From vegansbaby.com
By Diana Edelman
From Michelin-starred plant-based tasting menus to ethical safaris in Rwanda, this is what luxury vegan travel looks like in 2026
When I started Vegans, Baby, the phrase “luxury vegan travel” would have felt like an oxymoron. Back then, I stayed in hotels where the only options were fries, a side of veggies or salad. My how times have changed. Thankfully. Today, I get requests from vegan travellers who want five-star resorts, Michelin-starred restaurants and experiences like ethical safaris.
And, I’m not the only one.
According to Market Intelo, the “Global Vegan Travel market size was valued at $1.8 billion in 2024, and is forecasted to hit $7.6 billion by 2033.” The reason? Consumer preferences are shifting toward ethical, sustainable, and plant-based lifestyles and influencing travel decisions across the world.
TL;DR: It’s changing the way people travel. From ethical safaris like the ones I have taken people on, to eco-hotels, to tasting menus where ingredients are plucked from the restaurant’s garden, luxury travel is evolving into one that is more conscious and kind.
This Earth Day, the question isn’t whether you can travel sustainably and luxuriously. The question is how to do it well, without giving up the food, the experience, or your values.
What defines luxury vegan travel
Luxury vegan travel goes way beyond a nice hotel with a tofu scramble on the breakfast buffet. At its best, it looks like:
- Fully plant-based or seriously plant-forward dining, done at a level that rivals anything you’d find in an omnivore fine-dining room
- Cruelty-free materials throughout the property, from the bedding to the toiletries to the furniture property-wide
- Sustainability built into how the place operates, like composting, water limits and more
- A real commitment to the local community, including fair wages, local hiring, local sourcing, and locally-made products in the rooms
Think oceanfront villas running on renewable energy. Tasting menus built from whatever’s growing that week. Safari lodges designed so carefully around the land that the local flora and fauna are part of the experience, and protected. Some of the best vegan hotels in the world fall into this, thankfully.
That’s the bar now, and it’s about time.
The luxury hotels raising the sustainability bar
More and more high-end hotels are proving that sustainability and world-class hospitality can live on the same property. In my itinerary planning, I always aim to connect travellers with these properties.
Six Senses
One of my most favourite hotel groups, Six Senses runs one of the most thoughtful sustainability programs of any luxury group I’ve come across. It focuses on reducing carbon emissions, eliminating plastic, conserving water, and supporting biodiversity. Its strategy includes regenerative practices like on-site organic gardens, waste reduction systems, and expanding plant-based dining across its properties. Beyond environmental efforts, Six Senses invests in local communities through conservation funding, education, and guest programs and aims to create a positive impact with every stay.
Soneva
The magnificent Soneva properties in the Maldives and Thailand ushered in a new type of luxury — barefoot. Operating with the philosophy of “No shoes, no news”, the resorts emphasize plant-based dining, complete with harvesting from their own gardens or source locally. They also use solar energy, operate the “waste to wealth” practice, and work in partnership with local communities.
The magnificent Soneva properties in the Maldives and Thailand ushered in a new type of luxury — barefoot. Operating with the philosophy of “No shoes, no news”, the resorts emphasize plant-based dining, complete with harvesting from their own gardens or source locally. They also use solar energy, operate the “waste to wealth” practice, and work in partnership with local communities.
Singita
Considered to be the gold standard for conservation-driven safari in Africa. Singita operates 19 lodges and camps, blending high-end ethical safari experiences with a strong commitment to conservation, sustainability, and community empowerment. Their three core pillars are biodiversity, sustainability, and community. Singita invests in long-term environmental protection and local development. The company helps protect more than 1 million acres of wilderness through partnerships with conservation organizations, safeguarding critical ecosystems and wildlife. Its people-driven approach ensures guests experience not only luxury, but also meaningful cultural connection and a deeper understanding of conservation efforts across the African continent.
1 Hotels
My urban pick for a brand focusing on sustainability, they focus on environment, people, and prosperity. 1 Hotels integrate eco-conscious practices into every aspect of its design and operations. Plus, they prioritize green building certifications, reclaimed and local materials, energy efficiency, and eliminating single-use plastics. In addition, it partners with organizations to reduce food waste, support communities, and fund environmental initiatives, while offering programs that allow guests to contribute to causes with each stay.
My point: the robe-and-slippers experience and your values can live in the same trip. You get both.
Vegan fine dining is having its moment
If you’re anything like me, food is the whole reason to travel. It used to be tough — like really tough — to find options unless you happened to be in a destination that was inherently vegan-friendly, like a lot of Asia. Today, vegan fine dining is in a different league and often you can experience vegan versions of local cuisine without missing a taste or texture.
Europe is definitely leading the way when it comes to vegan fine dining. First, there’s London’s Plates. It became the first fully vegan restaurant in the UK to earn a Michelin star in 2025, less than six months after opening. Over in Berlin, Bonvivant Cocktail Bistro went fully vegan in early 2026, and their brunch is now the first Michelin-starred vegan brunch in the world. They also hold a Michelin Green Star for sustainability. Then, there’s De Nieuwe Winkel in the Netherlands, with two Michelin stars on an entirely plant-based menu, one of only a handful in the world. And, the list goes on.
Planning a trip around one of these is becoming the cornerstone of luxury vegan travel for a lot of my clients. And rightfully so. You’d fly to Copenhagen for Noma, so why not fly to Berlin for Bonvivant?
