Practical tips for prepping and finding food while traveling on a plant-based diet - learn how I did it when I attended SEEK.
Last week I went to SEEK!! For those who haven't heard of SEEK, SEEK is a national conference run by FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students). Around 17,000 college students, missionaries, priests, etc. came to Indianapolis for several days of Mass, prayer, talks, and fellowship.
While I was looking forward to going to SEEK and hearing all the different speakers, before leaving, I was pretty apprehensive. I didn't know what I was going to eat. The conference provided a few meals for us (which I suspected would not be vegan-friendly). For most meals, though, we were on our own.
To ensure I never went hungry, I made a plan. And I'd like to share it with you so you can learn how to travel on a plant-based diet and not worry about where to get food.
The outline below is organized by time frame. Starting with what to do a couple days before the trip, then what to do on the days you are traveling, and finally what to do during the trip.
Before You Leave
Before you leave for your trip, get yourself organized. How many days will you be gone? Are you flying or driving? Are you staying in a hotel or an Airbnb? Will you be in a city or in the suburbs? Will you have access to a grocery store when you get there? Are you on a tight schedule or are your days more flexible?
The answers to those questions largely determine your game plan.
For me, I knew I was traveling back to my appartment in Bloomington, then driving up to Indianapolis for the 5-day conference. I stayed in a hotel room but I wasn't sure if I would have a mini-fridge or microwave. I knew I would be able to access a grocery store in Indianapolis, but I wasn't sure about how much time I would have to get groceries.
Because I didn't know if I had access to a fridge or microwave and I wanted to have food as soon as I got to Indy, I went to the grocery store at my house and loaded up on shelf-stable items.
I bought a tub of oatmeal, a carton of almond milk, some Larabars, bananas, pears, a couple cans of beans, sweet potatoes. I also brought ground flaxseeds and allspice (both for my oatmeal) and some almond butter. Besides the sweet potatoes, all of those foods are easily consumed without the need of a fridge or microwave. I figured that even if I didn't have a microwave in my room, I could use one in the hotel breakfast area. Then I would be able to microwave sweet potatoes.
If you are driving
Before your trip, consider how many days you will be gone. Stock up on essentials like oats, beans, and other shelf-stable foods. Factor in roughly three meals a day. Even though you may end up going out to eat for some meals, it's a good idea to bring extra in case the restaurant doesn't have something you can eat.
If you know you'll have access to a fridge, consider cooking some food before you leave and taking it with you. Simply fill a couple containers with home-cooked food and bring them on the trip. You can even pack a cooler with ice to keep the food cold, especially if you are driving longer than a couple hours. I took the risk and brought home-cooked food with me and it worked out! I had both a microwave and fridge in my room.
Don't forget to bring along an extra container and some utensils. The hotel likely won't provide dishes for you to eat from. I brought a mason jar to eat oatmeal out of and planned to eat straight out of my containers of home-cooked food.
If you are flying
With all the airport security these days it's impossible to transport liquids when flying, but you can bring solid foods. Load up on granola bars, trail mix, nuts, bananas, apples, and pears. These types of foods are both shelf-stable and plane-friendly.
For ease of travel, I suggest buying only what you will need on the flight. Plan to stop at a grocery store once you reach your destination. Search for the nearest grocery store to where you're staying and make sure you know how to get there. Don't forget to bring some empty containers and utensils to use once you have food!
When You're Traveling
Traveling can be exhausting. Make sure you don't get hangry by keeping the foods you bought handy.
If you're driving
You'll have lots of food with you that you (hopefully) bought before you left. Make sure to keep your food accessible. The last thing you want is a growling stomach while the food is out of reach in the back seat of your car.
If you're the only one driving, bring foods that you can easily eat with one hand. Nuts, trail mix, granola bars, and bananas are good options.
If you're flying
Since you'll be hands-free the entire flight, you can bring whatever food you want (note the ones I listed in the previous flying section). Remember to pack your food in a bag that you will have with you at your seat. You don't want to go through the hassle of getting your suitcase down from the overhead bins or be forced to eat airplane food because you're food is in your checked bag.
For BOTH driving and flying
DON'T FORGET WATER. Traveling is dehydrating. It is very easy to forget to drink water when you're trying to catch a flight. Even if you're driving, don't neglect water! An extra bathroom break will not slow your progress that much and will prevent you from feeling terrible when you arrive.
Carry a refillable water bottle with you and DRINK WATER.
During Your Stay
If you're driving
You're pretty much set. Eat the food you bought before you left.
I did this at SEEK. I feasted on my home-cooked food and ate tons of oatmeal. Once I ran out of home-cooked food, I microwaved sweet potatoes, opened my cans of beans, and even ate some spinach that my hotel was selling frozen.
Depending on your schedule, you may want to carry food with you during the day. Personally, I always kept a Larabar in my purse in case I got hungry. You can easily bring something small to munch on or a larger serving of food. A mason jar of overnight oats + a banana would be perfect to stow in your purse/backpack for a filling meal on-the-go.
If you're flying
Once you get to your destination, go to the grocery store you researched before your trip. Load up on all the goodies, depending on your fridge and microwave status.
For BOTH driving and flying
Of course, you won't be eating your own food for every meal. Finding vegan-friendly restaurant isn't as hard as you might think.
Happy Cow is one of the best websites to help you find places to eat. You can search by location and it will list nearby restaurants with vegan options. If you're close to a city you will be overwhelmed with options. Even if you're not, there's likely a few places with plant-based options.
If you find yourself at a restaurant with no vegan options labeled on the menu, don't worry. Ask the waiter or waitress if you can make substitutions to your order. For example, order a salad without the meat/cheese and ask if they can add beans.
Ethnic restaurants tend to have the most options. Many countries cook with predominantly plant foods. If you're in a pinch, try to find a Chipotle or similar restaurant where you can pick out specific ingredients.
A couple days into SEEK I was seriously craving some veggies, so I found a green juice/smoothie place close to my hotel. I got myself a delicious smoothie and devoured it. It was almost gone before I remembered to take a picture for you guys. Moral of the story: even in the midst of the Midwest I found some delicious greens and YOU will definitely be able to find yourself plant-based food wherever you go. Happy traveling!
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