How far in advance do I need to sign up?At least 8 weeks before your trip (regular registration).
Significant discounts are available for those who pay 16 weeks in advance (early bird registration).
Is the cost of transportation to NYC included?
A one week unlimited subway and bus pass IS included in the vacation package prices! However, airfare IS NOT
included in the package prices. You are also responsible for arranging and
paying for your own taxi rides between your hotel and the airport.
Guest arrive anytime on a Thursday, and there is a welcome dinner on Thursday evening.
Tours begin on Friday morning, and continue through Sunday afternoon.
Vegan breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks on Friday and Saturday, plus breakfast and lunch on Sunday. The cost of all meals
and snacks are included!
3 hotel nights (Thursday, Friday, and Saturday). The cost of all hotel nights is included.
2 Broadway plays or musicals (Friday and Saturday nights). The cost of all theater tickets is included.
Visits to landmarks and museums with local guides who are longtime NYC residents.
The Vegan Fitness Vacation includes 1-2 hours of fitness and wellness activities per day, which may include 1-on-1 Personal Training,
Small Group Personal Training, Massage Therapy, and hikes through NYC parks. The cost of all fitness and massage sessions is included in that tour.
If you want to stay in New York for several days before or after your NYC Vegan Fitness Vacation, we will be happy to give you a list of local
vegan and vegetarian restaurants, maps, guides to tourist attractions, etc. at no additional cost.
Although every hour of your vacation is planned in detail, we do not give out hourly itineraries.
Are vacations refundable?
All vacations are billed in two payments. Your fist payment to NYC Vegan Vacations is a nonrefundable deposit.
After you pay us, we immediately use that money to book your hotel reservations, restaurant reservations, and buy your Broadway theater tickets
(which are nonrefundable for us).
However, if you are unable to attend, a friend or family relative can come in your place. Or we can refund your second payment.
Either way, you would need to email us.
I’m not vegetarian, but I’m interested in exploring vegetarian and vegan food. Which vacation package do you recommend?
We are a vegan-owned business with vegan, vegetarian, and omnivore (non-vegetarian) customers.
Since each person is at a different stage of learning about nutrition and their own body, we make it easy for you to explore a range of healthy lifestyles.
We’re not here to convince you to do any one particular diet. We just want you to try some exciting, off-the-beaten-track
restaurants that you wouldn’t find on your own! Many people interested in other food movements (organic, local, slow food, paleo, etc.)
appreciate the unique, locally-owned restaurants featured in our vacations.
If you’re new to vegan food, you’re welcome on any of our Vegan Vacations!
However, the A Taste of Vegan Vacation was created just for you. It’s a mix of vegan restaurants and
non-vegetarian restaurants that have outstanding vegan options.
Are ALL the restaurants on the tour vegan?
No. Although most of the restaurants are vegan, some of the restaurants on the tours are
vegetarian or omnivore restaurants that have great vegan menu items and are popular with local NYC vegans.
How will I get around NYC during the tour?
Each tour includes rides on the subway, NYC buses, and a LOT of walking. Be sure to wear comfortable sneakers! The hotel is close enough to the
Broadway theaters that you will be able to walk home each night. Times Square is well lit, still full of people, and quite safe until much later
than any of you will be out and about.
LaGuardia Airport (New York) If you’ve been to NYC before (and are familiar with the subway and buses), you can take the M60 bus into the city.
You’ll need $2.50 per person in change (not bills). Get off the bus at Lenox Ave./Malcolm X Blvd. and take the #2 or #3 Subway to Times Square.
Ask the bus driver for a free transfer pass to get on the Subway.
If you are new to NYC, try taking a Yellow Cab (you’re better off avoiding random brands of cabs, as they may overcharge). A Yellow Cab costs around $30-40 plus toll and a 20% tip, typically $40-50 total.
JFK Airport (New York) If you’ve been to NYC before (and are familiar with the trains and buses), you can take the
NY AirTrain to the subway (under $10). At the Sutphin Blvd. Subway station,
take the E (blue) Subway toward Manhattan.
(Do NOT take the E train toward Jamaica Center!)
If you’re new to NYC, try taking a Yellow Cab (you’re better off avoiding random brands of cabs, as they may overcharge).
Cab fare from JFK is a flat rate (around $50) to anywhere in the city.
Newark Airport (New Jersey) Avoid taking a cab from Newark, as that can cost over $100. Instead, take the
NJ AirTrain
to the Newark Airport Amtrak & NJ Transit train station. From there, take the train into Penn Station in New York City.
(The total cost for both tickets is under $13.) From Penn Station, take the A, C, or E subway uptown to Times Square.
(In NYC, northbound trains are called Uptown trains, while southbound trains are called Downtown trains.)
What about soy allergies? Or people who need to avoid soy for any reason?
We love including participants with food sensitivities and food allergies
on all our tours, and are committed to making vegan food accessible to people with soy allergies! We usually recommend people with severe
soy allergies take our Raw Vegan Fitness Vacation,
since most of the restaurants in that package are completely soy-free facilities.
People with soy sensitivities (not allergies) should be fine on any of our vacations, since there are soy-free menu items at every restaurant.
Please email us with all your allergy needs.
I have Celiac Disease. Are any of your tours really gluten-free?
All NYC Vegan Fitness Vacations tours have gluten-free options at every restaurant, meaning they serve items that are made without
gluten ingredients. But there is still a risk because they do have other entrees containing wheat made in their kitchen.
