Vegan Traveler

 If your vegan and planning on taking a trip, the best advice I have for you is that you plan ahead, prepare for the unexpected and pack a lot of food. I call them the three P’s. We weighed our suitcases and moved dry goods back and forth until we made the 50# weight limit for Delta Airline’s strict baggage requirements. Many of the foods I packed were dry foods.  Our luggage was so much lighter on the way back and we never went hungry.  Do some research on the place you are planing to visit. Picking up the phone to talk to someone in the restaurant and the local grocery is a good thing to do. Before a trip to NJ, I called ahead to a grocery store to see if they carried tofu and soy milk.  The clerk didn’t know what tofu was so I packed extra Mori-Nu Silken tofu.  Be specific about what you want. You many even have to explain to a chef or kitchen staff the difference between vegan and vegetarian.  Don’t skimp on packing for the plane ride as those stop overs can unexpectedly turn into a day of travel. I’ll spare you our return travel story from the Virgin Islands.  Needless to say, you can never carry enough small packages of almond butter, raw food bars, cliff bars, luna bars, granola, pretzels and anything instant or sealed that will not be confiscated by customs or security personal. Whether you are on a hiking trip, visiting a foreign country or just driving to relatives, keep those foods for the return trip put aside.  This is assuming there is no co-op, health food store or Whole Foods Market where you are going.  The list of foods that I brought to Maho Bay is to extensive to post here. If you’d like me to email you my excel file with all the items on it,  send me a request via the contact page link on this blog. 

Tips for staying at Maho Bay: Bring lots of insect repellent. There may be a lot of mosquitoes on certain parts of the island depending on when it rains and where you are when they hatch. You can plan on detoxing when you get home if you don’t like bug spray. We live in Florida where we have killer mosquitoes but the swarms in Maho were unbelievable. Wear Light colored clothes and leave anything black at home as those suckers are attracted to dark colors. When the mosquitoes are swarming take off to the other side of the island where the wind blows. Go to Ram Head for a great hike, East End for the drive and scenery, have a veggie burger at Skinny Legs or stop at the roadside spicy vegan place in Coral Bay.   Rent a jeep and go to Caneel Bay to see the ruins on their property. If there are no mosquitoes – get out and hike as there are trails everywhere. You do not need hiking boots but it is a really good idea to wear a good pair of hiking sandals such as Keens for some of the off-road trails. Always try to bring your snorkel gear with you. Have fun and email me via the contact page if you have any questions.