When Rebecca Gade-Sawicki went into pandemic lockdown, she began to reevaluate her career path, motivated to find a job that aligned with her passion for living a healthy lifestyle.
“I’m vegan, so I started looking for work in vegan and environmental companies, but I couldn’t find anything that suited my background, so I thought, ‘I need to get creative and come up with a new way to reinvent myself,'” she says.
Sawicki’s reinvention came in the form of founding Veggies Abroad, a vegan travel blog featuring vegan-friendly travel guides and eateries around the world.
“[Veggies Abroad] “We’re not just focusing on vegan food, but all things vegan,” Sawicki says.[in] Some travel guides will pick out specific activities that are considered vegan-friendly, like wine tasting or visiting animal sanctuaries, or go on a shopping spree to find vegan shoe stores and other vegan shops. Or find out if there are food tours that are specifically geared towards finding vegan or plant-based options.”
Veggies Abroad also highlights destinations where travelers can find accommodation that is entirely vegan or vegan-friendly.
“Some people can try to make their adventure as vegan-friendly as they want or as sustainable as they want, so I look to see if hotels are doing sustainability initiatives or doing more environmentally friendly things,” she says.
As well as promoting vegan businesses and travel tips, Sawicki also launched a travel agency in February.
“I can do as much or as little as possible for travellers. So if you just want to find a nice hotel that’s vegan friendly, or one that has some great sustainability initiatives, I can help. Or if you want to discuss a carbon-neutral safari trip in Kenya, I’m all for that.”
What’s especially rewarding about her new venture is seeing the positive impact it has on smaller businesses that operate on a lower budget than the big hotel chains, and hearing from travelers who have followed her recommendations and had a great trip.
“It’s really great to be able to help people explore, but it’s also great to support places where people are exploring and doing really good things,” she says.
For more information, visit veggiesabroad.com or @veggiesabroad on Instagram. Plus, you can find even more vegan tips, including local spots for vegan and cruelty-free cosmetics and vegan soul food, on HourDetroit.com.
This story is part of the May 2023 issue of Hour Detroit. Check out our digital edition for more details.
