5 minute read
Vegan Adventure Holidays
International Travel has been somewhat limited this last 2 years or so but that’s slowly changing as restrictions around the globe lift, and the travel industry – perhaps one of the worst hit by the pandemic – begins to open up again. Emma Fry runs Vegan Adventure Holidays with a focus on travel in Central America, and is slowly emerging from the wreckage to start planning some very exciting options! Plant Powered Planet caught up with Emma in between packing and planning for her latest round of vegan adventures abroad.
Coping with restrictions
Tough might be a bit of an understatement but hey, what’s a global pandemic when you deal with volcanic eruptions twice a week? Obviously, everything ground to a halt due to C19, and like so many people, I really thought I would be back running trips again in a month or two... and here we are nearly 18 months later and I’m just about to run my first post-pandemic trip!
I’ve got a Mexico New Years’ Eve special trip, a hiking & multi-activity adventure in Guatemala for February and a new Belize trip is about to go live.
Bring on the adventures.
Continued restrictions
Travel rules and regulations from country to country and still changing by the minute and many of the countries I operate in have implemented new mandatory requirements which to be honest, are just a headache. Sadly some of these new regulations are putting a lot of small, locally operated places out of business.
You may think these hurdles would dull people’s appetite for travel, but my New Years Eve trip in Mexico sold out within two weeks! I would say if anything the appetite for adventure and travel seems to have increased, definitely a post-pandemic effect I’m very happy about!
Carbon concerns
Without a doubt, flying and the subsequent carbon emissions of international travel are at the forefront of everybody’s mind now, both mine as a tour operator and my clients too. There’s a small but growing movement of people traveling internationally but staying for one month instead of doing several flights per year and to
meet this demand I’ll have my first vegan work & travel one month program in Guatemala in November 2022. I’m also beginning to offer online experiences as an alternative for anyone not wanting to fly abroad.
How Vegan?
VERY vegan! The only thing I still struggle with here in central America is some of the furnishings in the hotel rooms sometimes are not vegan; rugs or textiles made with wool, the odd leather sofa here and there but things are improving and my suppliers are excellent at doing their best to accommodate my requirements.
If I had to choose a destination that has come the furthest in terms of plantbased options that I’ve seen, it would definitely be Mexico. There is a wonderful and fast-developing vegan scene in Mexico now which is being led by locals of all ages, not just the under 30’s which is so nice to see. Go Mexico!
On the other hand there’s Belize. It’s an absolutely amazing country, the people are great, it’s culturally fascinating but probably one of the least vegan-friendly countries in Central America - I’ve taken on the responsibility of trying to create some change amongst my suppliers and further afield but have my work cut out that’s for sure.
My advice to vegan travellers is - be prepared, it’s definitely best to do some research before you arrive somewhere new and don’t arrive in a linguistically challenging location without at least a few vegan snacks in your bag!
Favourite destinations
I love the USA, it’s an outdoor adventurers paradise, I’ve been traveling in the US for years and still don’t feel like I’ve even scratched the surface. Vegan Adventure Holidays will definitely have a trip in America in the next year or two.
Goals
My biggest goal is to continue to create the best, most friendly, fun, global community of vegan travelers! My aim is to expand my current range of 7-14 day vegan adventure trips in Central America, start running one month work programs and develop online experiences. So much to do!
