I’ve been vegan for almost 4 years now and travelling to many different countries for a long period, especially to South East Asia. It can be challenging at the beginning and you can feel lost and anxious, but here are 5 tips that will help you to keep it under control.
First of all, let me clarify that the food and restaurant availability depends a lot on the country you’re going to travel to and, most of the time, it’s related to its economic and social development.
In western societies, the concept of vegetarian & vegan is well-established and they know the difference between the two. Eating vegetarian or vegan it’s even on trend and most people prefer to eat healthier nowadays, which means that you will find lots of options and restaurants. You will also find health stores with fancy organic products & supplements. However, they are expensive.
In less developed societies, South East Asia from my experience, they don’t know the difference between vegan and vegetarian (probably they don’t even know what vegetarian means) and they don’t understand the reasons behind it. So make sure that you are prepared beforehand if you travel to one of these destinations.
There are other factors that influence the food options. First of all, culture & religion.
For example, I found India being a very vegan-friendly country due to Hinduism and Buddhism because a huge part of the population is vegetarian, so they have lots of sacred cities (vegetarian & dry).
Another element is the produce & typical food of the region, so tropical countries are also good options because you have plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables available.
After that being said, here are some tips that will make your travel smoother:
Research
Do previous research about the country or city of the restaurants available, supermarkets & health stores and the typical food. In undeveloped countries, where you can’t find many restaurants and supermarkets, local foods are a lifesaver, so learn about them, the dishes & the ingredients. Even if one dish isn’t vegan, you can turn it easily by just switching or taking out one ingredient.
There are plenty of online resources to look at. I use the app Happy Cow for finding vegetarian/vegan restaurants, supermarkets and health stores.
Through Couchsurfing and Facebook groups you can meet local vegan people that can suggest you or show you the best places and you can get to know more traditional places. Also, check blogs and travel guides.
Once you’re in the place, take time to check the restaurants and supermarkets before making any decision and know the situation. Feel free to take photos of the menus to have in hand.
Here you can see some raw vegan treats that I found on a local Indonesian market.
Language
The language is the biggest barrier, especially if they don’t even know the concept of vegetarian/vegan. Make sure that you know the basic ingredients (the ones that you eat and the ones that you don’t eat) and dishes. Also, learn some basic sentence asking for ingredients of explaining your requirements.
Always feel free to ask, but be patient and gentle, and they would love to help you.
Keep it simple
When going to a restaurant, keep it simple. Order basic food if you’re not sure about the dish. I personally stay with simple ingredients such as potatoes, rice and vegetables and easy cooking like steamed or boiled. Also, avoid sauces or ask to put them on the side cause they may be hidden ingredients.
One of the best tips is to create your own dish. They are going to have the basic ingredients so just order different side dishes or make your own, but always make it easy for them, it can bring confusion and misunderstanding and they can find you pretty annoying. For example, ask for stir-fry veggies with tofu and a side of rice.
Lastly, as I said before, don’t be afraid to ask, but be patient and gentle, and they would love to help you.
White rice with curry and veggies.
If you are going to be travelling for a long-term, make sure that you get your nutritional needs & calories in. It can take some days or weeks to make your own routine and find what works for you, but it’s important if you are going to live there for some months to adapt to the new place and enjoy it.
Be prepared
Before travelling to another place, especially if you know that you’ll have limited options, prepare in advance some staple nutritionally rich foods to snack on to make sure that you are not going to be hungry or have cravings so you will end up binging. Some staples foods are dried fruit, nuts & seeds, granola or oats & snacks like bars or protein balls… I love dates!
Also, make sure to bring your supplements with you. B12 is a must, but I also like taking multivitamins and green powders like spirulina or chlorella. As I mentioned before, if you travel for a long period, taking care of your health is very important to keep a normal life and levels of energy to feel good in the new place.
Be patient and learn to be grateful
When you go out of your comfort zone, where you know your favourite meals, ingredients, options, shops & restaurants available, it can be hard and sometimes you may feel anxious about the food but also towards the people.
Learn to be patient, take your time to ask, explain to them what you want and be nice. They want to help you but, most of the times, the language is a problem so it’s difficult for both parts. Be empathic and think about how the other person feels.
Be grateful for the food available. When you travel to poor countries and see the reality of the local people: their money situation, how the restaurants or food shops are run, how they produce the food… you learn to appreciate the food and be grateful and happy with that meal. Also, you will appreciate more the food and facilities back home.
Last, but not least, be flexible. Most of the times we put a lot of pressure on ourselves for choosing the best and healthier option. Allow mistakes and know this is not the end of the world, you will do it better next time. Make sure that the food doesn’t become a big issue during your trip so you can enjoy it.
Thanks for reading,
Please leave some positive feedback if ou find it interested and helpful.
You can find me on other social media as Instagram under the same name.
Neus Om Yoga