Caitlin Galer-Unti, the author of The Essential Vegan Travel Guide, shares invaluable advice on vegan travel with her guide. An excerpt:
I’ve been vegan since 2008. As a lifelong vegetarian, I thought that I was doing everything I could for animals. I decided to go vegan after reading about the cruelty of the egg and dairy industries. At the time there was no such thing as a vegan travel blog and apart from Happycow I had no clue how to find vegetarian or vegan restaurants. So two years ago I decided to write the book I wish I’d been given when I went vegan, to explain how to find vegan food anywhere in the world.
Top Vegan Destinations of 2016
Berlin, Germany
Berlin is fast becoming known as a vegan capital of the world. With 26 fully vegan restaurants and counting, Berlin has something that will suit all tastes – from raw and healthy newcomer Café Laauma to vegan creperie Let it Be. Berlin is also home to “vegan street” (Schivelbeinerstrasse), a block-long stretch in Prenzlauerberg which hosts Avesu, a vegan shoe shop, Dear Goods, a vegan clothing and bag store, Veganz, a vegan supermarket and the attached Goodies Café.
Vegan brunch at Pele Mele, Berlin, Germany
London, England
England was the birthplace of Donald Watson, The Vegan Society and the vegan movement, and London is naturally host to a large vegan scene. From old favourites like Manna (London’s oldest vegetarian restaurant, now turned vegan) to Mildred’s (an extremely popular vegetarian restaurant in Soho, which always necessitates a long wait to get a table), and now newcomers like Kabaret @ Karamel, a vegan bar, London has a thriving vegan scene. London also boasts the largest vegan social group in the world, the London Vegan Meetup [www.meetup. com/londonvegan/], which has vegan events nearly every day.
Churros with a trio of dipping sauces: chocolate, sea salt caramel and vodka-soaked cherries at Terre a Terre, Brighton, England
San Francisco, California, USA
From the hippies of Haight-Ashbury in the 60s to the gay scene in recent years, San Francisco has always had a progressive vibe. Nowadays, San Francisco is notable for its vegan scene. Millennium Restaurant, considered by some to be the best vegan restaurant in the world, is located in Oakland, just outside San Francisco. San Francisco also boasts gems like Gracias Madre, a vegan Mexican restaurant, as well as being the headquarters of vegan magazine VegNews.
Taipei, Taiwan
Taipei might not be the frst city that springs to mind when considering vegan destinations, but with some reports saying 40 percent of the population practices vegetarianism at least part of the time (mainly for religious reasons, following Buddhist practices), it’s very vegetarian and vegan-friendly. Vegetarian restaurants grace nearly every block, so you’re never far from veggie food. Buffet restaurants are popular, and for breakfast you can pick up fresh-cut tropical fruit from a market or a fruit stall on the street. Beware that mock meats may contain egg or milk extract, so best to steer clear of those and stick with well-known dishes (like vegetable or tofu) unless you can confrm. Food is also inexpensive compared to the US or Western Europe, and you can dine in highclass style at Yu Shan Ge, popular with Taiwanese celebrities, and eat a 9-course meal for around $30.
Ice cream at the all-vegan ice cream parlour Veganista, Vienna, Austria
New York City, New York, USA
In New York, you can fnd just about any cuisine you’d ever want – including a huge selection of vegetarian and vegan food. From a vegan cheese shop, Dr. Cow Tree Nut Cheese, to a vegan shoe shop, Moo Shoes, New York has it all. Want a vegan coat? Vaute Couture, a highend vegan coat line, is also based in New York. And naturally, you can dine on some of the best vegan food in the world at restaurants like Candle 79.
Glasgow, Scotland
Glasgow was named the UK’s most vegan-friendly city by PETA in 2013. Glasgow boasts everything from fully-vegan bars like the Flying Duck and Mono to vegan haggis fritters (non-vegan haggis is made from sheep’s stomach) at Saramago Café.
Chiang Mai, Thailand
While “jay” restaurants (“jay” is the Thai Buddhist form of vegetarian/ vegan which normally excludes garlic and onion as well as animal products) abound throughout Thailand, Chiang Mai, with its large expat population, is also home to raw food restaurants, macrobiotic cafes, and healthy salad bars. Thailand also holds a vegetarian festival every year over a ten-day period, normally falling in September or October. Some participants engage in self-mutilation as a form of religious rite (for example piercing their cheeks with knives), and vegan food is widely available throughout the festival period, with many restaurants and street vendors selling “jay” food, as many people go vegetarian for the duration of the holiday. Phuket is said to have the widest and best selection of vegan food at this time.
Barcelona, Spain
Barcelona’s vegan scene is growing quickly and surprising many in a land that worships chorizo and jamon (ham, which is liberally put on just about everything in Spain). In addition to old favorites like upscale restaurant Teresa Carles, Barcelona’s burgeoning vegan scene now counts a vegetarian and vegan pizzeria, Dolce Pizza y los Veganos, a vegan and mostly gluten-free bakery, Pastisseria La Besneta, a vegan shoe shop, Amapola, and four vegan grocery stores.
Vegan macrobiotic plate at 2Y restaurant, Barcelona, Spain
Portland, Oregon, USA
Birthplace of the vegan mini mall, which houses a vegan grocery, a vegan bakery, and a vegan tattoo parlor, Portland has long been hailed a vegan mecca. From vegan food carts to vegan donuts to a vegan strip club (yes, really), Portland really does have it all – vegan-style. It’s also fairly standard to encounter vegan options on most non-vegetarian restaurant menus.
Caitlin’s Tips for Vegan Travel:
- Always have some backup food in case of emergency, like dried fruit and nuts or Lara bars.
- Look up restaurants in advance or download an vegan restaurants app, using resources like HappyCow, Vegman and Vegan Xpress. And don’t forget to check when they’re open in some places EVERYTHING closes on Sundays!
- Get in touch with local vegans (for restaurant suggestions and to meet new people) via social networks (tag posts and Tweets with vegan + your destination, e.g. #veganberlin or #veganlondon) or Couchsurfing.
Fika (coffee and cake hour) in Stockholm, Sweden
Emergency Vegan Recipe: Couscous in a coffeemaker
Equipment needed: hotel room coffeemaker or kettle, bowl, plate and fork or spoon.
1. Supermarket: Buy couscous, your favorite vegetables and beans, and a sauce or spice mix if you want.
2. In hotel room: Heat water in the coffeemaker until as close to boiling as possible, then pour over a bowl of couscous. Put the plate on top of the bowl so the couscous cooks for several minutes. You can steam vegetables as well, in an inch or so of water in the glass coffee jar. Put them on the heat until they have steamed through. Add beans and you have a flling meal!
Caitlin Galer-Unti is a vegan food and travel writer originally from the U.S. and currently living in Barcelona, Spain (after a 7-year stint in London). She’s traveled to 30 countries (and counting) and blogs about the vegan food she finds around the world at theveganword.com, which has been featured on The New York Times and Yahoo!. The Essential Vegan Travel Guide is her first book. You can follow Caitlin for her latest travel guides on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.