New to vegan and nervous about your first trip? I get it. My first trip as a vegan, I'd only been vegan for about 3 months and I was so scared and did not prepare. So much so, I ended up basically living off fruit the whole time because I didn't trust myself (or others) to ensure I was eating food that was vegan.

I've been vegan for 8 years now, and I can tell you, it doesn't have to be that hard. You just need a few things in your back pocket before you go, and that's exactly what this post is for! So that you don't have to struggle through your first trip as a vegan the same way I did.

Here's are some tips I wish I knew before my first vegan trip. 👇

1. Get familiar with the apps before you need them

I use HappyCow and Google Maps to find vegan friendly spots before I even land somewhere. If you're new to this, you might not know these tools exist yet, let alone how to use them.

I filter HappyCow by vegan restaurants only, highest ratings, and stick to the areas I'll actually be in. Some of the best-rated spots are way outside the touristy areas, and if I'm not there long, it's just not worth the trip. I'm also a bug breakfast and coffee person, so I'll filter specifically for those too!

If I'm traveling with non-vegan people who aren't excited about eating vegan all day, I'll switch to filtering for veg options with high ratings instead, so I'm not stuck with a salad and no dressing while everyone else eats yummy food.

Google Maps comes in as a backup as it sometimes has spots HappyCow doesn't (mostly for more places with vegan options; not fully vegan). I'll search "vegan" directly into Google Maps and go directly to the reviews. Once within the Reviews, I will search ‘vegan’ since sometimes it's just people mentioning that the place doesn’t have vegan options (which is still helpful) rather than the place actually being vegan focused.

Building a list before you're on your way sets you up to prepare for if you need to possibly make food for yourself OR if you will be spoiled with so many options you won’t know where to start (this is the best feeling)!

2. Learn the hidden non-vegan ingredients before they surprise you

This is the one that catches new vegans off guard the most. Some ingredients hide in places you wouldn't expect:

Fish sauce in a lot of Southeast Asian cooking; even if it is listed as vegan
Lard in beans and refried dishes in parts of Latin America
Dairy or eggs baked into bread that you would think are completely plain
Honey sneaking into sauces and dressings

Honestly, the UK and most of Europe are really good about marking items with a vegan symbol, so you don't have to read every ingredient line by line. If there's no symbol, I just assume it isn't and move on. I love checking out grocery stores and even gas stations when I travel as I've been pleasantly surprised more than once.

This is actually how I found out Krispy Kreme donuts are vegan in the UK from a gas station in Scotland, because it was labeled as such!

Extra Tip: At a store without clear vegan labeling? I lean on Google Translate! Allergens are usually bolded on ingredient lists, but that only helps if you can actually read the language. So I'll scan the ingredients with Google Translate's camera feature (make sure to have this downloaded beforehand in case you don’t have access to the internet) and let it do the translating instead of trying to memorize the words for milk, egg, and honey in every country I visit.

However, you won't catch everything, and that's okay — which brings me to the next tip.

3. Give yourself permission to mess up

Here's the thing nobody tells new vegans enough: you will accidentally eat something that isn't vegan at some point (in your own home country or when traveling the world). Even after 8 years, it still happens to me sometimes. I once went to a restaurant in Bali that advertised a vegan buffet, so I assumed (first mistake) the whole menu was vegan and ordered ice cream off it. It wasn't until later that night that it hit me (thankfully not because of getting sick, but because I put the pieces together in my head) that the restaurant was actually vegetarian; just with a vegan buffet section.

When it happens (because it will): note what caught you off guard so you can watch for it next time, and let it go. One slip doesn't undo your effort — not on day one, and not eight years in either.

4. Consider Holiday Closures

If you'll be somewhere during a major holiday, like Christmas or New Year's, check ahead of time whether anywhere will actually be open. If not, plan for a grocery run: something you can cook if you have kitchen access, or non-perishables to keep on hand.

I learned this while traveling through Europe with my family over Christmas and New Year's. We were in Munich for Christmas, and I knew most places would close early on Christmas Eve and shut down entirely on Christmas Day, so we planned ahead and cooked at our AirBnB instead. Worked out perfectly!

New Year's, though, I didn't think about at all. We were in Budapest, and almost nothing was open. The only vegan option I could find was fries at an American restaurant. I was starving, and I'd already been vegan for two years at that point, so I really should have known better. But that's the thing about traveling, especially as a vegan: you live, you learn, and you plan a little better next time.

5. Preorder your flight meal — as early as you can

Airlines almost never have a vegan option available on the spot. If you don't request it in advance, you likely won't have anything to eat on the flight. I book mine the second I book my flight. I have waited before and then forgot, so now I do it right away so it's one less thing to remember.

However, if your flight gets canceled, you may run into the issue of not having the vegan options you selected which brings me to the last tip…

6. Pack snacks that can actually hold you over

You don't need to pack a full pantry, but just enough to cover you if a flight gets cancelled, a connection gets tight, or you land somewhere with nothing open yet.

My go-tos are Bobo's bars (anything but their protein bars — those aren't vegan), Nature's Bakery fig bars, and Lenny & Larry's protein cookies. Sometimes I will also throw in trail mix, though I skip packing fresh fruit since it doesn't always survive the trip well, but that's an easy one to just pick up once you're at your destination if needed!

Are you planning your first vegan trip?

Tell me where you're headed in the comments — I'd love to help you find vegan spots there!

Vegan Travel Tips for Beginners: What I Wish I Knew on My First Trip