Snacks for the vegetarian traveler

When people travel, either for short weekend trips or extended vacations, most aren’t worried about what food they should pack.

If you are a vegetarian or vegan or travel with one, then you probably know how necessary it is to be like a good Boy Scout always be prepared.  Why?  Because not every town or city you will visit will have a meat-free option available and unless you want to go hungry, consider planning ahead.

On my recent trip to Iceland, I was reminded of this when I met Robin, a vegetarian on one of my outings.  We stopped at a remote location with idyllic scenery for lunch and we were served reindeer stew.

Now the other members of our party were ecstatic to try something new, but we were less excited.  Luckily, Robin had planned ahead and had some peanut butter, rice cakes, and granola bars and she totally saved the day.

What can you bring with you that won’t take up too much space, but will provide you with nourishment in a pinch?

Check out the following snacks:

• Single serve peanut butter packs:  Lots of companies are making these now like Jif and Skippy, but why not try Justin’s organic nut butter?   They come in a variety of flavors like chocolate almond butter, vanilla almond, honey peanut, or classic peanut?  Yum!

• 

  Dry cereal or granola

• Pretzels, crackers, rice cakes, or pita chips

• Raisins, nuts, or trail mix

• Granola bars like Lara Bars, which are made with only a few simple ingredients.  I love their Banana Bread, which is made with almonds, dates, and unsweetened bananas.  Robin offered me a super delicious White Chocolate Macadamia Clif Crunch Bar and it was a complete indulgence.  Yum!

If you have a chance to stop at a grocery store, market, or fruit/vegetable stand while on your travels, see this as an opportunity to learn about your destination while also stocking up on food.

I love shopping in grocery stores when I travel because you never know what you might find.  Imagine my surprise when I found some Sheese dairy-free cheese in a supermarket in Iceland!  This is not something I can regularly buy back home as this a product from Scotland.

Think ahead and enjoy your travels while not starving at the same time.  If you’re super lucky, you might even find a vegetarian restaurant or one that has vegetarian options available.