10 ways to manage vegetarian food during international travel!

Many of my readers and friends and relatives have asked this question- how do I manage food while on travel? Hence I feel a post is due. Being vegetarian, surviving abroad is not as easy as in India but not impossible.

This post shares how I manage my food while travelling abroad. However, please note that my situation is simplified because of following reasons
1. Most of my trips are short duration- like 1 week max. Human beings can survive without food for 7 days as per science. So that is my worst case scenario- I can still come back alive even if I don't get to eat anything throughout the entire trip- at least I hope so.
2. Most of my trips are solo. I do not have any special requirements (like baby food, medicines for senior citizens, or large group/family etc)
3. Most of my trips are centered around a city. Haven't done multi-day long treks or solo travel into extreme interiors

If your travel profile doesn't suit above- like if you're trekking for weeks in deep interiors, or staying for several months abroad or travelling with large group with diverse food requirements etc then it may be more complex than what I manage. Assuming your case is similar to mine, read on.

Vegetarian Food Options while travelling abroad
1. Indian Restaurants- The obvious choice, if available. Indian restaurants can be found in almost all major cities in the world, wherever there is good chance of Indians staying or visiting. I have found Indian restaurants in NJ, Copenhagen, Brussels, Bergen and many world cities. However, I didn't find them in Manila, Cebu, Puerto Princessa etc. In capital cities you might just find one, unless the country has not much Indian connection. It gets hard if you go to Tier 2/3 cities in a foreign country.

Amsterdam, Netherlands

 Copenhagen, Denmark

 Bergen, Norway

 One more in Bergen, Norway

Many Indian restaurants abroad often adapt to local preferences and customers- so the offerings and taste many not be exactly as you get in Indian. Still they are the best bet if you can find one in your destination city.

Most Indian restaurants abroad are veg+non veg. But usually they understand what Indian vegetarian means and can offer some bare minimum stuff- like rice and curd or salad etc. Finding pure veg (like Saravana Bhavan etc) needs little more luck.

Note that many restaurants owned/operated by Pakistanis and Srilankan folks also sometime pose as Indian Restaurant- my guess is because they can get lot more customers that way (Probably more Indians are travelling abroad on any given day than entire population of Pakistan or Srilanka)

Many European restaurants open very late- close to lunch time. Don't count on them 100% for breakfast. Details here

TripAdvisor usually offers a good list of restaurants in any city.

2. Veg Restaurants; Going Vegan is getting more popular by the day. Several cities have pure veg restaurants, which are our next best option. Usually you can get some rice and curry or some salads and such stuff that is easy to make, in case nothing on the menu appeals you. Puerto Princesa had one

Above: My food at Ima's Vegetarian restaurant, Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines
Below: Radha Rane Veg Restaurant, Kaunas, Lithuania


Real Food cafe in Singapore is another example.

 

Happy Cow app helps find vegan restaurant near you

3. Nepali Restaurants: If not Indian, some cities have Nepali restaurants, whose food habits are a bit similar to Indians (I found one in Helsinki). 

Below: My Veg biriyani at a Nepalese restaurant in Helsinki, Finland

4. Subway: When it is hard to find #1 to #3, Subways are good places to grab a quick byte. Because the subs are custom made, you can request them to make a veg one by using only wheat base, vegetables like tomato, cucumber etc. A sub can cost as much as a meal but I find it more reliable than hunting for McDonalds or other chains and hoping for veg food.

5. Request for vegetarian food: Many restaurant staff in Europe are very friendly. If you explain your situation, they will be try to help you out. When in Roskilde, Denmark, a restaurant owner told me that his staff will be embarrassed if he asks them to make a burger without beef (which is deemed standard there) but he said he can make a veg pizza for me- as the base is same and he can avoid non-veg toppings. Similarly Chains like McD or Burger King usually agree to make a veg version if they don't already have one- this depends on country to country.

In Asian countries, language barrier might prevent you from having a proper conversation to explain your situation. Also in some countries they don't realize that fish oil or egg is not vegetarian. Gets difficult unless you can make a proper conversation or have a host to help you out.

 

I can use a translator app to ask for rice n salad without meat, fish, egg etc and usually staff understand and provide the same.

6 Fruits, vegetables, including tender coconut

Apples, Oranges and Bananas are three fruits usually available all over the world. Guaranteed vegetarian and cheap and sure shot way of quenching immediate hunger. Tender coconut is easily available in most asian countries- drinking a few of them usually gives you good energy to keep going. Needless to say these are my favorites- a separate post is under draft to share my experience finding coconut water around the world. Walking in a local market may get you many eatable stuff- raw mangoes, jack fruit, cucumber, ground nuts and so on. I use these as secondary food, but in worst cases where #1 to #5 doesn't work out, can spend a day or two with these along with #7

7. Supermarkets/Convenience stores: Biscuits, noodles and chips

There are 7/11 stores in most Asian countries. Supermarkets can also be found in cities without much difficulty. If you're lucky you will get ready to eat Veg noodles in a cup, which store staff will cook for you by adding hot water. Biscuits/chips/ buns with coffee/tea are also good for emergency relief. Donuts are also available in many stores- but at times will contain egg.

 

Most supermarkets in Asia also sell pre-cooked rice, which they heat again in microwave and delivery. I can have them with curd and pickle (carried from India)

8. Hostels with kitchens- cook your own stuff
Many hostels around the world have a kitchen facility where guests can cook something. If you feel above options may not work for you, you can carry a few packets of noodles/MTR ready to eat, rice and cook your own meals in hostel kitchens. This will add a kg or two to you luggage but will save lots of money and inconvenience. If you're staying long term in a rented apartment self-cooking is best bet. Vegetables like Potato, Tomato etc are available in most supermarkets world wide if you wish to cook some sambar also.

