How it started:
Just two linguistics nerds who love learning languages and traveling.
Our international adventure together began with three years living in Madrid, working as assistant teachers to fund our budget travels through Europe.
In 2018 our teaching contracts in Spain were up, and we needed to make moves. Armed with nothing more than the most basic Russian skills, not knowing much more about Russia than what stereotypes we had heard, we decided to move to Moscow and continue working as English teachers. Language immersion is by far the best way to learn a language, so it would be a great opportunity for both of us to improve our Russian.
To our surprise, we loved Moscow and ended up living there for two years, learning Russian and traveling through Russia in our free time. Though COVID necessitated a move back to the United States, we have continued to travel whenever we can. Since 2015, we have lived in or traveled to over 30 countries and have learned a lot along the way.
How Can We Help You Travel and/or Live Abroad as a Vegan?
We have been vegan the entire time we have been living and traveling abroad together. There are so many misconceptions about vegan travel that I’m sure all vegans are familiar with: “But isn’t it hard to be vegan in _____?” “What can you even eat at _____?” Jordan and I have traveled to 31 countries together and have found delicious vegan food, even in the most unexpected places. We’ve gotten pretty good at navigating menus and grocery stores, including in places where we don’t speak the language. We’ve heard hesitation from other vegans about traveling abroad, citing being scared about the possibility of finding (or not finding) food. Travel has enriched our lives and expanded our worldview in so many ways, and we don’t want the mistaken belief that there won’t be vegan options to stop anyone from enjoying their trips to the fullest. That’s why we started this blog.
We love learning languages, so between us we have (at least) conversational knowledge of English, Spanish, French, Russian, German, and Portuguese. We want to use our language skills to get excellent advice for anyone reading – to avoid language barriers and therefore make sure that our information is as accurate as possible, and to get a little more of an insider’s perspective in many of the places we travel.
Budget and “Local” living options
Many vegan blogs focus on vegan restaurants, which are delicious but not always the most budget friendly. We want to provide information not only about vegan restaurants, but also what vegan products can be found in supermarkets and shops worldwide – expect some international vegan junk food hauls in the near future. There will be information about the grocery store situation in each place.
We also want to help you explore the local food of each place by finding out what typical dishes can be enjoyed as-is, and what local foods you should try a vegan version of for a full cultural experience. We want to go to places where there is a lack of information about vegan food and figure out what to eat there so other vegans can travel stress-free. You shouldn’t have to choose between your morals and your desire to travel the world. We want to prove that we can be vegan anywhere, and so can you!
In the realm of budget traveling, we also love finding places to exercise outside, so we will include information about running routes and street workout equipment where applicable. Finally, we love hiking and backpacking, so we will also look into lightweight, easily rehydratable, and calorie dense options for wherever you want to do a long distance hike. Vegan food on top of a volcano? In the rainforest? On a glacier? You really can be vegan ANYWHERE!
If you want to see vegan supermarket hauls, travel tips, and more… watch this space!
Start here:
- Vegan Guide to Cuenca, Ecuador
- How to Visit the Amazon Rainforest for Less than $500
- The Trans-Siberian Railway – A Comprehensive How-to Guide
