Comments on: How to survive as a travelling vegetarian

By: Benny Lewis

Benny Lewis — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 19:27:00 +0000

Yes it’s definitely possible. I’ve met many travelling vegans. But I have to admit that you can be lazy and still eat vegetarian in many places, but you have to be extremely observant as a vegan. Once you are used to a place and know what it has, it’s no work though!

By: Yadav TSSS

Yadav TSSS — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 14:32:00 +0000

Great post… Thanks… I am a strict Vegan and can you tell me, what you feel about the idea of a strict vegan (not even milk and milk products) on a world tour???

Do you think it is possible to survive as a vegan in colder climatic conditions??

By: Michelle Martin

Michelle Martin — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 08:07:00 +0000

Glad to have found this…I’m moving to Korea in about a month and a half and have been a little worried because it’s far from the most veg-friendly country… I have heard that if you say you are allergic they will take you more seriously, so that’s what I’m banking on. Treasure trove of tips here and in the comments section, thanks!

By: Street-Smart Language Learning

Street-Smart Language Learning — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 06:45:00 +0000

Holy crap, Benny, not only do we share the non-drinking thing, but we're also both vegetarians (vegan here). This is getting creepy.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 19:39:00 +0000

Is there a single photo of you where you don’t look like a total dick ?

By: Benny the Irish polyglot

Benny the Irish polyglot — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 14:28:00 +0000

Thanks! Enjoy Spain

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 21:55:00 +0000

Happy Cow is great. I’m planning on taking a year off school to bum around Europe, and was looking forward to trying local cuisine, only I was worried about the no animal product thing (I’m a vegan.) Since France is sort of known as the land of milk, cream, and butter, I was so happy to find at least 5 vegan restaurants show up when I checked out paris. Great article!

By: Benny the Irish polyglot

Benny the Irish polyglot — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 13:59:00 +0000

No worries! Spain is indeed tricky, but there is always a solution

By: Benny the Irish polyglot

Benny the Irish polyglot — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 13:57:00 +0000

Glad to be of help! Enjoy France, the Crêpes are excellent

By: Benny the Irish polyglot

Benny the Irish polyglot — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 14:46:00 +0000

Please see my reply to your other comment. I agreed with the first part of what you said here, but implying that people “smile while contributing to the needless slaughter of innocents” is arrogant and the worst possible way to promote veganism.

By: Benny the Irish polyglot

Benny the Irish polyglot — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 14:45:00 +0000

While I agree with your eating philosophy, I have to say that even as a vegetarian I find pushy vegans (and vegetarians) to be frustrating company. It’s incompatible with open minded travel.

I never eat meat, but I also never force my values on others. I have my views on animal suffering, but it’s not my place to force this on others. Positive education rather than guilt-based arguments are the best way forward.

The “how do you sleep at night” argument would leave you friendless in countries like Argentina and Hungary that are crazy about their meat… They’d see you as far too weird and incompatible to hang out with.

I have to say that this attitude would do more damage than good to the vegetarian/vegan movement. I have had many people get interested in vegetarianism because they see that I’m NORMAL and act like they do (and am of course healthy). Rude vegans I have met just tell meat eaters “man, I’d hate to be like that guy!”

I live by example – and they think that if I’m that similar to them and living fine, maybe they can give this veggie thing a try.

Upsetting people is not just a case of bad manners, it’s a crap way to change the world and convince them of anything. Aggressive arguments just make people even more adamant about their previous beliefs.

I never use the suffering argument when this comes up in a discussion and because of that people are genuinely curious to hear me say more.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 22:00:00 +0000

I go to other countries to see the sights, travel, experience the climate, see nice buildings, listen to the music, learn about the history. I dont go for the food. If it is non vegan I just avoid it. Animal rights are more important than sampling local cuisines. On the other hand, if you can smile while contributing to the needless slaughter of innocents, all in the name of experiencing the culture, then you are a stronger person than I.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 22:00:00 +0000

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 21:55:00 +0000

To be honest I dont agree with not getting into ethical discussions. As a vegan if someone me why I dont eat animal products I tell them that animals are my friends and I dont eat my friends. If people want to eat meat then they should be forced to know what harm they are doing. If they cause the death of an animal simple because they want to titilate their taste buds they should be adult enough to open their eyes and learn about the suffering they cause. Manners be damned. Animal rights are more important than upsetting someones dinner. If they get upset then there is not much point in being around them.

By: Being A Vegetarian On The Road | Jack and Jill Travel The World

Being A Vegetarian On The Road | Jack and Jill Travel The World — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 11:53:26 +0000

[...] – Other vegetarians on the road have written: Difficulties Traveling as a Vegetarian Ten Tips for Being a Vegetarian Traveler How To Survive As A Traveling Vegetarian [...]

By: Language Hacking & Language Learning with Digital Nomad Benny the Irish Polyglot | Thrilling Heroics

Fri, 28 May 2010 19:04:18 +0000

[...] How to survive as a traveling vegetarian [...]

By: Allard

Allard — Wed, 26 May 2010 17:13:21 +0000

I thought this blog would just be a good guide for my polyglottery, but as a vegetarian, this also has some great tips

By: Niels Bom

Niels Bom — Wed, 26 May 2010 14:18:19 +0000

I really identify with your story, I slowly started disliking meat and then fish. What also struck me is that after a meal with a lot of meat in it, I felt more heavy and tired. If I ate vegetarian I almost never felt that way.

I'm also slowly starting to dislike dairy and egg products, but it could also be that that is a conceptual thing.

By: GlobalButterfly

GlobalButterfly — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 06:58:32 +0000

Hey, I so didn't know that you were a veggie!!! That's a wonderful thing to have in common. I can't brag that I've been one my entire life like you, wow, but I've been one for a decade now. I can say that it was the BEST decision I've ever made. Anyway, really the only country that I've had a very difficult time with was Japan. A couple of times I had to have fish or shrimp or I would have gone hungry. Argentina and Brasil were a breeze!

By: Lauren, Melbourne

Lauren, Melbourne — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 10:13:54 +0000

In Australia, the Burger King franchise is called Hungry Jacks. I'm omnivorous, but I prefer their vegie burger 10 times over their beef and chicken burgers. It's tastier than some vegie burgers I've had at proper restaurants. I recently discovered I'm lactose intolerant so I've had a few without cheese, and they were still very satisfying. Aussie capitals generally have no shortage of veg options (especially Melbourne, where I live now), but it's good to have a late-night option that you can get everywhere.