Travelling As a Vegetarian

Most people question me about travelling as a vegetarian (I eat fish so technically I’m a pescetarian). Have I resigned to eating meat, how do I survive?? At times especially, in the Americas, it has been hard and frustrating but then again if the food is bad, it’s hard for any meat eaters to find good food. The following is what I have found overall.

Western countries are expensive to eat in restaurants so unless you have money this is not viable. I found that when travelling around by car or bus, the food you mainly find in the service or petrol stations contains meat or junk food. Very rarely will you find something that doesn’t contain meat. The easiest and cheapest way I found to eat was buying fruit, eating instant noodles or cheese sandwiches. All of which are easy to transport and cheap. If I stayed anywhere for at least a few days, I would buy vegetables in the supermarket and cook. Hostels usually have kitchens and if you are lucky spare herbs and spices.

Central and South America is a little easier. Most people don’t understand what a vegetarian is. You can’t just tell them you don’t eat meat you need to tell them you don’t eat pork, beef, and chicken. It can be frustrating especially if you don’t speak Portuguese or fluent Spanish but there is usually someone at hand to help with the language difficulty. Once they understand, most restaurants will make a plate up of food without meat and reduce the price, unless it’s a pre made dish. Fish is available on most menus and not badly priced either. Bare in mind you will be served the whole fish eyes, bones, and all. Fruit is readily obtainable; sitting on a bus a vendor will appear, sitting on a boat a vendor will sail up, stands line most streets or within a couple of minutes walk. Among the fruit sellers is usually someone who sells nuts but it can be a little harder. Some fruit is cheaper than others but always a good choice and variety. Food on a whole isn’t necessarily cheaper to buy in shops or markets unless there are a quite a few people to help share with the cost.

Throughout Asia, I found it to be the easiest and cheapest for vegetarians. There are lot of vegetarians in Asia due to Buddhists and other beliefs. The choice is vast, probably on a par with meat dishes if not greater in certain countries and restaurants. Eating out is very cheap so I don’t even bother buying food to cook, it would be hard to find accommodation with a kitchen anyway. Street food is a hit and miss situation that you need to be careful about; Laos has very good street baguettes made to demand, perfect for journeys or a meal. Places with curries always have a vegetarian option, if not the sides that accompany the mains are usually vegetarian. Seven to Eleven shops in Japan are abundant, selling triangular sushi for around 30p; one of these fills me for lunch or a light meal. You do need to examine the photo closely if you don’t know Japanese to make sure it is fish, meat or veg. Fruit and nuts aren’t as widely available as in Central or South America but it is still easy to come by.

I have found that I probably eat healthier whilst travelling. More beans and lentils are utilized with a greater variety in the vegetables in dishes. Fruit and nuts are available to snack on more then junk food, compared to Western countries. Therefore, as far as I'm concerned travelling as a vegetarian (pescetarian) is unproblematic.