7 of the BEST Vegan Travel Meals
This post is inspired by my recent adventure to Kauai, where United forgot to pack my boyfriend and I any food we could eat.
I fly a lot.
Not as much as I used to.
Y’all know I used to travel to Europe once a month, right?
Always first class, darling.
(And I never pay more than $100 for a flight. Yay travel hacking!)
It was all very romantic, visiting lovers and ruins.
I got to enjoy the magic of flying for many, many hours a month.
(No joke, flying is one of my favorite things to do. I get to sit and watch movies while someone brings me as much tea as I want? Dreams!)
Here’s the one thing in common with all airlines:
None of them will serve me a vegan meal.
Sure, they all promise to.
My preferences are set to “Vegan (strict, religious).”
I can email and call to confirm all I want.
Doesn’t matter.
The meal always contains some sort of animal products.
No apologies.
No options.
No food.
Just me and my belly, staring down hours of digestive disappointment.
I learned my lesson after one particularly brutal 13 hour flight, and now my carry-on is basically all snacks.
Here’s are my favorite vegan travel meals:
Trader Joe’s Rainbow Wrap
Eat the rainbow!
Beets, sweet potato, hummus, spinach.
TBH it needs some sort of sauce, so I usually bring a packet of Cholula with me to spice things up a bit.
At home, I like it with a Goddess dressing or a spicy peanut sauce.
Bang-for-your-buck, you’re not gonna find a cheaper source of noms for your journey.
2. Follow Your Heart Thai Peanut Wrap
Generally I don’t love soy products, but DAMN y’all, this is a fantastic wrap. And honestly, what better place to invite in a few farts than an enclosed metal tube with recirculating air (my apologies, seatmates).
This bad boy is so delicious and satisfying, I googled and double-checked the packaging several times to ensure I wasn’t actually eating chicken.
And that peanut sauce - oh man.
I would eat this wrap every day except….yeah, there’s no reason I shouldn’t eat this wrap every day.
Well, maybe the soy farts.
3. Dried Mango
Dried mango is one of my favorite treats.
And it is a treat, my friends, because one bag is a serving size.
(The size of the bag doesn’t matter. I once purchased a family-sized bag of dried mango. It became one regrettable serving.)
It’s a great airport snack, though, because you get some fiber along with your sugar, it’s got a good chew to it, and it’s, you know, just really delicious.
4. Trail Mix
Trail mix is a bit dangerous for me (my appetite thinks a bag is a serving size; my belly disagrees), but having that quick source of protein and sugar around keeps me on the right side of hangry. Important when I’m already stressed I’m not going to have enough time to finish my Parks & Rec marathon before the plane lands.
5. Trader Joe’s Southwestern Chopped Salad
This one’s a bit of an eyebrow-raise for your seatmate, but hear me out: mix this in the bag. Nom away.
Yes, there’s cheese included, so it’s not technically a vegan purchase. But the cheese is packaged separately (Trader Joe’s, please stop using so much plastic, but please keep making delicious foods), so you can easily leave it out.
If I’m feeling really on top of it, I’ll bring a few tortillas and avocado to concoct some make-shift tacos.
Those raised eyebrows?
They’re just jealous.
6. Oatmeal
Here’s another travel hack! Airplanes may not always have vegan options, but they will always have hot water.
Bring a mason jar with a half cup of rolled oats, a tablespoon of ground flax, and some berries and dates.
Ask the flight attendant VERY politely, after they have finished feeding everyone else if they could please fill your jar halfway with hot water.
Stir it around.
Munch at will.
Especially helpful if travel constipation is a part of your life.
(Pro-tip: Starbucks Oatmeal can be ordered vegan, but they are often sold out in the airport because it’s one of the few healthy edible options available).)
7. Ramen
Image credit: Amazon
This is the same concept as the oatmeal: bring a cup of vegan ramen (this is my current fave, but you have to bring your own bowl. Here’s another option.)
Ask very politely for hot water at a time the flight attendants aren’t busy serving other people.
Slurp at will.
If you really want to bust out some health, bring a side of chopped broccoli and carrots and let them steep along with the noodles.
And if you’re super on top of it, grab a soy sauce packet and some chopsticks from a Panda Express on your way through the terminal.
Good to go.
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