How To Navigate Non-Vegan Restaurant Menus While Traveling As A Vegan
Dear explorers, I know that the idea of finding delicious plant-based food across the world can be intimidating, especially if you’re new to veganism. As a seasoned vegan traveler, I’m here to give you the tips and tricks you need to locate incredible vegan fare, no mater where you are in the world.
I’ve been vegan for about ten years now and during that time I’ve visited 5 continents, over 20 countries, 34 states, and 20 national parks. Two of these trips at the beginning of my travel career were extremely challenging, putting my newly founded vegan food finding skills to the test. The first trip was to South America; more specifically, to Chile for a year. The second was when I went across the United States, on a bicycle, with almost no money at 19 years old. I ate well as a vegan, easily, on both trips. Finding plant-based food wasn’t hard… seeing all of the nonhuman animal suffering across the globe was.
Learn why travelers shouldn’t be consuming flesh, eggs, or breastmilk from other animals.
Even with all of this experience under my belt, I often hear people say:
“It is really it hard to be vegan and travel. You can hardly eat anything!”
“Vegan in South America? Impossible.”
“Oh yeah, I want to go vegan. I can’t though. I just want to get some travel out of the way so that I’m not limited with food choices on my travels. I want to be able to eat everything.”
And to all of these statements I (usually) say with enthusiasm, “Yes, you can do it! You should eat well while living and traveling vegan. Reducing harm and protecting the planet is more important than temporary pleasure at someone else’s expense.” Here are some tips on how to eat plant-based while on the road, especially when in restaurant settings:
1. Drop The Word “Vegan”, If Just For A Moment
I’ve been all across the US, as mentioned above, and was surprised to find that some people don’t know what the word “vegan” means. It can be frustrating at first, especially when the art of finding, making, and consuming delicious plant-based foods has become second nature to you. When you run into folks preparing your food that don’t know what vegan-friendly foods are exactly, consider it an opportunity to spread knowledge to others. When you realize that your server at a restaurant doesn’t know what “vegan” means (and they tell you that they have gluten-free options instead), relax. If you persist saying that you are vegan but don’t really explain it, they may just take a guess of what it means and end up giving you something that you don’t want to consume. Instead, explain what it is in full detail what your needs are.
I am always sure to list the animal body parts/secretions of other animals that I won’t eat: flesh, breastmilk, eggs, and honey. I ask if there are milk, eggs, lard, fish sauce or any other hidden animal products in any of the sauces or liquids that I might be ordering as well. This makes ordering crystal clear for them and worry-free for you. After doing this you may want to take that space to explain more deeply what vegnaism is, and even offer up some free and helpful resources.
2. Stop Searching For A Vegan Label Or Menu
When you eat at a new restaurant and find vegan labels or even a vegan section on the menu, it can feel like finding gold. But this doesn’t always happen. If you you’ve been vegan for a while, you’ve probably have already learned that many menu items are plant-based, even if they aren’t labeled so.
These foods are often veggie dishes, potatoes, falafel, pasta, pizza, soups, bread, smoothies, salads, and more. Search menus for things that may already be plant-based or that could easily be modified. Usually every restaurant has veggies and grains or pasta. They can often make something for you that specially that isn’t on the menu. Don’t be afraid to ask! Another option is to put veggie side dishes together to come up with new combinations. Remember, there are more options beyond the set menu!
Look for these common options at non-vegan options and make them 100% plant-based:
- Smoothies & Juices: Ask for them to be made with plant-based milk instead of yogurt, be sure there is no whey powder. If they don’t have any plant-based milk, opt for water in your smoothie or juice in replace of the dairy milk.
- Veggie Dishes: Be sure to confirm that their veggies are not cooked in butter. An easy swap for animal-based butter is vegetable oil.
- Falafel Dishes: Make sure that there is no yogurt in any of the sauces. Sometimes there are, and it is easy to exclude them.
- Pasta: Ordering pasta with veggies can be a simple but delicious choice. Check to make sure there are no eggs/milk in the noodles.
- Salads: Picking a big salad from the menu can easily be modified by removing any animal products and replacing them with avocado, seeds, nuts, or other fruits and veggies. Ask if there is milk in the dressing. If there is, ask for oil and vinegar instead, or a dairy-free dressing.
- Pizza: A lot of places all over the world are now making delicious plant-based cheese, but not every restaurant has caught on yet. Order a pizza with no cheese but extra sauce and pile on the veggie toppings. Be sure to ask about any eggs/milk that could be in the crust.
3. Enjoy The Hunt!
There are different apps, websites, and resources to help you scout out the already-known vegan-friendly hot spots. To start, a simple Google search with your location can bring up a places near you with vegan options (be sure to read the reviews to find out which ones are the best!). The HappyCow app and website are also great websites for locating delicious vegan restaurants and food options all over the world. I’ve used it in almost every single country that I’ve been in (even in rural and non-touristic areas) and it’s always my go-to for finding food. Once on the app you can find places near you, filter what type of restaurants you’re looking for, and read reviews from other users. If you find a new place that isn’t already on the HappyCow site, be sure to add it!
