Passport? Check. Travel pillow? Check. Luggage packed and weighed to the ounce? Check. Sounds like you’re good to fly … almost. Every vegan traveler knows the most important accessory is your plant-based itinerary. And this summer’s travel season, VegNews is doing the work for you.
Whether you’re sightseeing in today’s hottest destinations like Tokyo or Mexico City, seeking a tranquil getaway in the mountains of South Korea or a secluded resort in an African national park, or flying domestic and eating through the 50 states, there’s always time for adventure and a plant-based bite.
Palmaïa The House of AïA
26 Reset and refresh
… with a vegan wellness retreat at Palmaïa The House of AïA in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, where you can choose from more than 50 health activities like breathwork, sacred women’s circles, yoga master classes, art therapy, floating meditation, and candlelit cello concerts.
27 Bask in the ancient and spiritual history of the “pueblo magico” (magic town)
… of Tepoztlán in Morelos, Mexico where you can visit an Aztec pyramid, shop at artisan markets, and eat pre-Hispanic plant cuisine at the vegan-friendly El Cuatecomate.
Vegan Délice
28 Get your fill of food and art
… at Vegan Délice in Guayama, Puerto Rico, where diners sit in an art gallery and are treated to a different five-course, vegan, fine-dining dinner each month inspired by global cuisines like Peruvian, Indian, and Korean.
29 Sample different twists on Peru’s national dish, ceviche
… creatively veganized and localized by Yuyito Cevichería Vegana in Lima, Peru with ingredients like spicy-citrusy leche de tigre, tender lupini beans, Carretillero-style chicharrón, and cushuro—a rare, edible algae known as “Caviar of the Andes.”
30 Refuel after a day on the beaches of Ipanema
… with a meal at Teva Bistro in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil where the Portobello Carpaccio and Piedmont Cutlet (breaded and fried seitan served with a mushroom demi-glace, creamy Brazilian-style risotto, mozzarella, cashew cream, and potato wedges) are top picks among diners.
Hyatt
31 Unpack your bags
… at the luxurious Palacio Duhau Park Hyatt in Buenos Aires, Argentina—housed in a stunning, restored 1930s palace—and head straight to dinner at the on-site vegetarian restaurant Gioia Cocina Botánica for high-end vegan dishes like mushroom pâté, fettuccine with cashew mozzarella pearls, and chocolate opera cake with raspberry and pistachio.
32 Savor what may be your first taste of zero-waste, Afro-Italian cuisine
… at Dakar, Senegal’s veg restaurant Casa Teranga, where you can pair your jollof Neapolitan pizza with either baobab juice or imported Italian wine.
33 Let the mkhanfar pancakes
… the traditional, spongy Moroccan Berber crêpes soaked in butter and date syrup—from Red Clay Cafe in Taghazout, Morocco melt in your mouth, before chasing it down with a hot cup of mint tea.
La Vie en Rose
34 Eat your way through Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
… savoring plenty of naturally vegan stews, or wots (just be sure to order without nitter kibbeh, an Ethiopian clarified butter). Then, for a change of pace, visit La Vie en Rose—the self-proclaimed “first Instagrammable restaurant in Ethiopia” for its dreamy pink décor and vegan fasting menu filled with dishes like pasta al forno, eggplant caponata, and pizza topped with juicy grilled soy meat.
35 Grab an order of loaded rainbow bao
… from Conscious Kitchen in Cape Town, South Africa, followed by a banana cream matcha from its sister café—ceremonial matcha tea house Conscious Matcha—then take it all to nearby Table Mountain nature reserve for a gorgeous sunset picnic.
Sashwa River of Stars
36 Enjoy an ethical safari and a luxury resort
Deep within South Africa’s Greater Kruger National Park, Sashwa River of Stars offers a rare chance to pair a Big Five safari (a sightseeing expedition revolving around lions, leopards, elephants, rhinoceroses, and Cape buffaloes) with an entirely plant-based, wellness-forward retreat on the banks of the Olifants River. There, wildlife moves freely across more than 6 million acres of protected wilderness.
Sashwa River of Stars
At the lodge, a “circular gastronomy” philosophy centers local, seasonal, and indigenous ingredients, with menus designed around whole foods, grains, and plant proteins. Enjoy your meals overlooking sweeping river views or outdoors on a shaded terrace. In the evening, linger over a languid candlelight dinner beneath the open sky on the riverfront deck, then follow up with a private outdoor bath infused with essential oils for an unforgettable soak under some of the clearest star-filled skies in the world.
37 Take flight in a sunrise hot air balloon ride
… soaring high above Cappadocia, Turkey before descending and indulging in a vegan collagen coffee and gözleme (Turkish flatbread) stuffed with pistachio and Nutella at nearby King’s Coffee Shop.
