Travel has a way of opening up the world. New places, new people, new foods and experiences that stay with you long after you return home.

But for anyone committed to a whole food, plant-based lifestyle, travel can also come with a familiar question: What am I going to eat?

The National Health Association is taking that worry off the itinerary.

In this episode of the NHA Today Podcast, Dr. Stephan Esser talks with NHA Executive Director Wanda Huberman about the growing world of NHA travel and the opportunity to explore remarkable destinations while continuing to eat in a way that supports your health.

From cruises to intimate land adventures in Africa and Europe, these trips are designed around more than seeing the world. They bring together adventure, community, nature and whole food, plant-based nutrition so travelers do not have to choose between the experiences they want and the lifestyle they value.

Take Your Healthy Lifestyle With You

One of the biggest challenges of traveling with specific dietary needs is uncertainty.

At home, you know what is in your kitchen. You know which restaurants work for you and how your meals are prepared. On vacation, that control can disappear quickly.

NHA travel is designed differently.

For its land adventures, the NHA works with World Vegan Travel to coordinate meals that meet the needs of whole food, plant-based travelers, including SOS-free options. That preparation extends even to destinations where sourcing certain foods can be challenging.

On the NHA’s Botswana safari, for example, travelers venture into remote areas accessible by small bush planes. Yet the food remains a central part of the experience. Guests are offered everything from fruit, granola, chia pudding and tofu scramble to salads, soups, plant-based entrées and desserts throughout the day.

Wanda recalls an abundance of food and the opportunity to experience local flavors while still finding familiar healthy staples. The team even worked to provide greens, beans, mushrooms, berries, onions and seeds throughout the trip.

Instead of returning from an adventure feeling like you need to get “back on track,” the goal is to make healthy living part of the adventure itself.

A Safari That Feels Like Stepping Into a Nature Documentary

Of all the experiences Wanda describes, Botswana stands out.

She has traveled there twice and describes the experience as being immersed in nature in a way she had never experienced before. Lions, elephants, hippopotamuses and even a leopard became part of the landscape around her.

At one point, her group encountered a leopard and watched until it noticed them. Their eyes met and the leopard quickly headed in the opposite direction.

Throughout the trip, local guides add another layer to the experience by sharing their knowledge of Botswana, its wildlife and what it was like to grow up there.

Botswana also offers something increasingly rare: remoteness. Reaching the safari camps requires traveling by bush plane into vast areas far removed from everyday life.

Even meals can become part of that immersion. Wanda describes “sundowners,” when the group stops during an evening outing, sets up refreshments and snacks in the bush and watches the sun descend across the landscape before returning to camp for dinner.

It is travel that invites you to slow down, look around and experience the natural world on its own terms.

From Tuscany to the Mountain Gorillas of Rwanda

The NHA’s adventures extend well beyond Botswana.

Through its partnership with World Vegan Travel, the organization has developed small-group land trips to destinations including Tuscany, the Dordogne region of France and Rwanda. The Tuscany experience has become so popular that it has sold out repeatedly, with travelers staying at a plant-based villa near the UNESCO World Heritage town of San Gimignano.

Rwanda offers a completely different kind of adventure.

The trip focuses in part on opportunities to see chimpanzees and mountain gorillas in their natural habitat. Mountain gorillas can only be seen in a small number of countries, and the Rwanda experience carefully controls the number of groups visiting them. Wanda says that respect for the wildlife was one of the reasons the destination appealed to her.

These are not simply vacations built around finding plant-based restaurants. They are immersive travel experiences that happen to make healthy eating easier along the way.

Traveling Solo Does Not Have to Mean Traveling Alone

For many people, the dream trip is already on their bucket list. The problem is finding someone to go with them.

Small-group travel can offer an answer.

The Botswana trip, for example, is limited to approximately 20 travelers plus hosts. World Vegan Travel welcomes solo travelers and, when available, offers rooms specifically for those traveling on their own.

Because the groups are small, meals, activities and excursions naturally create opportunities to get to know one another. Wanda notes that many NHA members travel solo and that the group begins connecting before the main adventure even starts.

The result is a different kind of travel experience. You can arrive on your own without necessarily spending the trip alone.

More Than a Vacation

There is another reason these experiences fit so naturally with the NHA’s mission.

Health is about more than what is on your plate.

Travel gets us moving. It introduces us to different cultures and environments. It creates opportunities for connection. And experiences in places like Botswana and Rwanda can offer a powerful reminder of our relationship with the natural world.

During the conversation, Dr. Esser reflects on how experiencing wildlife in its natural environment can deepen appreciation for the planet and reinforce the importance of protecting both human and planetary health.

That makes an NHA trip something a little different from a conventional vacation.

It is an opportunity to see somewhere extraordinary while staying connected to the habits, values and community that matter to you at home.

Do Not Keep the Adventure on the Someday List

There will always be reasons to put off a big trip.

Maybe next year will be easier. Maybe someone will eventually be available to go with you. Maybe there will be another opportunity later.

Brighde from World Vegan Travel offers a different perspective. If seeing Africa, going on safari or encountering mountain gorillas has been sitting on your bucket list, she encourages travelers not to keep putting it off. Experiences like these can stay with you for years.

And judging by how quickly some NHA trips fill, planning ahead matters.

The organization regularly announces new travel opportunities, with access opening to different levels of NHA membership before trips may eventually become available to the general public. Wait lists can also be worthwhile because cancellations sometimes create openings on otherwise sold-out trips.

Your healthy lifestyle does not have to keep you close to home.

It might just take you somewhere unforgettable.

Explore NHA Plant-Based Travel

Ready to see where the NHA is headed next?

Explore NHA plant-based travel and upcoming trips:
https://www.healthscience.org/plant-based-travel/

Join the NHA Whole Food, Plant-Based Travel Facebook Group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/nhaplantbasedtravel

Connect with the National Health Association

Join the National Health Association:
https://membership.healthscience.org/join-membership?

Learn more about the NHA:
https://healthscience.org