Vegetarians, what are some ways that you happily cope while staying in a motel in vacation land?

Question

What do advise that the rest of us eat to survive very nicely on our vegetarian diets?

Try it without a motel with kitchen, but you may stipulate a microwave & a fridge in your room & a free Continental Breakfast Room available every morning that's included with your motel room. 
You can add if you like stores & inexpensive restaurants nearby. 
These might be...
Denny's, Carrow's, or other similar chains
an Italian deli with soup & ravioli
Safeway, Trader Joe's, or other grocery stores that you like
a Whole Foods store or a smaller local health food store with frozen or refrigerated ready-to-eat foods

How do you stock your fridge & what do you manage to cook in the microwave?
What unrefrigerated foods do you keep in the room?  
What utensils or supplies do you take along for cooking & eating?
What do you choose in the Continental Breakfast Room?
What do you choose in those moderately priced chain restaurants?
Try to get by fairly cheaply, going out for a splurge in a better restaurant only once a week.

Chetak. · Accepted Answer

It will depend on the facilities, the length of time I will be staying and what is available nearby.
I would have the breakfasts offered if they come for free, and if I am going to be out and about all day I will make some sandwiches at breakfast time, and either eat them during the day, but if I see a nice place where I can get a cooked lunch I may have that and take the sandwiches back to the hotel for my dinner and perhaps a cuppa soup, or a can of soup
Chetak

Scooter_The_Squirrel_Agent · Answer

from what i heard some places will make certain foods if the guest ask for those special requests.

Anonymous · Answer

1) who cooks on vacation, just go to a restaurant. 
2) trail mix and other snacks, maybe some fruit.
3) It depends on where the vacation is, if it's in or near a town none, if it's in the middle of nowhere, everything.
4) I don't usually breakfast but cereal or waffles or something.
5) something with either pasta or cheese.
6) get something with plenty of cheese but, a vacation isn't the time to try and save money, you should be more worried about having fun.

NORML person · Answer

just search on happy cow. trying the local vegetarian joint is one of my favorite things about going on vacation.

leftcoastliz · Answer

Thanks for each of your contributions. You each had some interesting ideas.

Making special requests is a good idea. However, I think those are mainly for the upscale bed & breakfast mansions or else in the small boarding houses. In the standard big chains, we're lucky if we get anything at all. At the Sandman, that's dry cereal & milk, make it yourself toast, waffles on an automated machine, & instant oatmeal. People love those waffles, but I found that I couldn't stand them. So I'm left with raisin bran, hard boiled eggs, cheap little pastries, o.j., & coffee.

I take some bread back to the room for sandwiches made from cheese & hummus that I keep in the fridge. I've started taking an apple, too, with plans to make my own cooked apples & raisins in the microwave. So, I'm a bit like Chetak in the planning ahead for future cheap meals.

At Motel 6, there's nothing free except coffee before 10 & free ice around the clock. I bought a box of raisin bran & a half pint of milk to keep on ice overnight. Wouldn't it be nice if the the motels had milk in the vending machines or sold it from a fridge in the office? Hot water for herb tea? Nope. Think again.

Other items kept in my tiny fridge at the Sandman: 
from Trader Joe's, black bean and cheese taquitos with spicy peach salsa, mini pizzas, naan (Indian bread), cheese, Mediterranean hummus, & a spinach salad kit with dried cranberries, candied pecans, & enough raspberry vinnagrette for 3 servings. Also fresh fruit mainstays: plenty of bananas, avocados, & kiwi.

from the local health food store: fresh & frozen entrees, such as Amy's Broccoli Pot Pie & ready-to-heat rice & bean enchiladas & red pepper hummus.

The Italian deli wasn't as good as I'd remembered. 
Good at Denny's: side dishes, such as whole grain rice, mac 'n cheese, grilled zucchini, + a side of avocado by special request. 
By ordering 4 sides, it's a complete meal that can be mixed together at the table using 2 of the plates. Still to try: potatoes with cheese & their broccoli side. 
At both Denny's & Carrow's: veggie burgers with sides of avocado, once again by special order. 
Carrow's special: a tiny hot fudge sundae for a special evening treat

More expensive restaurant: Mediterranean plates & filafel wraps, meals generally $12 & up + their own vegetable soup & sweet potato fries....yum, yum.

Another choice: the Indian and Nepalese lunch time all you can eat buffets with rice pudding for dessert. yum, yum.

Supplies for the room: paper plates & paper towels, plastic cutlery, paring knife, plastic tubs, & a pair of scissors for cutting up the taquitos & salad into bite size pieces.
Well, I suppose that shows that it can be done.
Hardest thing to do: Getting in the fruits & veggies. Therefore, so many bunches of bananas along with the avocado and cheese sandwiches, which are great on naan btw. Bon appetit motel style. 
Chetak wins best answer for focusing on doing it cheaply with an occasional hot meal. That's pretty much my philosophy, too.

Anonymous · Answer

Dry foods. Freeze dried vegetables, fruit, mushroom, and meals. Dry beans (soak for 8+hours). -dry roasted edemame(green young soybean)(salted version, and chocolate covered version). Nuts. Seeds. Rice(soak for 8+hours). Grain. Crackers. Whole grain peanut butter crackers. Pasta. Rice noodles. Garlic. Lowest sodium potato chip.  Potato(cut up and soak for 8+hours). Lime. Lemon.
-spicy lime/lemon tortia chips (preferably low sodium)with salsa, guacamole/avocado, and bean dip/mashed beans(preferably pinto)
-croutons
-stuffing (add water and oil)
-oatmeal (soak for hours)
-maltomeal (soak for hours) (add brown sugar)
-granola (in cereal section)
-grape-nuts (in cereal section)
-fruit nut and grain bars
-graham crackers (eat with chocolate nut butter or sweetened nut butter)

-granulated sugar, powdered sugar, vanilla, cocoa powder, cinnamon 
-salt, pepper, cyanne pepper, Italian seasoning, chilli powder, cooking/vegetable oil, olive oil, red wine vinegar(or whatever vinegar you prefer)

-dry tea with out caffeine

-refrigerated pro-biotic a good quality one. 
-consider a high quality digestive enzyme (especially if your 50+yrs old or have health issues)
-multi vitamin (good tasting naturally flavored chewable) Read the ingredients, make sure you are getting all your daily nutrients. 
-b complex supplement (if your multi vitamin does not provide 100%+recommended dose of the b vitamins)
-flax seed oil or hemp oil pill (for omega 3)
-essential amino acids
-calcium+d supplement (if multi vitamin does not provide 100%+, good tasting naturally flavored chewable)
-Vitamin C
-Consider getting a protein shake mix or protein bars (try to get one that is healthy)maybe soy protein isolate/concentrate. 
-edemame/soybeans, there is dry snack form that is like eating nuts, and there is dry chocolate covered snack form.

If you have access, also include fresh vegetables and fruits, preferably from a grocery store.
Although not necessary to cook, if you can and want to, take a ready set go cooker, single burner, or small cooker with you. You can also go outside and use sticks and fire to cook, or bring small “emergency” type stove with you.
Although not necessary, chef's knife, spoon, fork, butter knife. Thick plastic(less likely to break than ceramic) Plate, bowl, cup. 
Water bottle.

Vegetarians, what are some ways that you happily cope while staying in a motel in vacation land?

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