They are on the road and have been for the past 10 months, traversing across our great planet. Unlike the thousands who do the same, Vegan Backpacker – a married Canadian couple – do so with a solid conscious. They are vegans and have been enjoying fine vegan dining across the planet. So often, we hear that it is impossible to not eat meat in this location or that location, but these two have been proving this myth false from South Africa to Europe to Egypt and now into Asia. In order to inform the planet, they started veganbackpacker.com – a website designed to promote and show the world that being vegan does not have to be difficult and can be done in even those cities and towns one might not think has options. We sat down with them, or rather Jill, as she does most of the writing and John gets to enjoy the eating – and discussed their trip and travels. Bikya Masr: How long have you guys been traveling and what would you tell people who are going to try the same? Vegan Backpacker: We've been traveling since the start of January 2010, which puts us right about the nine month mark. My advice for other backpackers would be to make a budget and do your best to stick to it. Don't rush things; travel slowly and enjoy each place you visit. Also, don't get wrapped up in the concept of “must see” attractions. At this point in our trip, the people we've met along the way have been much more memorable than the the monuments and churches we've seen. For the vegan travelers, I'd say don't stress out about finding food. Vegan food is everywhere. The staples (vegetables, fruit, grains, nuts and seeds) are easy to find. Enjoy the more exciting options when they are available, and stick to basic, healthy options the rest of the time. Don't let it get to the point where you are stuck somewhere without food. Always pack a meal for long bus, train and plane rides. And keep an emergency stash of nuts, granola bars and other calorie dense food available at all times. For more advice, read my blog post about 5 tips for vegan travel. BM: What prompted you to start Vegan Backpacker? VB: We started the Vegan Backpacker blog because we wanted to show people that it's easy and fun to be a vegan and travel. We are learning so much about vegan food options around the world, it would be a shame not to share our discoveries with other vegan travelers. BM: Often, people say that many cities do not offer any vegan options. What has been your experience? VB: This is not true. Most cities have at least one vegetarian restaurant, or several restaurants that are willing to accommodate special requests. The Happy Cow restaurant index is a great place to start. Combine their listings with my guide to ordering vegan food at any restaurant and you'll be well on your way to finding a good meal. Even in Buenos Aires, Argentina, a city know for its steak, we found many restaurants and cafes serving up delicious vegan food. If you find yourself visiting a small town where your choices really are limited, try to arrange for accommodations where you'll have access to a kitchen and can make a nice meal using local produce. BM: When you were in Cairo, you mentioned a lot of people you have met on the way. How has it been tracking down other vegans in different places? VB: Couch Surfing has connected us with vegans and vegetarians in many of the cities we've visited. We've had lots of fun meeting vegans and vegetarians and are always grateful for their recommendations. In major cities, sometimes we need help narrowing down our options. In small towns, we're grateful for the local knowledge of where to find the one and only bakery in town offering up vegan treats. BM: What has been your most memorable meal? VB: This is such a hard question. Perhaps even harder than answering the many questions we get from family and friends about which country or city was our favourite. I can't name just one, but I can share a few links to memorable meals. We had a great time eating at Alma Zen in Lima, Peru, Google Campus in Dublin, Ireland, Manna V in London, England, and Cafe Vux in Berlin, Germany. BM: Have you run into any cultural problems in the places you've traveled? VB: Not really. In some countries and cities, people have no idea what it means to be vegan. So we typically shy away from using this word and say we are vegetarian but also don't eat milk, cheese, butter, eggs, or any other product from an animal. BM: What will be the future of vegan backpacker after you end your journey? VB: We've done so much traveling and eating, it we will likely be a few months into 2011 before I finish writing about all of our eating adventures. After that, I'll continue featuring guest posts from other vegan travelers. In the future, I hope to share some interesting recipes we learned along the way, and create more resources to help vegan backpackers. BM