Start by emailing to let us know
that you have celiac, so we can help you choose the best tour. The tours with the most gluten-free restaurants are the
Raw Vegan Vacation and the
A Taste of Vegan and Gluten-Free Vacation. You might also consider
Customized Vacations, where we’ll plan your itenerary to focus on restaurants that participate in the
Gluten-free Restaurant Awareness Program, meaning they go to greater lengths to prevent cross-contamination, as well as
other restaurants which are completely gluten-free facilities.
What is a Fitness Vacation? Will I be working out all weekend?
No! There will be approximately 2 hours of fitness activities a day, including Personal Training, Massage Therapy, and hikes through city parks.
The rest of your day, you’ll stay busy being a tourist! Seeing the sights, savoring fabulous restaurants, and going to Broadway shows.
Most tour participants say the biggest workout they got during the whole weekend was just the sheer amount of easy pace walking they did while seeing
the city.
I’m a fitness newbie. Won’t the workouts be too hard for me?
No way! We love beginners! The benefit of personal training and small group classes is that we can customize each class to your ability level.
Our participants are all shapes and sizes, and range from serious athletes to recreational exercisers to people who rarely workout.
If you just don’t want to workout on your vacation, we recommend the
Classic Vegan Vacation or the
Raw Vegan Fitness Vacation. However, if you really do want
to do the workouts but are just worried they’ll be too tough, we encourage you to go ahead and try the
Vegan Fitness Vacation. We think you’ll be pleasantly surprised!
Are the tours wheelchair accessible?
Yes, as long as you
email NYC Vegan Vacations
in advance. In general, NYC restaurants and theaters are very accessible, as are city buses.
Sadly, the Subway trains are not very accessible.
Maybe half of Subway stations have elevators and/or ramps. The very heavy foot traffic makes it challenging to get around
a subway station in a wheelchair, even in the stations with elevators.
So most local NYC wheelchair users take city buses (and/or Access-a-Ride) instead of the Subway.
On any of the NYC Vegan Vacations, we can simply plan the schedule so participants take the bus instead of the Subway.
If you choose the Vegan Fitness Vacation option,
all of our workout equipment is wheelchair accessible, and our personal trainers are very experienced in teaching people with physical disabilities.
How much cash should I bring? Is it safe to walk around NYC with cash?
NYC is much safer now than in decades past. However, the same common sense you would use in any major city applies: wear a purse with a shoulder strap that
goes across your body, keep an eye on your belongings, and make sure your wallet and phone are secure. Valuables should be in your purse,
in a money belt, or in a coat pocket that zips shut.
However, because there are ATMs on practially every corner, there’s usually no reason to carry around
more than $20-40 cash at any time. Taxi cabs, gift shops, etc. all take credit cards and that’s generally a smarter option than carrying cash.
Can you do a custom tour for me?
We can create custom tours for private groups of 2 or more people. Learn more on our Customized Vacations
page. Non-guided custom tours are where we send you detailed maps and iteneraries based on your preferences, and handle all restaurant reservations,
but you explore the city on your own.
Guided tours involve a local NYC vegan leading you or your group each day to your custom list of restaurants and activities.
Email NYC Vegan Vacations
for more info and price quotes.
Small backpack that you can walk around with each day
Any essential medications and/or supplements
One carry-on that has some empty space for souvenirs you may buy...and for your free goody bag!
You do not need to bring:
Snacks - all meals and snacks are included! (restaurants, bakeries, juice bars, vegan ice cream shops, etc.)
Eveningwear - it’s totally acceptable to come to Broadway shows in casual clothes
Are the tours kid-friendly?
The tours are intended for adults, although teens are welcome to come if accompanied by a parent or guardian.
Because the vacations include activities like sitting through a 2-3 hour Broadway show, going to fine-dining restaurants, and lots of
walking around the city, they’re not designed for kids younger than high school.
Can I bring my dog or other pet?
We all love pets, but you’ll want to leave them at home for this vacation. You will be going on 3 days
of all-day guided tours from breakfast to a Broadway show that won’t end till 10 or 11 pm. Bringing a pet only to leave it cooped up in a hotel
room all day wouldn’t be too kind.
Since the tours don’t start until Friday morning, where can I eat and what can I do on Thursday?
There will be a welcome dinner on Thursday evening. However, if you get in early on Thursday, you’ll have a whole extra day to explore!
Start with the Times Square Museum and Visitors Center, which is within
walking distance of any of the hotels for NYC Vegan Vacations. They can give you pricing, hours, and directions to the many attractions
within a few blocks of your hotel, including museums, Broadway theaters, and movie theaters.
Places to eat near the hotels include:
Green Symphony on 43rd St./7th-8th Ave.
Green Symphony is a deli-style restaurant with fresh-squeezed
juices, smoothies, a hot food bar, fresh bakery items (many are vegan, some are GF), and various packaged items like granola bars, bottled teas, and
vegan/gluten-free cookies. Although Green Symphony does serve some meat, it’s a very popular spot with local NYC vegetarians
because of the huge selection of vegetarian and vegan items and the close proximity to the Theater District.
Juice Generation on 45th St./9th Ave.
Juice Generation has organic cold-pressed juices, fresh smoothies,
raw food entrees, and vegan soups. Everything is gluten-free and vegan, including the baked goods. Both these places have limited seating and are mostly geared toward takeout, perfect for when you want to walk around and explore the city.
