Tips on Staying Vegan Whilst Travelling

Being a vegan is easy when you're at home, surrounded by all of your favourite food brands and you know exactly where to go and what to order if you eat out. When you're travelling, it's not so easy, especially if you're in a country with a different language. Although it's difficult, it's not impossible to stay vegan when you're travelling. Below I've composed a list of tips and tricks to help you stay vegan when you're abroad.

1. Fill your suitcase with your favourite vegan treats. Not something perishable or something that will get destroyed on the journey. I find comfort food is the best when you're travelling. Things like crisps, sweets and chocolate, as it's going to be harder to find these things in a different country.

2. If you're travelling to a country with a different language, it might be useful to learn a few words and phrases to help get by when eating out. Rather than learning how to say 'I'm a vegan', learn how to say 'I have an allergy to dairy and eggs' as many places don't know what a vegan is. This tip is also helpful in English speaking countries too as I've visited many places that think vegan is the same as vegetarian and there's some countries that get confused about vegetarians too!

3. Snacks! Bring snacks everywhere. You never know when you're going to go somewhere that has no vegan options. This includes the plane journey. I've had experience with some airlines (I don't want to name names) where I ticked the box for vegan option, but they served me food with eggs and dairy. So for this reason, snacks are essential.

4. Happy Cow! Before you go on your journey, have a look on happy cow for vegan-friendly places to eat when you're there. Hopefully the place you're visiting has plenty of vegan restaurants and options.

5. If you are eating out and you notice limited vegan options on a menu, don't be afraid to make a meal out of sides, ask for a dish without meat or dairy, or you could even ask the chef to make you something special. Here's a picture of a pizza I ordered in South Africa...

Obviously a cheeseless pizza wasn't on the menu, but if you ask, they can make it happen and create something amazing for you.

6. Connect with vegans from around the world. There are vegans everywhere and you can find them on various social medias. Try tumblr or lonely planet. Search for vegans in specific areas and they might be able to help you by introducing you to brands and places to eat. They might even help you by stirring you away from certain products and companies.

7. Be aware. Some products that are always vegan in your country might not be vegan in other places. I remember when I was in America and I drank a lot of orange juice because I have an obsession, and it was only when the trip was over I discovered the orange juice I was drinking contained carmines. It's unbelievable to me that companies would put crushed bugs into something as simple as orange juice, but stuff like this happens everywhere. Be aware and look out for hidden ingredients even on products you'd never expect to contain animal products.

8. Don't be disheartened if you accidentally eat something that isn't vegan. This isn't Scott Pilgrim VS the World and the vegan police won't take away your vegan powers if you eat something accidentally. Same goes for if you accidentally order something you thought wouldn't contain dairy, but it did. It's entirely up to you if you choose to send it back or eat it anyway.

9. There's always fruit and vegetables! Yes, I know, ordering salad after salad can get tedious, especially if you're an adventures eater like me and get bored of lettuce after lettuce after lettuce. It's especially annoying when you're travelling with others who don't want to visit exciting vegan places, but don't be discouraged. Yes, you're living off fruits and vegetables for the meantime, but when your holiday is over you've got vegan treats to look forward to when you get home. Don't let the food ruin your holiday.

10. Buffets! I'm not a huge fan of buffets when I'm in England, but when I'm abroad they can be my best friend. Buffets are an opportunity to order whatever you want, without feeling judged. If you want an entire plate of beetroot, followed by another plate of just beetroot, go for it! Nobody's judging you (except maybe the people you're eating with). Another good thing about buffets is you can eat as much as you want. If you're still not full after your third plate of salad, nobody's stopping you from getting a few more plates. Go crazy!

Here's a pic of the buffet food I like to eat. Who would have guessed that putting watermelon, strawberries and passionfruit into a salad would taste so good?