{"id":22617,"date":"2016-06-28T15:22:54","date_gmt":"2016-06-28T15:22:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hostelworld.com\/blog\/?p=22617"},"modified":"2026-09-17T00:20:54","modified_gmt":"2026-09-17T00:20:54","slug":"vegetarian-vegan-travel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hostelworld.com\/blog\/vegetarian-vegan-travel\/","title":{"rendered":"The Ultimate Guide to Travelling the World as a Vegetarian"},"content":{"rendered":"

I’ve been a vegetarian for over ten years now, and navigated the\u00a0strange new cuisines of\u00a017 countries and counting. I’ve discovered insanely tasty veggie and vegan dishes everywhere from Buenos Aires to Budapest. But even after so many\u00a0successful\u00a0veggie adventures, every time\u00a0I step into a new country there\u2019s always that doubt that\u2019s eating\u00a0me from inside: is THAT meat-free?
\nI’ve learned a lot on my travel, so I’d like to share some tips and tricks that will help my fellow vegetarians travel around the world as happy as a clam (or should I say \u2018yam\u2019?). I don\u2019t know about you, but for me being happy is closely related to eating well. When travelling some place new, most veggies search out the coolest veggie restaurants (more about how to do this later), but I’m passionate about being able to eat good food absolutely anywhere, not just in veggie restaurants. Read on for tips on how to eat where the locals eat as a veggie.
\n\"Vegetarian<\/p>\n

Vegetarian food on the plane? YES WE CAN!<\/h2>\n

Let\u2019s start at the beginning: If your flight is only a couple of hours long, then I recommend bringing a snack for the plane\u00a0and eating your meal at restaurant at the airport or in your destination – more choice, better taste.
\nFor longer flights, you’ll want to customise your in-flight meal. Pretty much every airline will give you this option – just go to their website after you’ve booked your tickets and select from a variety of alternatives including vegetarian, to vegan and even gluten\/nut\/lactose free dishes. It won’t cost you a penny, and the best bit is that\u00a0you’ll get your food first before\u00a0anyone else on the plane. So by the time they finish serving all the other passengers, you\u00a0could already be fast asleep.<\/p>\n

Do you speak Vegetarian?<\/h2>\n

Besides learning the basics of a language such as \u2018hello\u2019, \u2018please\u2019, \u2018excuse me\u2019, and \u2018thank you\u2019, it\u2019s\u00a0essential\u00a0to also learn how to say \u2018vegetarian\u2019. This way when\u00a0you’re starving you don\u2019t need to ask in perfect hungarian \u2018Is this dish vegetarian?\u2019, you can just\u00a0point to something and say \u2018vegetarian?\u2019.
\nIf you’re planning to spend a little more time in a destination (I usually spend at least a month in a new country) it’s worth\u00a0learning some other basic keywords related to food. But don’t focus on the vegetables – there are too many – instead,\u00a0try to learn\u00a0the\u00a0main words for meat. So\u00a0when you\u00a0find \u2018csirke\u2019 on a menu in Budapest, or \u2018poulet\u2019 in Paris,\u00a0you’ll know that there\u2019s chicken in it. This can be really useful if the person serving you doesn’t know that vegetarians don’t eat chicken or fish (and we know this is more common than not!).
\nThis vocab will also help you out at\u00a0the supermarket, when you’re looking for something tasty to impress your new friends in the hostel kitchen. Unlike\u00a0in a restaurant, there’s often nobody around\u00a0to ask for help\u00a0so knowing the words for “chicken” or “beef” will be even more useful. Still not sure if there\u2019s meat in something? Check the ingredients and, when in doubt, Google Translate!
\n\"Vegetarian<\/p>\n

Essential apps for globetrotting veggies<\/h2>\n