japan, where a lot of seemingly vegan items actually have fish flakes.

If you are going to be making food to take with you, some things I’d recommend packing in your bag:

• Reusable cutlery set. I have this bamboo one.
• Reusable lunch boxes. I have a couple of the Sistema ones and find them good, but I’m equally a fan of reusing plastic boxes from the Chinese takeaway.
• Travel Dish Soap. I’ve got this travel bottle set – if you have something similar, fill it up with liquid dish soap before you go. Even though the accommodation will likely have some, you don’t want to be stuck with a smelly lunchbox if you’re out all day long.

Phase 3: The Day to Day

So we’ve covered the pre-travel prep and the logistics for once you get there. In this section of the vegan travel hacks, I’ll cover a couple of things to consider in the day to day of your trip.

Travelling with Omni Friends and Family

As a kid, my family went on holidays to the US often. I’ve been veggie since I was 12, and I distinctly remember sitting in various Longhorn Steakhouses and thinking “when I’m an adult, I’ll be picking all the restaurants”.

Well, sorry pre-teen Laura, but even as an adult, I inevitably end up in situations abroad where I’m not calling the shots. Whether that’s on a group tour, or travelling with people who do eat meat, it happens and it’s fine.

Find Your “Bar”

In these kinds of situations, it helps to know where your bar is. For me, I need one good, protein-rich meal per day. If I get that for lunch or breakfast, I can deal with the sad side salad and chips for dinner.

For you, maybe it’s different – maybe a weekend of marinara pizzas is okay because it’s only two days, or maybe you’d rather peel off and do your own thing and meet the group for a drink later. Whatever works for you, think about it beforehand, and most importantly, communicate it early.

All of my friends know where my bar is, and if I’m ever travelling with someone new for the first time, I’m upfront about it. Often, this means that I’m cooking a protein-heavy breakfast in the Airbnb before we head out for the day, and the bonus is that they get to have some too!

I’ve also been in a situation where the group wanted to go to a very meaty restaurant for lunch, so I dipped out and went to get my own, then met them after. I don’t expect anyone to come with me if I do this, and I make it clear I’m not asking anyone to change their plans.

This kind of thing can cause a shift in dynamic, and some people may not like it, but it’s one meal and you don’t need to apologise for meeting your own needs if it’s not putting others out.

Likewise, I’m also aware that for whoever I’m travelling with, it’s their holiday too. If I’m with just one friend who really wants to try a particular restaurant or local speciality for dinner, then I’m not going to ditch them to go off by myself. I’ll gladly go with them to the place they want, and then grab something for myself at another point that day.

Having the Vegan Conversation

If you’re lucky, you’ll be travelling with someone who’s very open to eating plant based food, or wants to try local vegan spots. In reality, especially with a group, you’re going to need to compromise.

For a lot of folks, this can feel like an uncomfortable conversation, and this is where your earlier prep of bookmarking places or considering self catering can come in handy. However, you should be prepared to have the conversation before you go.

For example:

• “I’d love to come! I’ll need to do some of my own food planning, so there may be some meals where I need to go find a vegan spot and meet you all after, is everyone cool with that?”
• “For accommodation, I’d prefer to get an apartment with a kitchen so I can handle my own breakfast, would you be open to an Airbnb or should we look at hotels near a supermarket?”
• “I’m happy to go to that restaurant you mentioned so you can try it! I’ll probably eat a big lunch that day though, so I may only have a small dinner”
• “I’m going to grab a quick falafel around the corner while you guys go to the steakhouse. I’ll meet you there in about 20 minutes for a drink!”
• “I’ve already eaten a big breakfast at the apartment, so I’m happy to just have a drink and chips at this place”
• “For dinner tonight, I’m going to cook my own food in the apartment. Can you let me know where you’re going, and I’ll meet you afterwards?”

Obviously, all of this is so subjective as only you know what you’re comfortable with and what your group dynamic is.

The point for all of us is that it’s about communication. You’re giving your friends a heads up, but making it clear your diet is your own responsibility. You don’t need to apologise for having a different diet, but you should be prepared to find your own solutions.

If you’re in a situation that’s totally out of your control but you can’t skip the trip, such as a family event or a group tour, this is where my earlier suggestions of protein bars, Huel, and bookmarking supermarkets really come into their own.

In Restaurants

Every single vegan knows the routine of reading the menu before you even set foot in the restaurant. As soon as your friends mention where the reservation is, you’re trawling Google reviews for the word “vegan” and considering what swaps you could make to that vegetarian dish at the back of the menu.

The word “vegan” can mean different things in different countries, or there may be hidden ingredients like fish sauce that the restaurant wouldn’t normally consider omitting. In cases where it’s not clear what you can eat, it’s time to pull out Google Translate (and again, this is where you need an e-sim).

The following phrases are helpful to have on standby:

• “I do not eat meat, poultry or fish”
• “I cannot eat eggs or dairy”
• “Does this dish contain [animal fat/fish sauce/other ingredient]?”
• “Is it possible to have this dish without ____?”
• “Could I please have this dish with just vegetables/beans/tofu instead of meat?”

Wherever you’re going, translate these phrases into the local language and save them in your Notes app or as a screenshot.

And, if you happen to find a restaurant that whips up a great vegan option for you, drop them a review on Google or HappyCow so you can help other vegan travellers find them!

Final Thoughts

That night in Bukhara was the catalyst for me planning out my own vegan travel hacks. I didn’t see much of the Silk Road that evening, I just saw the bottom of a pistachio bag and a lukewarm beer. But it got me thinking about how I can plan better for the future. I don’t want to close myself off to certain parts of the world, especially places as breathtaking as Central Asia. I also don’t expect centuries of history and culture to change for me.

Travel isn’t about everything going perfectly. You’re already putting yourself out of your comfort zone by getting out there, and sure, you may have your own nuts-and-beer experiences. But with shifting your planning and your mindset a little, you can take some of the friction out of the journey, freeing you up to enjoy where you are.

If you’re heading off on your own adventure, take a few minutes to pin the map, order some Huel, or give a quick heads up to friends. Your future, well-fed self will thank you.

The Vegan Travel Kit: Quick Shopping List

Item	Why I recommend it
Huel Hot and Savoury	A handy “emergency” meal for hotel rooms and planes, all you need is the cup and some hot water.
Oatly Milk Sachets	If you like milk with your tea or coffee, these are long life and handy to throw in your bag.
Insulated water bottle	I use my Chilly’s one, but any insulated bottle helps keep water hot for the Huel, handy for planes/long days out.
Protein Bars	I like Yubi or Huel’s protein bars. Look for bars that have a long shelf life, and at least 10g of protein per bar.
Lunchbox	I like Sistema for lunchboxes, but any leakproof boxes will do. Useful to pack up your Airbnb lunch to take out with you. If you’re bringing cutlery
Travel Cutlery	I use this bamboo travel cutlery set. If you’re bringing metal cutlery, check whether it’s allowed in hand luggage, most knives will need to be checked.