[Bazooka]

I am planning to do an international vacation later this year. I and my wife are vegetarians. Access to vegetarian food is a priority for us. What are some of the veg-friendly international destinations that you would recommend?

P.S. - We've already gone to Bali.

[mazda4life]

Suggestion - why dont you browse the https://www.happycow.net/ ?...will answer most of your queries.

[tsk1979]

The world is a huge place with many countries. If you narrow down to where you want to go, it would help. Eg if you are visiting california, there are lots of veg only South Indian as well as North Indian restaurants, and even Thai/American restaurants have veg menus.

[GTO]

Am a pure vegetarian myself.

If travelling with parents, then it's best to go with an all-inclusive package tour from one of the famous guys (e.g. Kesari Tours).

If not with parents, then most of the popular destinations (USA, UK etc.) have ample options. However, you will inevitably still get fed up of "outside food". I need my home-cooked meals once a day hence:

- The big tour companies (example given above) have their own cooks for all the meals.

- Staying at a local apartment (with a friend or yourself) is preferred, so you can have one home-cooked meal a day. I prefer to eat home-cooked meals at least once a day. Cannot eat out for both, lunch & dinner.

- Jugaad. The last time I went on a cruise, got fed up of all the pizza & pasta. Spoke with the crew (70% Indian), and brokered a deal where every night, my dinner would be the fresh dal + vegetables they'd cook for themselves.

- Avoid countries famous for pure non-veg diets. Example, cousins who went to China came back looking like they'd gone for some fad diet.

[Shreyans_Jain]

Vegan restaurants is the answer. You’ll find them everywhere nowadays, be it in Europe or America. Also, you’ll find Indian restaurant chains in places with a large Indian diaspora. You’ll get pure vegetarian food along with flavours of home, though prices tend to be 3-5 times what we pay in India. Also, you can search if the place you are visiting has a gurudwara or ISCKON or Swaminarayan temple. Again, you’ll get pure veg food there.

Happycow app is a great resource to find pure veg or vegan restaurants. If you are really in a pinch and can’t find anything, look for the nearest Indian restaurant, ask for the chef, talk to him and build a bit of rapport, and ask him to cook a plate of dal rice or khichdi for you. Ask him to make it without onion and garlic, which will ensure he’ll have to make it fresh and separately. Also, it has been my observation that quality of fruits is much better out of India. When nothing is available, you can always have a large fruit platter for lunch. Filling, healthy and tasty.

[shankar.balan]

I appreciate this thread.

As others have said, as an Indian Tourist/ Traveller who has a distinct preference for pure veg food, it is best to ally one’s self with a good quality tour group and explore the world. They will ensure you get the food you are happy with.

There is nothing wrong with us Indians being specific and particular about our food preferences. I mean if an American can turn up in some part of the world expecting to get McDonalds and KFC and Coca Cola, then it is not wrong for us Indians to expect Dal Rice or Dosa when we travel.

Thankfully we have become much more confident than we were before and have no hesitation is asking for the things we want.

Anecdotally;
My Father is a 100% vegetarian though he is fine with all cuisines and doesnt mind egg in confectionery and things though he won’t (any longer) eat egg by itself.

He has travelled around many of the usual International Destinations of interest. South Asia, South East Asia, Middle East and Europe and all. No problem with food at all.

My Grandfather travelled in the 1950’s and 1960’s for work along with his owner/ MD of the family owned business group that he worked for. And in those early days he used to say, the customers and business associates in Europe and England and all, would go out of their way to ensure that they got the right food.

My Father in law used to travel all over the world for work in the 1970’s and 1980’s and all. But then he always travelled along with the owner/ MD of the family owned business group that he worked for and that gentleman used to ensure his personal cook used to travel with him along with the necessary ingredients and vessels. (That gentleman was a ‘big shot’.)

All this was when the world was much more insular than it is now.

Over the last 25 odd years of travel, more specifically in the last 15 years, I have travelled a lot with two of my dear friends and colleagues, promoting our products and services in several parts the world. Both of them are 100% pure veg with a clear preference for South Indian veg. (Egg also is not acceptable and Bread is not liked.)
So I used to make sure I did enough research beforehand and marked the locations of appropriate restaurants so that they could be looked after properly. And our business associates and customers too, were very helpful in this matter.

Now the world is no more than a global village. And everyone everywhere is happy to experiment with multiple cuisines. Hence the general availability of multiple cuisines across the world is much greater than ever before.

The only real challenges in pure vegetarian food are when one goes off the beaten track as a ‘Traveller’, more than a ‘Tourist’. And more so in specific ‘primarily non vegetarian’ countries like China and Mongolia and Central Asia parts of South East Asia and South America where the incidence of pure vegetarian options are very few and far between.

For such destinations, there are always the ubiquitous Haldirams or MTR Packets which some of our colleagues used to carry with them.

It is also worth noting that the large super markets and hypermarkets around the world are catering to our Indian diaspora with entire aisles containing Indian foods.

I don't really think that a Vegetarian will be forced to starve or struggle for food when travelling abroad in this day and age.