 

Many countries have Indian grocery stores where you can buy rice, MTR ready to eat and other essentials needed to cook some meals

9. Couch-surf/AirBnb with veg hosts:
Book your stay with hosts who are vegetarian or can offer vegetarian food. If you can identify such accommodations and if your host is willing you provide food at least once per day, you can easily manage rest of the day outside. Just ensure that the idea of veg food is same for you and your host.

10. Make the most of buffet breakfast at hotel: 
If you're staying at the hotel that offers buffet breakfast, it will usually have enough veg options - including cereals, fruits, bread toast and jam etc. Eating as much as you can can keep you going till evening.

Additional tip: Carry some food with you while traveling, if situation permits and if you prefer. Particularly if you're arriving in odd hours, lot easier to eat what you brought than scambling for a veg restaurant. Warning- if you’re crossing international border you may have to declare food stuff in customs card. Not doing so may result in penalty.

Below is a quick list of how easy/difficult it was to find veg food in various countries I have been to so far

#	Country	Cities	Ease of finding veg food	Remarks
1	Australia	Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney, Gold Cast, Brisbane	Easy	Stayed with friends, but Indian restaurants/veg food is not hard to find Hostels with kitchen access Read more
2	Belgium	Brussels	Easy	Indian restaurants available
3	Chile	Santiago, Valparaiso	Difficult	Lived mostly on hotel breakfast
4	Denmark	Copenhagen, Roskilde	Easy	Many Indian restaurants Full details here
5	Finland	Helsinki	Easy	Found a Nepali restaurant
6	Germany	Berlin, Frankfurt	Easy	Burger King served veg burger
7	Hong Kong	Hong Kong	Easy	Many Indian restaurants
8	India	Several	Very easy
9	Indonesia	Bali	Medium	Indian restaurants available
10	Lithuania	Kaunas, Vilnius	Medium	Indian restaurants available
11	Macau	Macau	Easy
12	Malaysia	KL, Melaca	Medium	Indian restaurants available
13	Maldives	Male, Gan	Medium	Indian restaurants available
14	Netherlands	Amsterdam	Easy
15	Norway	Bergen	Medium	Indian restaurants + subway
16	Philippines	Manila, Cebu, Palawan	Difficult
17	Singapore	Singapore	Easy	Nalan * Banana Leaf Apolo
18	Srilanka	Colombo, Male, Kandy, Sigiriya	Medium	Easy in Colombo, little tough in other cities like Male/Kandy. Read more
19	Sweden	Malmo, Hensingborg	Difficult	Day visit only, managed with fruits, ice cream etc
20	Switzerland	Geneva, Interlaken	Easy	Indian restaurants available
21	Thailand	Several	Medium	Easy in big cities, tougher as you go interior/tier 2/3 cities
22	USA	NJ, NY, Miami, SF, LA, Vegas, SD, Washington	Easy	Stay with friends/relatives Indian grocery stores+kitchen access, Vegas restaurants

Updated, June 2019

23	Bahamas	Nassau	Difficult	Indian Restaurant available, fruits, airbnb host
24	Colombia	Bogota	Medium	Indian Restaurants available, hostel kitchen
25	Panama	Panama city	Difficult
26	Costa Rica	San Jose	Easy	Indian Restaurants available
27	Canada	Vancouver	Easy	Hostel with kitchen + Indian grocery stores
28	Brunei	Brunei	Medium	Indian restaurants available
29	Nepal	Kathmandu, Pokhara	Easy	Indian/Veg food easy to find
30	New Zealand	Auckland	Medium	Hostels with kitchen access Indian restaurants
31	China	Beijing Shanghai	Difficult	Fruits & vegetables Indian restaurants available but not many
32	UAE	Dubai	Easy	Indian restaurants
33	Japan	Osaka, Tokyo, Kyoto	Difficult	Indian restaurants available
34	Bhutan	Border village	Medium
35	Vietnam	Hanoi, HCMC	Medium	Indian restaurants, food, coconut Read more
36	Myanmar	Yangon, Bago	Medium	Fruits, coconut, Indian restaurants
37	Taiwan	Taipei, Liuqiu, Kaohsiung	Medium	Cook at hostel,Indian restaurants, fruits, tender coconut
38	Kazaksthan	Almaty	Easy	Indian restaurants, fruits
39	Malta		Easy	Indian restaurant
40	Romania			Cook at hostel

 

41	Albania	Tirana	Hard	cook at hostel
42	France	Paris
43	Portugal	Lisbon	Easy	Pani puri was available at bus terminal
44	Greece	Athens, Santorini	Easy

 

45	Italy	Rome, Venice
46	Spain	Madrid
47	Hungary	Budapest
48	Austria	Vienna

 

49	South Korea	Jeju, Busan, Seoul
50	Oman	Muscat
51	Bangladesh
52	Slovakia

 

53	UK	London, Edinburgh,	Easy	Cook at hostel, Indian grocery stores
54	Ireland		Hard
55	Vatican City		hard	Didn't try. Rome has Saravana Bhawan
56

 

Disclaimer: Above is based on my personal experience in the cities I visited during the time I visiting. Things are subject to change over time, please use your discretion.

Do you agree? Have you got any tips to manage abroad being a vegetarian? Any unique experience to share? Please comment.