You’ve made it to your destination. Now what?
I love traveling the world, experiencing new cultures and trying new cuisine. I’m a wanderlust at heart and I love to stuff my face! However, being Vegan while abroad is challenging AF!!! I’m not going to lie to you. Here are some ways in which I handle the challenges of being Vegan while traveling.
DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL
There are different levels of Veganism. You have your strictly Raw Vegans that don’t cook their food. You have what I call, PETA Vegans that won’t dare eat or wear animals and/or animal by products. In general, when I’m at home with access to a lot of Vegan cuisine, I’m your typical no meat/non dairy/no eggs type of Vegan. However, I’m about to have a moment of transparency with you. When I go on vacation, I’m “Veganish”.
What does that mean? It means, I try to stick as close to my Vegan diet as possible. However, it also means I don’t ask certain questions that will rule out complete meals, like what kind of broth is something made in. Or request that the entire grill be cleaned before cooking my vegetables. Don’t get me wrong. I won’t blatantly eat some non-Vegan shit like Veggie Alfredo. In addition, I will let the waiters know about my dietary restrictions. However, language barriers are real. A lot of people don’t understand what Veganism is in other places. HECK! I struggle with it in the US. It is what it is. I make it work for me.
2. Use Trip Advisor
I find that www.tripadvisor.com is more helpful for international trips than other review apps, like Yelp. (I have used Yelp to cross reference reviews from Trip advisor if the reviews are sparse.) Trip Advisor also has great filtering options including a Vegan, Vegetarian or Gluten Free options. Typically the listings are sorted by the more prevalent Vegan options, like an all Vegan/Vegetarian restaurant versus restaurants that have a few Vegan options. Another great thing about Trip Advisor is most business establishments are very active on that site. Therefore, when you post a question, they are quick to respond. Ask them, what Vegan options they have available.
3. Use Vegan Blog
Everyone isn’t a delinquent blogger like me. There are blogs dedicated to Vegan Travel, where people share their specific restaurants experiences as a Vegan. Here’s the challenge for me though. A lot of Vegan travel bloggers, I find, visit places that specialize in Vegan cuisine. However, I usually travel with my carnivorous friends that ain’t about this Vegan life! Getting them to dine at a solely Vegan/Vegetarian establishment is not going down! Nor do I try to impose my dietary restrictions on anyone else.
That said, check out Vegan Travel.Com’s list of vegan travel bloggers, here –> https://www.vegantravel.com/vegan-travelers/vegan-travel-blogs/ I’m sure a blogger has reviewed restaurants in your future destination.
4. Google Is Your Friend
This may seem like a “captain obvious” suggestion, but you’d be surprised at how many people don’t take advantage of Google and all its superpowers. I’ve found some really good restaurants and reviews by doing a good old fashion keyword search. For example, if you’re traveling to Cancun, type in “Vegan Cancun Restaurant”. I add in an addition search to find places close to the hotel for which I’m staying. Typically what google will do is pull up a bunch of restaurants on the map, and I see where they are in relation to my hotel. Hop in a cab and go!
5. Call In Advance
Lastly, if all else fails, give a restaurant a call. Most are required to answer the phone (whereas e-mails are sometimes ignored). This is actually a strategy that I started in the states when I had my first stint at Veganism in 2011ish. Veganism wasn’t as popular and on trend in the states back then. I would call up a restaurant, during non-peak hours, and ask to speak with the chef. Normally if it’s not busy, a chef doesn’t mind coming to the phone. Honestly, waiters tend to be less knowledgeable about the ins and outs of what’s included in dishes. Why not talk directly to the source that will be preparing it? Oftentimes, the ideas the chef and I come up with isn’t even on the menu. They love to get creative!
Welp! I hope you’ve found these tips helpful. I would definitely advise you to do as much research in advance of your trip so you don’t get left with eating a plate of lettuce when you get to your destination! Until next time…Enjoy Your Vacay!!
