Opinion Vegan-friendly travel packages & food tours

Hungry for a relaxing vegan holiday? Try one of these ethical travel packages or food tours to have everything taken care of — including a fully curated vegan menu, a perfectly planned itinerary, accommodation, and more.

Maybe you’re new to veganism and unsure how to find plant-based options while travelling. Or perhaps you’re a longtime vegan who’s felt the pain of being the only vegan on a group holiday, making do with snacks and side dishes at omni restaurants while you’re missing out on an amazing plant-based spot just down the road.

Either way, if you want plant-based food to feel like a natural, effortless, and exciting part of your adventures, rather than an afterthought, you’re not alone. In fact, my ideal itinerary is mostly food-focused!

To some, that might look like prioritising the ‘wrong thing’ about travel — but in my experience, seeking out plant-based dining experiences around the world actually goes hand in hand with immersing yourself in the community, history, and vibrant cuisine of your destination.

Discovering amazing local food is always a cultural experience, whether or not you eat animal products. (That, and the fact that if I’m spending all this money to travel halfway across the world, you can bet your soggy salad I’m gonna want more than a Western veggie burger and chips for lunch.)

Wherever you’re coming from — and wherever in the world you’re going — a fully vegan getaway could be a delightfully refreshing and food-filled option to consider.

The benefits of travelling with a plant-based tour group

Unsure if a food-focused tour for vegans and vegetarians is for you? Try this on for size:

✅ It’s all planned for you — no need to worry about finding food, transport, or activities.

📍Let a friendly plant-based travel expert handle the logistics and take you to all the best sightseeing spots and hidden vegan gems.

💰Get a clearer idea of overall budget ahead of time, since most costs (including food) are covered in the price.

🤤 Choose from a fully curated vegan menu, so you never have to wonder where or what to eat next — and you know every meal is going to be amazing.

🌎 Participate in hand-picked cultural and culinary experiences that support local businesses and producers.

🐒 Follow a 100% ethical itinerary that’s kind to farmed and wild animals alike.

🌿 Leave a lighter environmental footprint behind you as you travel.

🧡 Meet like-minded foodies & make new friends from all around the world.

Whether you’re vegan or veg-curious, travelling with a friend or solo, these trips are open to all! The only thing you need to do is pack your bag and show up, ready and excited to try something new.

If this sounds like a dream holiday to you, check out these travel agencies that currently offer vegan holiday packages to a range of incredible locations across the globe:

The Getaway Co.

Founded by event-planning pro Amanda, The Getaway Co. team is a compassionate group of plant-based travellers and adventure-seekers who pride themselves on curating unforgettable vegan holiday experiences full of fun and flavour. They also work closely with locals to create new jobs and make a direct impact for animals in the destinations they visit.

Each tour is hosted by a talented expert from the plant-based realm, some of whom you may recognise. The Getaway Co.’s current partners include: vegan lifestyle pro, Lauren Toyota from Hot For Food, plant-based connoisseur Richard Makin from School Night Vegan, and the vegan butcher, baker, and troublemaker himself, Zacchary Bird!

(Fun fact: Zac has contributed a whole range of indulgent recipes to the VegKit library 👀)

Zac’s hosting some jam-packed getaways soon to Indonesia, Japan, and Thailand, and the itineraries look unreal — think eco-villas, street markets, beach days, animal-welfare events, vegan food festivals, cultural walking tours, boat days, historic districts, lush landscapes, delicious vegan dining, and more.

All-inclusive plant-based tours of Greece, Italy, Croatia, Portugal, Norway, and Switzerland are also currently available through The Getaway Co. Plot a course to their website for more info!

Vegan Travel Diaries

This eco-travel agency, based in Sydney, runs exclusive small-group tours (6-8 people) designed to show aspiring plant-based travellers that you can still enjoy an absolutely incredible holiday without compromising your values.

The founders of Vegan Travel Diaries, Sarah and Gianluca, were both born in Italy and moved to Australia, and initially started out filming vegan travel video guides before realising there was an even more impactful way they could bring together their passion for travel and plant-based living — by curating and running tours themselves.

All centred around sustainable, vegan-friendly options for transport, accommodation, activities, and (most of all!) food, their upcoming holiday packages include a European Winter Wonderland Tour, various adventures across Africa and Italy, and a trip to Tasmania for anyone keen to stick closer to home.

