Traveling Abroad as a Vegetarian: Tips For Health and Survival

If you are a strict vegetarian or vegan, you probably already know that eating out at restaurants can be tricky when it comes to finding something edible on the menu (doubly so if you have food allergies).  When traveling abroad, you'll find that this difficulty is amplified, partly because you're in a new environment without your favorite go-to eateries (unless you like McDonald's, they're literally everywhere!), and you probably won't be able to read much of the menu if it's in a foreign language.  Marina and I aren't even super-strict vegetarians, and it's often pretty difficult to find good healthy options at meal-time for us.  But, we have learned some things in our two trips abroad that may prove helpful for first-time travelers, or those who are recently changing to a healthier diet.  Most importantly, it's good to think about how flexible you'll be with your diet--for example, whether you're comfortable eating some baked goods with eggs, or if you'll allow more carbs or calories than your normal daily intake.  This will help determine how easy it's going to be to find food at restaurants versus grocery stores.
Before you leave for your trip, do some research on the restaurants and their menus in the cities where you'll be visiting.  We try to think ahead when looking for restaurants in big cities--for example, you may find a place that looks absolutely incredible, but it's quite far outside the city limits with nothing else interesting around it.  Unless the primary purpose of your trip is to visit lots of restaurants, it's probably not worth the amount of time it will take to get there and back just for one meal.  Instead, look on Google, Yelp or TripAdvisor for options around your hotel, and any museums or neighborhoods you plan to explore--chances are you're going to get hungry multiple times during the day, especially if you're doing a lot of exploring on foot.  Be sure to check the hours places are open, too--it's no fun when you're hungry and you've spent 15 getting to a restaurant that's not open!

After spending a total of four weeks in Europe and trying restaurants in Paris, Munich, Milan, Bellagio and Basel, we've concluded that for our travel style, lack of foreign language expertise, and dietary choices, dining at sit-down full-service restaurants is not often a pleasurable experience.  Firstly, we don't generally like to spend more than an hour at a meal (unless a family event etc), which is common for Americans but not for most Europeans--especially when we are traveling, while we want to enjoy our food and a moment of rest, we know our time to explore is limited and that we must keep moving in order to maximize the number of things we can do on our trip.  After all, that's primary reason we are taking the trip!  We're also not fluent in any language besides English, which makes deciphering a menu (and learning which items contain meat, dairy etc.) very difficult.  We've also blindly ordered dishes that weren't cheap and turned out to be pretty small, or worse, not at all fresh.  On the other hand, shopping at grocery stores and pre-made or take-away places allows you to see what you're buying, and whether the ingredients look good and fresh.  TIP: If you're going to try your luck at a restaurant, make sure you can communicate that you are vegan/vegetarian--check the translation on your phone ahead of time, and if needed use the translator for the menu as well.

There are lots of  reliable chains are for take-away, and with a little more effort you'll also find some great local ones, as well.  Some of our favorite chains from western Europe are Marks & Spencer, Pret a Manger, Manora, and Brioche Doree.  We also made great use of the various grocery chains, such as Coop, Migros, Conad, and Carrefour.  But, while these places can be easy to find on Google, we always recommend shopping with a local small business over a chain, given the choice.  TIP:  Unless you've already a meal and some snacks in your day-bag, any time you see a grocery store, fruit stand, or food market, stop and try to buy something (even if it's for later and you're not hungry at that moment)--especially in small cities where they will be fewer and much further between.  These pics above are a couple of small meals we whipped up at our hotels, from items we bought the day before.  A couple pieces of bread and an avocado or tomato, or some fresh fruit is such an easy snack, and you'd pay $10 at a restaurant for something that can be acquired at a grocery store for $5, plus you are saving loads of time doing the work yourself.  The only thing to consider is perishable items that must be refrigerated, which can limit your options if your hotel room doesn't have a fridge.  As you become more confident in shopping the grocery stores, outdoor markets, and take-away places, you'll also get more used to spotting good places to set up your picnic dining areas.  For picnics, you don't want to block public sidewalks or business entrances, or sit in the middle of a manicured garden--look for groups of people already enjoying a public space without seeming obnoxious, public benches or covered areas away from cafes, and other areas that would suffer if you accidentally spilled your food. 

If you want to try some local made-to-order dishes, food courts can often make it easier to find food to please yourself and your travel-group, either in shopping malls or locally-owned restaurant collectives.  You might turn your nose up at the thought of eating in a mall, but they are clean, safe, and have bathrooms (and usually free wi-fi), plus a variety of dining options that should offer something for everybody.  Similarly, many cities have independent food court-type establishments that offer more varied options, often in a more 'hip' environment.  For example, Eataly in Milan, Klara in Basel, and Marche des Enfants Rouges in Paris.   Some cities also have neighborhoods that are packed with restaurants (and often bars), such as the Latin Quarter in Paris, the Navigli in Milan, and just about the entire city of Venice 😋.  Vegan folks will still have fewer options in any of these situations, but at least there is a staff to answer questions about food-prep methods and ingredients.

Planning meals and snacks ahead of time is also of great importance when taking flights and long train rides.  Contained food is almost always allowed in these situations, and assuming you have the time, grabbing something on your way to or inside of the train station or airport ensures that you won't be caught hungry between connections!  Of course, the food options in airports and train stations aren't guaranteed to be fresh or healthy, so still be on the hunt for grocery stores and fruit stands.



Lastly, if you try to eat mostly Certified Organic foods, look for the work "Bio" which generally indicates the equivalent of Organic here in the USA.  Countries may have differing laws regarding what qualifies as Bio, so if you are personally strict with the foods you eat, researching those laws in advance is best.


We hope this information is useful or at least encouraging for folks nervous about international travel--it is definitely possible to enjoy other countries and cultures while eating a healthy vegetarian or vegan diet!  Think about it from the reverse perspective, if you were a foreigner visiting your own home town, and how (not) easy it is to immediately find your "go-to" places, without already knowing the locations.  But, with a little research ahead of time, and being flexible with when and where you enjoy your meals, you'll have no trouble sticking to your diet and exploring new and amazing places.

Thanks so much for reading, feel free to write comments or questions below, and travel safely!