Have you considered asking the locals? You never know what other veg-heads are around you and already have the scoop on what you’re searching for. Hop on Facebook and look for a vegan group in whatever country, town, or city you’re in. Once they accept you it’s the perfect time to ask them for their local recommendations.
To be completely honest, I’ve had more fun searching for and finding incredible vegan restaurants (or restaurants that have some flesh-and-animal-product-free options) than I ever have restaurant surfing in my pre-vegan life. The journey and the destination can both be intensely fun and rewarding. Eating plants opens you up to a whole new world of flavors, textures, and cooking methods that you never even knew existed!
4. Take A Vegan Food Tour
Taking a vegan food tour whenever you land in a new country is a great way to not only experience delicious vegan grub, but to familiarize yourself with the culture while supporting a local business at the same time. Vegan food tours usually last multiple hours and will take a group of tourists (or local foodies) to multiple all-vegan cafes and restaurants, and will even stop for desserts along the way. While you can always google “vegan food tours in [insert city/country]”, GetYourGuide is a great way to quickly find what you’re looking for through a secure site. Check out some of their vegan food tours across the world:
5. Be Prepared To Explain (Or Maybe Not)
When I wrote a first draft of this post, I included a whole bullet point on how it is OK to say that you have allergies to animal flesh and products when people just aren’t getting it. After having a friend review it, and point out how that can be problematic, I realized what a mistake that would have been to publish without explaining further. This is due to the fact that veganism is a social justice movement, not a diet.
But not everyone respects that or understands it. So it has been helpful for me to share the part of truth about how consuming animal products or parts make me physically feel sick when ordering at non-vegan restaurants or in non-vegan food spaces. People tend to take that seriously in the moment as they don’t want to be responsible for making you sick or getting a bad review of their food.
Sharing the truth about what happens to animals used for food, the environmental destruction caused by animal agriculture, and worker’s rights violations is so necessary, but know that you don’t have to do it each time that someone questions your conscious choice to reduce harm. Sometimes we need to save that energy for ourselves. Sometimes self-care needs to come first to avoid burn-out. In those times, saying that you have an allergy or get sick when consuming animal products may be the boost you need to make sure you get an animal-free dish.
6. Remember, You Are Not “The Problem”
The real problems are how swiftly animal agriculture is killing billions of nonhuman animal individuals including wildlife, the planet, and hurting humans when it is completely unnecessary. Consider that:
“A result of clearing land for cattle, sheep, and other farmed animals is that ‘livestock’ production is now the single greatest driver of habitat loss and destruction globally. It is also the leading cause of species extinction, ocean dead zones, and water pollution.”
300,000 dolphins, whales, and porpoises are killed by fishing operations each year while fishing kills 30,000 sharks every hour.
Fishing has wiped out 90% of the world’s large fish and is the greatest threat to marine life in general.
You, in fact, are part of the solution by living vegan.
Don’t forget that, even when society tells you that you are a burden for choosing to live vegan. State what you need with confidence and clarity. Look for already-existing items that can be modified, very specifically, to align with your values. Don’t settle for less just because others around you may feel uncomfortable with your choices. You are choosing compassion. You are choosing a practice that honors respect for other’s bodily autonomy. You are choosing a way of life that aims to inflict minimal suffering to others, and that is not only something to stick to, but to celebrate. Happy chomping!
Great article! keep it up Calen!
Thank you, Ish! <3
Great work! I completely agree about enjoying the hunt. before going vegan, I had no idea how much fun it would be to be on a never-ending treasure hunt while traveling. I just recently published a post on my own blog about what I think are the two secret ingredients that make vegan travel so enjoyable: http://www.thenomadicvegan.com/eating-vegan-anywhere/
Hi Wendy!
Thanks for checking the post out. I read over your link– and I love it! they really do go hand in hand. what you expect to find really is such a huge part of what you do find— along with perspective. Thank you for putting all of that info together, it is so important! I’ll be checking out your three practices soon.
Much love!
Calen
THis is so important. I want to point out, however, as someone traveling and living in Asia for the past ~9 months, it’s often times simply not an option to make substitutions and customizations on menus, even if you speak the language in question well enough to explain. It’s just not culturally acceptable to ask for menu adjustments. I’ve heard the same thing from a few people in other countries (including a few chefs who said they’d just turn away guests who won’t accept the menu as-is). While there are usually other ways to get around it–I can’t believe the number of plant-based milks they had in Taiwan!!!–it can be -very- difficult to eat cheaply and vegan in certain countries (Japan being a big one, where most fruits and vegetables are much more expensive than in the US and even the most vegan-seeming foods will have some sort of meat). Following the advice of local vegans is always quite helpful, however, and CouchSurfing has actually been a wonderful resource for that!
Thank you so much for that isight! My only outside of U.S. travel has really been in South America where that wasn’t the case, so it is so nice to hear how other places operate! Is there any tips that you have for those places? That sounds like a more difficult situation. CouchSurfing is the best! So is talking to the locals and finding out how things could possibly work. Thanks for reaching out! Safe travels as well. 🙂 If you have a blog, we would love to hear about it!