Will Travel for Vegan Food

Run by long-time vegan globetrotter Kristin Lajeunesse, Will Travel For Vegan Food is an amazing hub for plant-based travellers — as is Kristin’s book by the same name, a memoir inspired by her many years on the road.

Alongside running mouthwatering, food-focused tours around the world for vegans and vegetarians (or anyone craving a perfectly planned, plant-based holiday they don’t have to lift a finger for!), Kristin also offers a personalised travel-planning service. She is an all-round fountain of wisdom when it comes to ethical travel.

Kristin is currently selling tickets to upcoming tours in Croatia and Guatemala. “Imagine getting to explore bucket-list destinations, indulging in the best vegan eats, and connecting with fellow adventurers, without having to worry about or plan all the details,” she says. Sounds pretty good to us!

World Vegan Travel

World Vegan Travel is definitely one of the more deluxe tour operators out there (which is reflected in the price tag), but it’s still worth a mention for anyone who feels ready to splurge on the plant-based adventure of a lifetime.

The team receives rave reviews for their all-inclusive, high-end vegan tours to destinations as varied as Botswana, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Switzerland, Croatia, France, Ecuador, Italy, Japan, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Whether you’ve got the travel bug for majestic alpine valleys, rugged safaris, paradise-like beaches, or historic cities, you can bet World Vegan Travel has a fully plant-based (and utterly indulgent) holiday package for you to enjoy.

Vegan Tours Australia

With so many plant-based restaurants and cafés across the country, you don’t even have to leave Australian soil to take your taste buds on a journey! Vegan Tours Australia currently offer some fantastic food-focused tours for vegans and vegetarians locally.

Led by longtime collaborators Jess (founder of the Vegan Grocery Store) and Sarah (the driving force behind many plant-based community events, including Brisbane’s first-ever vegan festival), both of whom have a wealth of experience in the Aussie vegan scene, Vegan Tours Australia boasts some truly thoughtful — and mouthwatering — itineraries.

If you’re looking for a blend of breathtaking landscapes and wildlife encounters, their jaunt across Tasmania may be calling your name, or picturing more of a bustling city-side getaway? Don’t miss their sightseeing tour of Sydney. Vegan Tours Australia now offer multi-day vegan holidays across New Zealand, too. With every trip featuring luxury accommodation and a gourmet line-up of the best plant-based food each destination has to offer, you really can’t go wrong.

More tips for finding food-focused tours for vegans and vegetarians

Beyond these all-inclusive getaways, countless day tours around the world cater to plant-based travellers. Check out Vegans, Baby or Veggies Abroad for a list of popular offerings in all the holiday hot-spots.

For more food-related travel tips, blogs are your friend! You can find plenty of helpful resources on sites like Vegan Travel, I Travel For Vegan Food, Veggie Visa, and (shameless self-promo!) VegKit.

Pack your suitcase — and your appetite!

For some people, a food-centric tour sounds like a dream come true: What do you mean the whole holiday is sorted, vegan meals and all?! No squinting at colour-coded spreadsheets on your phone, no frantic scrambles for accommodation or dining options while you’re supposed to be relaxing. Just a fully finessed itinerary, organised and hosted by a friendly plant-based pro who knows all the must-visit spots.

It’s worth noting, of course, that organised group tours aren’t the only way to travel deliciously as a vegan. If a full holiday package doesn’t suit your budget or your vibe, rest assured that in most parts of the world, it’s much easier to find amazing vegan food than you might think! You can absolutely come up with a plant-based itinerary on your own, or simply follow your nose once you arrive in your destination if that’s how you prefer to travel.

When my partner and I went to Japan a couple of years ago, we were warned countless times that it would be “nearly impossible” to find vegan food, so we were well and truly braced for hunger pangs when we arrived. Imagine our surprise when that trip ended up being hands-down the most food-centric and indulgent international trip either of us had ever been on, including our pre-vegan days!

Once we got into the rhythm of scouting ahead and searching for plant-based options nearby, dining out didn’t just fit seamlessly into the rest of our adventures; it actively enhanced the whole experience, leading us to discover countless hidden gems and off-the-beaten-track locations we wouldn’t have discovered otherwise.

All this to say, whether you decide to book a guided tour or plan things yourself, once you have a few travel and dining resources up your sleeve, the world truly is your (vegan) oyster!

In Australia and keen to discover delicious vegan food near you? Explore our local plant-based dining tips to embrace culinary tourism in your own backyard.