How to travel sustainably without the FOMO
Sustainable travel doesn’t mean scaling back. But, it does mean being a lot more intentional about how you plan. The first time I went to Europe backpacking solo, I crammed as much as I could into my month of travels. Every other day, I’d be on a train to the next place. Sometimes, it was even a plane. But, there are better and more sustainable ways to travel that are more than checking destinations off a map in the least amount of time. (Also, my body could never these days.)
When I plan trips now, I focus on these ideas:
Stay longer, travel slower
Spending seven days in one place instead of three cities in five days reduces your footprint and deepens the experience. It gives the opportunity to get the tourist stuff out of the way, if that’s what you wanted, and then really dive in. Explore neighbourhoods off the main drag. Take a local bus and wander somewhere. Pick a place to go for coffee every morning and talk to the locals. I know not everyone has the ability to travel for more than a few weeks, especially if you’re American, but even extending past the typical three days gives you such a deeper look into a destination.
Skip flights when you can
France outlawed short-haul domestic flights for journeys that can be done in under 2.5 hours by train, and I wish that rule was universal. Train travel is a fraction of the emissions of flying. Plus, you see the country you’re traveling through in a way you’d never from the sky. The Eurostar, the Shinkansen, and Italy’s Frecciarossa are all objectively nicer experiences than the airport. And far more comfortable.
Support local over global
Fast food chains may have vegan options abroad, but if there’s a locally-owned spot doing the same thing, go there. The goal is to put your money into the local economy rather than into billionaire pockets. The result? You become a more conscious consumer, and you eat better doing it. It also goes back to my first point — you get to see more of a local culture than you would going to Nobu (apologies to Nobu, because the food is excellent, but also I will always suggest going somewhere you can’t experience outside of the destination).
Pack a thermos
I know this sounds tiny, but hotels in destinations with drinkable tap water basically hand you a plastic bottle every time you turn around, unless they are like Six Senses or Soneva. So, yah, bring a thermos. In Japan, there’s the Mymizu app that maps every free water refill station in the country. Use it.
Ask where it came from
Ethical luxury travel means asking, politely, where your produce was grown, where your toiletries were made, who made your bedding, and who your porters and guides report to. The good properties will light up when you ask. The greenwashed ones will get awkward.
The destinations leading the way
Certain destinations are miles ahead on sustainable luxury tourism. If you’re planning your Earth Day-inspired trip, these are the places I suggest:
Costa Rica
I forever am impressed with what Costa Rica did and wish more countries would follow in its steps. The country now operates on 99 percent renewable electricity and reversed its deforestation, with 50 percent forest cover. In 1948, it abolished its military and reinvested the funds into green, social, and eco-tourism initiatives. Pacuare Lodge and Origins Lodge are two of the standout sustainable luxury properties.
Bhutan
Bhutan’s philosophy is Gross National Happiness, which is something I can get behind. It is also the only carbon-negative country in the world and has intentionally kept tourism small-scale through a daily sustainable tourism fee. The result is an incredibly preserved culture, uncrowded trails, and incredible vegan food. Amankora and Six Senses Bhutan properties are considered among the most sustainable.
Rwanda
The tiny African country has emerged as a leader in responsible wildlife tourism. Permits for gorilla trekking are capped and expensive on purpose, with funds going back into conservation. Rwanda is one of my most incredible travel memories, and hiking to gorillas was magical. The country also does not allow plastic bags (so don’t pack toiletries in them). One&Only Gorilla’s Nest and Singita Kwitonda will blow you away.
The Maldives
The island nation near India is investing heavily in renewable energy and waste reduction (Soneva Fushi has run a zero-waste program for years). It is focused on an a large-scale effort to rebuild reefs that have become victim to the warming ocean. Many projects at luxury hotels work with local organizations like Save the Beach Maldives to involve the community and hotel guests to join the efforts.
Slovenia
I fell in love with Ljubljana back in 2014 when I first visited Slovenia. The country is the world’s first Green Destination and leads the way with its Slovenian Green certification recognizing destinations and service providers for meeting its high standards. Ljubljana cut off cars from its city center and was the first European city to adopt a Zero Waste strategy. In addition, in 2021, the country issued a €1 billion sustainability bond for funding environmental projects. Villa Planinka in Jezersko earned a Green Key in 2023. In Bled, there is Ribno Alpine Resort, which is the country’s first zero waste hotel (2018). Three years ago, it became the first hotel in the European Union to receive the European Zero Waste Business Certificate with two stars. Two years later, it earned all three.
The future is regenerative
The next evolution of sustainable luxury travel is regenerative travel, where the goal is to give back more to a destination than you take from it.
For a luxury vegan traveller, that can look like:
- Staying at a conservation-driven resort where a percentage of your nightly rate directly funds anti-poaching work or coral restoration
- Participating in an environmental restoration experience while on property, like tree planting, reef monitoring, or citizen science
- Choosing tour operators who reinvest in the communities you’re visiting instead of extracting from them
I’ve been a part of these experiences at Shamwari Reserve in South Africa, where the funds go to anti-poaching and conservation, and also planted trees there. It’s a shift from passive tourism to active contribution, and I think it is an incredibly exciting direction for luxury travel.
So, where are you going?
Luxury vegan travel, for me, comes down to refinement. It’s about choosing experiences that match your values while elevating every part of the trip. The future of luxury travel is intentional, plant-based, and deeply connected to the world.
Planning a sustainable luxury vegan trip and not sure where to start? I offer custom itinerary planning through Vegan Travel Planner. Forget the stress of planning; simply share your destination and preferences and I’ll create a seamless journey. From Michelin tasting menus in Berlin to ethical safaris in South Africa to slow travel through Italy, I’ll handle every detail so your trip aligns with your values without compromise. The world awaits, let’s plan your vegan adventure!
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