[libranof1987]

No recommendations on countries you can visit, but here are some tips that could help:

- Speak to the server / chef at the restaurant for vegetarian options, if you can't find anything on the menu. Most restaurants are very flexible when they realize you have a (sensible) request: eg. when you're a vegetarian, want food for a child or spice level. They can prepare the same dish without the meat, or substitute it with tofu

- Look for global chains like McDonalds or Pizza Hut and such, they always have non-meat options, even if very basic

- Veganism has become very popular in most countries, so look for those restaurants

- Check if the broth contains meat. Eg. while travelling in Latin America, we found that the only non-meat option was rice and beans, so we went ahead and ordered it. The chef came around a few minutes later to clarify that the beans were prepared in beef broth so weren't technically vegetarian

Similarly, some cuisines don't count chicken / egg as meat, so clarify

- As GTO said, you're very likely to find staff from the Indian subcontinent in most countries you travel to, so you can request them for food to your liking

You learn to appreciate just how valuable the green/red dots signifying veg/non-veg on food products in India really are, once you travel abroad.

[deathwalkr]

Originally Posted by libranof1987

Similarly, some cuisines don't count chicken / egg as meat, so clarify

Fish as well!

Our group in Greece had to stop over at a lovely scenic beachside restaurant. Absolutely picturesque.

Me and a few others were chatting up with the owner and he said he once had a bad experience with an Indian group and how he could not serve them veg food but now he has learnt and is fully prepared to serve both Veg and Non Veg.

We were seated in two groups, Veg and Non Veg.

First plate out of the kitchen was some fried stuff, asked the waiter and he said it's for the Veg table...it was fried calamari rings!

Turns out, the owner had prepared a full seafood menu for the Veg group!

Dude was aghast and really apologetic but goes to show just how different food choices and knowledge is around the world

And so yes, if you are really specific about Veg, please clarify beforehand and ensure it is as per your understanding and not theirs.

Subway is also a good choice if you are going to the popular tourist places. Italian pastas, pizzas, raviolis etc are delicious as well.

Sigh, i'm hungry now!

[PreludeSH]

Its better to ask even for a veg dish if they have used any paste, juice or sauce that has meat ingredients, mostly fish derived. Happens in East Asian countries a lot. A simple veg fried rice will not be pure veg.

Even in US when you go to Mexican restaurants you have to ask this Problem with vegan dishes/salads some times is they are not steaming hot which we like.

[DigitalOne]

One place where you will find it tough for vegetarian tourists is Japan. I and my wife visited last year.

Traditional Japanese or other Asian restaurants rarely have vegetarian options, and language will be a barrier. Some western chains do (e.g Subway) provide vegetarian options but you may have to hunt for these. Indian restaurants, of course provide vegetarian food but the options will be limited to roti/naan, curry, veg biriyanis. Indian restaurants are few, and you will be constrained to find them for lunch time in the middle of a packaged sight-seeing tour.

During the trip, we used to have a heavy, "bread-centric" buffet breakfast. For lunch, managed with banana/cookies/coffee etc in coffee chains, and hunt for Indian restaurants at the end of the day tour. Few people from our group brought theplas along, which was a good idea.

It helped that I know Japanese well. Both of us love Japan, and so we tolerated the minor pains . But I don't recommend it for vegetarians, unless you love the country.

[kbnissan]

Most of the major cities in the world would have veg restaurants.

For example, we were planning on a France visit in July this year. I found a lot of the Indian restaurants around the Gare Du Nord area.

Also, any major tourist city outside of the London / Paris / NYCs of the world would definitely have Indian restaurants.

Finally - one more option is to take AirBnBs which would allow you to cook your own meals in the way you want.

Happy travels!!!

[Bazooka]

Originally Posted by DigitalOne

One place where you will find it tough for vegetarian tourists is Japan.

Yes, I've heard this about Japan and even France. I will avoid these countries for now.

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by mazda4life

Suggestion - why dont you browse the https://www.happycow.net/ ?...will answer most of your queries.

I have this app on my phone. Probably the only one, after Angry Birds, for which I actually paid a small amount. It is a lifesaver when looking for restaurants that have vegan options.

[Behemoth]

We recently went to Vietnam and it is a great place for Indians as well as vegetarians. There are three main cities - Hanoi, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh (though these are 800 kms apart and you need to take a flight from each city to the other. Danang is at the centre and Hanoi is 800km to the North and Ho chi Minh is 800km to the South. In each city you can get almost 30+ Indian restaurants, with good vegetarian fare. It is also quite inexpensive. You can also get very nice suite hotels if you are travelling with your family and need multiple rooms. Flights are also relatively cheap and direct with Vietnam airlines.
The place we liked best was Da Nang and a place called Bana resort which is an amazing adventure resort on top of a hill. It is one of the best places I have seen ever!

If you are interested, I can share detailed itinerary - we made all our bookings on our own.

[Bazooka]

Originally Posted by Behemoth

If you are interested, I can share detailed itinerary - we made all our bookings on our own.

Yes, please. I would be interested.