Tips for vegetarian travelers

•When making your plane reservation, order (and later reconfirm) a vegetarian meal. Options include lacto-vegetarian, vegan and Asian vegetarian. Some carriers offer religious and medical categories that work just as well for nonmeat eaters. Warning: Due to budgetary cuts, many airlines have phased out these (and all) meals.

•Pack portable foods such as cereals, sports bars, trail mix, bread, fruits, nuts and raw vegetables. Bring small plastic bags and takeout containers for easier transport (grab cutlery and napkins from fast-food restaurants). If your hotel has a fridge, throw some perishables into the mix. Consider traveling with a cooler, or improvise with an ice bucket and a plastic bag.

•If you’re part of a package tour, let the group leader know pre-departure that you are vegetarian. If you’re traveling independently, search for veggie-friendly restaurants before you arrive or call ahead to the restaurant to inform the kitchen of your needs. At smaller places, you might be able to go into the kitchen and play show-and-tell with the chef.

•For desperation dinners, whip up a batch of soup in your hotel room. Try a soup cup (add boiling water from the coffeepot) or a flip-top can of soup (cook it on the coffeepot warmer).

•Learn to say “no meat” in the language of your destination (see www.ivu.org). Also learn the words for chicken, cow, pig and fish, so you can spot them on a menu. Make or buy flash cards with pictures of animals and sealife so you can point at what you don’t eat.

•Book a condo or hotel room with a kitchenette. White Pig B&B owner Dina Brigish seeks out apartments near health food stores (which she finds online), so she doesn’t have to lug her groceries far.

•For cruises, call before you leave and tell someone of authority, such as the dining room manager or the special services desk, about your diet. (Ditto for smaller hotels and inns.) It’s best to speak to a crew member before the ship departs, in case they have to make a quick run to the health food store. Once on board, double-check with the purser or dining room manager to be sure your request has been heard.

•Seek out cuisines that have veggie-friendly options. These include Asian (in Western countries), Mexican, Middle Eastern, Indian and Italian. Vegetarian-friendly countries include the United Kingdom (lots of Indian eateries), Kenya (ditto), India (big Hindu community), Belize (large Indian and Asian populations), Puerto Rico (many Japanese restaurants) and Costa Rica (lard is not a staple). Tougher spots are Asia, where it’s common to cook rice and soups with chicken, fish and beef stock; Eastern Europe, slow in the health-food trend; and Germany, with wurst of every kind.