Wendy from Nomadic Vegan nominated me for a Liebster Award!
A Liebster Award is is kind of like a “tag video” on YouTube where one blogger tags other bloggers to answer their questions. Wendy put her own spin on the Liebster Award by nominating only vegan travel blogs. Definitely check out Wendy’s post to see the other vegan travel bloggers she nominated. Thank you, Wendy for nominating me, & let’s get to the questions!
1. When and why did you become vegan?
I became vegan in October of 2009 so currently 6 years.
I became vegan after reading the book, Skinny Bitch by Rory Freedman & Kim Barnouin. I was taking a health class in college & one of the assignments was to write a book report on any book from the health section of the bookstore. I didn’t look through Skinny Bitch too thoroughly, but I was intrigued by the tagline, “A non-nonsense, tough-love guide for savvy girls who want to stop eating crap and start looking fabulous!” I thought to myself, sure!
Unbeknownst to me but the book gave light to how unhealthy and straight-up gross meat and dairy are. So I initially became vegan for dietary reasons and for the animals. Dietary because eating flesh and pus is does not appeal to me and “health benefits” from meat and dairy are a myth. & for the animals because it doesn’t make sense to kill or make another being suffer for your plate to have food on it.
(I am also vegan for environmental reasons.)
What was the biggest misconception that you previously held about vegan travel but that turned out to be untrue?
That it was going to be hard. I made it out in my head that it was going to be harder than what it was. A lot of people (omnivores, primarily) would give me many warnings about being vegan and traveling. It’s easy to create misconceptions on other parts of the world before you travel there. Veganism exists everywhere in some form! What helped and gave me peace of mind is doing research before. I’m not saying traveling as a vegan is easy, it does take planning and practice but once you get the hang of it, it gets better!
3. What’s your favourite vegan meal you’ve eaten on the road?
VEGAN PIZZA IN NAPOLI, ITALY!
(So much love for this pizza called for an entire blog post dedicated to it.)
4. When travelling, do you eat most of your meals in restaurants or cook for yourself?
50/50. Typically we would have lunch at a restaurant (one that is picked in advance/one that is in the area of the city we will be in). & we will cook dinner ourselves. Cooking our own meals helps save money, ensures we know the ingredients and gives us the chance to veganize local dishes.
⇢ TIP: We like to book Airbnbs so we have a kitchen to cook in! ⇠
5. Are you a beach person or a mountain person?
Beach! I grew up near the beach and I am still obsessed with it. Unfortunately we did not visit the beach too often when we backpacking across Europe, but when we did, I LOVED IT. (Here’s a vlog of some California beach going. ?)
6. What’s in your emergency food stash?
I love snacking on cherry tomatoes. I always like grabbing a little box of those for train rides. I always have Clif Bars in my backpack at all times. Bananas, nuts and let’s be honest, potato chips.
7. What has been your favourite vegan foodie destination so far?
I’m inclined to say my favorite vegan foodie destinations are ones that I had no clue had vegan options. It’s always nice to be pleasantly surprised by vegan options while traveling. When in Bilbao, Spain Keith walked into a bar that had (almost exclusively) vegan pintxos (like tapas). It made me so happy because it was unexpected and it was one of my first food experiences in Spain (a country everyone warned me wouldn’t be vegan friendly!) Another favorite is Santorini, Greece. I wasn’t well researched on vegan options in Santorini so when got our accommodations I didn’t know if there were going to be options. Turns out there were so MANY. I was constantly drinking smoothies, eating salads and hummus. Life was good. & lastly, we spent a sightly longer times in Barcelona and Madrid so it was fun to find so many options there!
⇢ How to Eat Vegan in Barcelona ⇠
⇢ Vegan Guide to Madrid, Spain ⇠
8. Which country has been the most challenging as a vegan traveller?
France but at the same time we still found places to eat! HappyCow.net & the grocery store are your best friend! I found Europe (especially the big cities) to be very vegan friendly or if not, there is always falafel at the kebab shop.
9. What’s your favourite go-to meal to prepare on the road?
While on the road, and at home I love “one pot” meals. Saves on time, effort & clean up. Typically we will make stews with fresh vegetables from the farmers market, potatoes, veggie stock & beans. It’s a really nutritious, hardy dinner!
^^Pictured here^^ is a pesto dish we made while in Florence, Italy!
10. How do you stay healthy while travelling?
I still try to make exercising a priority while traveling whether it’s running, yoga or weightless exercises. I stay hydrated by drinking water. Walking instead of taking taxis to save money and get more exercise. And lastly knowing when to indulge. Even though I eat vegan doesn’t necessarily mean I eat healthy. I have my fair share of chips and french fries while traveling so it’s about balancing it out with veggies for the next meal.
I hope this series of questions helped to learn more about me and my vegan travel experiences.
Thank you again, Wendy for nominating me!
Do you have any questions about vegan travel? Feel free to leave them in the comments down below!
– Christina
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