10 TIPS FOR THE VEGETERIAN/VEGAN TRAVELLER

I am indeed a vegetarian.
Or at least I was until recently when I made the decision to go completely vegan. :)
*Cue stereotype influenced mutter & responses*
Yes, I am fully aware I can be a pain to dine with, cook for or serve at a restaurant and I regularly have the golden phrase thrown at me
"BUT... BACON?". Before I begin enlightening you with my veg-happy tips let's clear that one up. Few vegetarians stop eating meat because they woke up one day and found themselves suddenly repulsed by the smell of fresh bacon & eggs. Personally my choices were motivated by ethical & compassionate reasons not because I no longer liked the taste of bacon!Being a vegetarian and on the road can prove to be challenging at times. Especially when navigating menus in another language, explaining you'd like a meal without meat to someone who speaks little English and the lack of time, space and utilities to prepare your own choice friendly meals. From my experiences here's my top ten tips for the travelling vegetarian/vegan.

1.       PRE ORDER
If you’re flying be sure to call the airline & pre-order your food. Too many times I’ve had my ready to go plate of almost-meat (I say almost meat. Sorry, have you seen those meals?) slapped down in front of me and ended up quietly nibbling on my bread roll & peanuts because I forgot to pre-order. Always pre-order. Airlines have many options you can opt for- veggies only, halal, vegan, no dairy, gluten free and a number of other pick and choose options.

2.       LEARN THE LINGO
Learn the golden phrases of the spoken language. ‘I don’t eat meat’ ‘with no meat’ ‘vegetable only’ ‘I am vegetarian’ I can’t speak Chinese though after repeating these lines on a daily basis I became quite the expert in insisting, demanding and ensuring there be ‘PU MAO RU’ in my meals. (I'm spelling this how I learnt to say it- apologies) Another handy hint is to have it written on a card in your wallet- especially if pronunciation of foreign languages isn't your forte.

3.       EXPLORE & EXPERIMENT!
Explore, enjoy and go crazy at the local food markets! Since living here in the Maldives 80% of my diet is currently fruit. I’m hoping the novelty wears off soon I know I can’t go on like this.. but for right now it's pretty great. If my body didn’t need anything else I would have no hesitation to live on tropical fruit and tropical fruit only. Enjoy what’s on offer at each destination, explore the weird and wonderful veggie displays down at the local fresh produce markets and taste the amazing fruits of the world!

4.       KEEP AN OPEN MIND OR CLOSE YOUR EYES.. 
While at those markets though another tip would be to avoid the meat sections. My reasons for not eating meat are ethical and compassionate. Walking around the market stalls of Asia and seeing all the animals displayed as they were, only cooked – was a little gut wrenching. Understand though different cultures hold different ethics, beliefs and ways of life when it comes to what they cook and how they cook it. You’ll just have to learn to turn the other way, accept it and know to avoid those areas.

5.       BE RESPECTFUL 
Don’t expect to be served on a silver platter. More often than not many big meat eating countries just don’t have a large number of vegetarians and therefor your request for a meatless meal may come as a shock, rude or inconsiderate (yes, believe it or not- it can come across as a symbol of negativity in some parts!) or at best they'll act like you’re just being a right pain in the a**. Get used to the occasional eye rolling or disapproving look as staff take back a meal with meat or attempt to prepare a custom meal without it.

6.      BE AWARE OF LOCAL COOKING PRACTICES 
 Be wary. Many meals although said to be meatless or vegetarian are still prepared in animal product to cook or add flavour. Even though the veggie plate consists of only veggies there’s a pretty high chance it’s covered in oyster sauce. (China, here's looking at you!)

7.       PACK YOUR OWN SNACKSNuts, seeds, fruits, vegetables & snack bars from the local supermarket all make for great pocket & bag friendly snacks to keep you going through the day. It's also a great way to save money! (Check out some further trips here)

8.       TWO HALVES MAKE A WHOLE- ORDER A FEW SIDES!
When there’s nothing on the menu take a look at what side dishes are on offer and make your own meal from a few of them. Fresh garden salad from the side of a hamburger, seasonal fruit from the dessert menu or a plate of veggies minus the accompanying steak all make for a delicious miss-matchy meal.