38 Live the highlife in Dubai, United Arab Emirates
… by window shopping at the Dubai Mall—one of the most-visited place on earth—in between bites of vegan chicken caesar burgers, tandoori chicken pizza, and avocado milkshakes at Vegan Burger.
Parmarth Niketan
39 Tap into your spiritual side in Rishikesh, India
… one of Northern India’s strictly vegetarian cities and also one of the safest destinations for solo and female travelers in the country. Book a stay at the city’s largest ashram, Parmarth Niketan, and take advantage of its daily yoga, meditation, and venerated rituals honoring the adjacent Ganges river.
40 Learn how to make vegan Thai curries
… chili pastes, soups, salads, and desserts with one of 15 different cooking classes at May Kaidee in Bangkok, Thailand.
Getty
41 Don your helmet and hold on tight
… as you zoom across Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam for a vegan motorbike food tour, feasting on banh mi, spring rolls, and kumquat coconut water along the way.
42 Don’t limit yourself
… to just sparkling beaches and wellness treatments when in Bali, Indonesia. Catch a movie at Paradiso in Ubud—part movie theater, part vegan eatery where you can skip the popcorn in favor of crispy ponzu mushrooms, tempeh sushi, and even vegan mac and cheese.
43 Ready your travel bottles of soy sauce and chili oil
… head to the Taoyuan Daxi Tofu Festival in Taoyuan City, Taiwan, and get your fill of plant-based street food snacks, a tofu banquet, green retail market, and a giant tofu-making and serving ritual.
Vegan Ramen UZU
44 Eat top-tier ramen inside of an art installation
The one-of-a-kind “Emptiness Table” experience in Kyoto, Japan unfolds at Michelin Bib Gourmand-recognized restaurant Vegan Ramen UZU, where plant-based ramen acts as the foundation for an immersive digital journey through light, sound, and seasonal storytelling. The collaboration with teamLab—Japan’s boundary-pushing collective known for its kaleidoscopic, interactive installations—presents bowls of brothy noodles served against shifting projections of flowing water, blooming cherry blossoms, and abstract natural landscapes that respond to your movement.
Vegan Ramen UZU
As diners lift chopsticks, the environment subtly transforms—rippling with color, responding to touch, and blurring the line between what’s plated and what’s projected. Every element, from the steam rising off your bowl to the soundscape enveloping the room, is designed to heighten perception and slow time. But even without the art bending and undulating around you, the ramen—layered with bouncy noodles and flavorful broths made from Hokkaido kelp, shiitake mushrooms, and oat milk—would be reason enough to visit.
45 Choose from the English lawn
the geometric French rose garden, or the tranquil Traditional Japanese garden at the famed Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden in Tokyo, Japan as the setting for your lunch from nearby bakery Mabre Vegan, enjoying Japanese egg salad sandwiches and fluffy strawberries and cream sponge cake.
46 Get a kimchi crash course
… by participating in a traditional kimjang—a large-scale communal kimchi-making session—at the vegan Baekyangsa Temple in Jangseong-gun, South Korea, where each year, monks, nuns, locals, and visitors prepare the monastery’s winter supply of fish-free kimchi. You even get to take home a small jar for yourself.
Smith + Daughters Social Club | @fo.jox
47 Make a reservation for Smith + Daughters Social Club
… one of the most acclaimed restaurants in Australia. Start with the 24-hour focaccia with skordalia and crispy eggplant with fig caramel and hazelnuts, followed by the schnitzel with caper butter and braised cabbage, and finish things off with the brûléed Catalan custard with poached rhubarb.
48Stay another night in Melbourne
… to luxuriate in the Wagyu nigiri topped with melted truffle butter and finished with a touch of vegan kewpie mayo at family-owned fusion restaurant Brother Bon in Melbourne, Australia. Then order another two.
49 Thrill seek in Sydney, Australia
… by strapping into a full-body harness and ascending 440 feet to the top of the city’s iconic Harbour Bridge for a BridgeClimb excursion with sweeping views of the Opera House and glittering harbor below. After descending, recharge at Yulli’s, where modern Australian vegan plates—the barbecue sous vide broccoli with feta cream and salted walnuts is a local favorite—offer some groundedness after the skyline’s vertigo.
NewZealand.com
50 Depart on the 25-minute ferry ride
… from downtown Auckland, New Zealand to Rangitoto Island for a hike up the largest of the region’s 53 volcanoes. Back on the mainland, reward yourself with one of the TikTok-worthy, vegan-friendly cones at Giapo—think chocolate-dipped kiwi ice cream adorned with a 3D-printed chocolate colossal squid.
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Richard Bowie (@wichiebowie) is VegNews' editorial director based in Oakland, CA.
