Eating out and travelling (service stations/airports/train stations) as a vegan is too expensive

Eating out

It’s impossible to deny that the cost of eating out has risen over recent years but when it comes to eating out as a vegan, nowadays there are so many options it’s possible to spend as much or (nearly) as little as you’d like. It’s certainly not necessarily any more expensive than eating out as a non-vegan.

There are, of course, very expensive Michelin Star fine dining restaurants where you can spend a small fortune and still come away feeling hungry. You might want to save these for very special occasions. But fortunately there are much more affordable establishments.

Asian cuisine, and especially Indian food, usually offers good value for money. Because many of the dishes are traditionally vegetable-based, they don’t charge a premium for speciality vegan items. Dosas, samosas, vegetable side dishes and dhal, for example, are all good options.

There are also a growing number of pub and café chains, such as Greene King pubs, Hungry Horse, JD Wetherspoon, Marston’s, BrewDog and The Lounges café bars, with vegan menus where the prices match non-vegan meals.

While it might be hard to beat the prices offered by some fast-food giants, Middle Eastern restaurants and takeaways with offerings such as falafel wraps are a great alternative, usually inexpensive, much healthier and very filling. Chinese takeaways often provide bean curd (tofu) options for many of their dishes.

In order to save money eating out, it can be useful to do a bit of research beforehand. Have a look at menus online so you can choose an affordable restaurant. While it is great to support vegan businesses, sometimes these speciality vegan restaurants are more expensive (often because they are using better quality ingredients but sometimes because they think vegans are willing to pay more), so if you want to save money, you might need to stick with more traditional places with vegan options.

When it comes to hot drinks, unfortunately a lot of café chains do charge a little extra for non-dairy milks, although this is becoming less common. There are some chains (Starbucks and Pret) that do not add a non-dairy surcharge and others that only add an extra charge for some milks (Costa), such as oat and almond, but offer soya at no extra cost. Independent coffee shops are more likely to offer dairy alternatives at no extra cost.

Travelling (service stations/airports/train stations)

Vegan or not, places like service stations, airports and train stations usually mark up all their items to take advantage of a captive audience. That being said, vegan options aren’t usually more expensive than non-vegan ones.

Most service stations contain a number of cafés and shops with cheap vegan options, such as Greggs, M&S Simply Food, Waitrose, WH Smith and Costa. Food in train stations and on trains can be a little more problematic. While some stations might have a bakery or kiosk with a few options, on-train options are usually lacking. In these instances, it’s always better – and cheaper – to take some homemade food with you or grab a meal deal from somewhere en route to the station.

The same goes for airports. While large airports will have more to offer, in smaller ones you might have to settle for some French fries. Airlines are increasingly offering a vegan in-flight meal but make sure you book it in advance if you can so you don’t miss out. Airlines, such as easyJet, do provide vegan offerings but buying food on the plane is always more expensive so best to pack a sandwich or homemade meal.

Whether you’re travelling by train, plane or automobile, it always pays to be prepared. You’ll definitely save money if you make some food and drinks in advance. If this isn’t possible, you should still be able to find some cheap food to keep you going.

Top tips

• Limit how often you eat out
• Only eat in fine dining and fancy restaurants on special occasions
• Explore vegan-friendly Asian restaurants and takeaways
• Find the traditional bakeries, pubs and cafés near you that have vegan menus
• When travelling, take a packed lunch
• Most service stations contain cafés and shops with cheap vegan options, such as Greggs, M&S Simply Food and Costa