9.       CONSIDER TAKING VITAMINS OR SUPPLEMENTS 
Sometimes when traveling long term it’s really hard to muster getting all the essential vitamins & nutrients especially when you’re not cooking your own meals and getting in all the essentials you may be used to. Considering supplements could avoid dealing with total energy loss or other travel debilitating symptoms.

10.  HUNT DOWN THE LOCAL VEGETARIAN CUISINE
Splurge at one of the vegetarian restaurants! Sometimes it's worth spending a little extra. Not all, but most countries have at least one. I’ve picked up some pretty cool recipes and food ideas from fellow veggie-heads or stalls abroad!
An awesome website for hunting them down is www.happycow.net simply punch in the city or country you’re in – and voila! All your options are revealed via an in built google search. There’s also some great forum chats on the crem de la crem of animal friendly eateries abroad. Check them out!

Happy dining!

Do you have any tips, tricks or great vegetarian recipes? I'd love to hear them.

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KNOW WHEN TO SAVE AND WHEN TO SPLURGE

There’s no point travelling if you’re going to just eat bread, sit drinkless in bars and wander around window shopping the city. Half, if not all the joys of experiencing another culture or country for what it is comes with tasting the local cuisine, downing the tip top wine and the once in a lifetime experiences and opportunities on offer. Unfortunately most of the things that bring with them special and exciting feels generally come with pretty high costs. There’s going to be a wonderful and unique line up of various splurge-worthy things to do while on the move- you’ll just have to sift through, work out what’s personally worth it and budget it in.

In my opinion, here’s some do’s and don’ts of spending your savings on the move:

DO Use the money you’ve saved eating from eating at supermarkets on a splurge at one of Italy’s finest mama & papas. Enjoy the crazy-priced pasta for everything it is and really taste the culture. Food is as much about travel as the destination. Set aside a little money for at least ONE sit down meal at a decent restaurant and taste the local cuisine of each destination.

DON’T waste money (& suitcase space) buying every single item that you think you have to have. You’ve managed to live and do okay without it up until ten minutes ago – look, like & move along.

DO Throw your money out the window & follow it. For a view like no other skydiving over a city is an incredible way to absorb or be absorbed by the sights. Although costs of adventure sports are high – the once off’s are well worth it and an experience not to be missed. From skydiving over the Algarve in Portugal to diving in the Maldives there’s going to be ample opportunities to splash your cash for a quick thrill. You’ll just need to fish out and prioritize on the ones worth doing.

DON’T feel the need to see, do, taste, hear and touch every single thing on offer. Why bother heading into the rock museum in Creetown, Scotland ‘because it’s on the list’ if a rock is just a rock and you really couldn’t care less.

DO treat yourself. You’re here to experience the country for everything it is and in doing so you are exposed to the local wonders and specialties that come with it. If you’ve always wanted something jade- letting go of a sizeable chunk at the local Jade Market in China is not a waste. One of the best OMG-splurges I’ve made was on a diamond ring in Alaska – the hub in which many gems come from. I was at the end of my Inside passage cruise & about to head back home so I convinced and reasoned with myself that it was a better idea to spend all the money I had now so to avoid having to exchange currencies on my way back. (Because that would have been SUCH a difficult 3minutes out of my life at the currency exchange counter). I HAVE ZERO REGRETS & although now missing a diamond (& it no longer being splurge-worthy enough to fix) the ring is currently residing on my finger as I type. Don’t feel bad, or um and ah – If you really want it, are going to love it and it will mark the monumental trip you’ve had – splurge.

DON’T pick accommodation SOLEY on price. Often more than not you’ll find yourself wishing you had spent the extra $2 or $50 it was going to cost you at the hostel with wifi or the hotel smack bang in the middle of the cities nightlife. Think about quality, services and location. Why opt for the $20pn hostel when it’s going to cost you $15 to get to the attraction next door to the $30pn hostel. Catch my drift? One of the worst saves I ever made was opting to cut out accommodation costs all together & spend the weekend sleeping in the car we’d hired. –WORDS OF WISDOM: This in actual fact is not the brightest idea. Read more about this experience here.

When have you saved of splurged? And was it worth it? I’d love to hear from YOU! Comment below or like / share the post JClick here to read some of my best money saving tips for backpacking!

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