Before I started my trip a few people asked if I would still stay vegan while travelling; sceptical that it was possible. In the early days of my last job, I remember talking to the director of the company about why I wasn’t eating meat, and she mentioned that she had a friend who was vegetarian but who later gave up the diet. I asked her why. She said “She went to Latin America”. Already this sowed the seeds of doubt as to whether I could remain vegan in countries such as Argentina, which is famous for steak.

However, I’ve travelled as a vegan in Mexico, a country where meat and dairy features heavily in the diet, and it wasn’t an issue. I didn’t starve and I rarely found myself hungry and desperately roaming the streets for something to eat. With a little preparation – such as looking up vegetarian restaurants in each city or town I visited – and a willingness to cook a lot of my meals, I was able to try a lot of interesting food and eat pretty well.

Food was one of my many worries about backpacking around the world. But a little research can go a long way. If I have WiFi I can just go on the HappyCow website, which is honestly a life-saver, and look up vegan/vegetarian restaurants in each city that I’m visiting. I then just type the addresses of various places into Google Maps and see which one is closest to where I’m staying. It’s through this website that I’ve been able to try a lot of new and amazing food. I also look up vegan travel blogs for recommendations on where to eat, or about local dishes which happen to be vegan by default.

To make sure I don’t get hungry while travelling (such as on long bus journeys) I always seem to have a ‘just in case’ supply of food with me; usually nuts. These are a good source of protein and fat, and if I eat enough of them they can definitely keep me going for a while. Dark chocolate and energy/protein bars are also good snacks to carry around. I tend to eat a lot of bananas as well.

Of course, there are bound to be mistakes made along the way, given the language barrier and the fact that veganism is sometimes not understood as a concept at all. For example, before the Mount Rinjani trek, I spelled out clearly to the tour operator what I can and cannot eat. Perhaps the request wasn’t made fully clear to the cooks or guide, but my first meal of the trek consisted of noodles, vegetables…and an egg. I had to be a bit less fussy since I was on a trek, so I just picked out the egg.

Another time, before going on a snorkelling trip, I said to the woman organising it that I don’t eat meat or eggs, to which she said “Okay, vegetarian, no egg”. When I was given my lunch the next day I took a bite out of something that looked like cabbage, but which turned out to be a fish ball. Since when is fish considered vegetarian? Well, as it turns out, because vegetarianism isn’t commonplace, fish isn’t really considered meat. And at a vegetarian buffet, I helped myself to some rice, and I was sure I could taste egg, and sure enough, it turned out to be egg fried rice.

I’ve learnt not to beat myself up about these mistakes and feel guilty about them. Sure, I found the taste of fish and egg a bit gross, and wish I didn’t eat it, but I view these mishaps as lessons on how to avoid similar situations in the future. Besides these few stumbling blocks, sticking to my diet has been a breeze. Not only has travelling as a vegan been easy (for the most part) but it’s also been a great way to try new dishes and flavours. I’ve enjoyed veganised versions of traditional food (burritos, tacos, kebab, meze platters, gyros, ‘chicken’ kievs and Chinese-style mock meats), vegan burgers and pizza, and desserts.

Some of the best meals I’ve ever had, not just as a vegan, but in general, I’ve had on this trip. From the amazing falafel in Berlin to the creative and health-conscious food in Ubud, eating out has definitely been one of my favourite things about travelling. Even though there are not as many vegetarian restaurants in Indonesia and Malaysia as, say, Berlin, it is easy to eat pretty much anywhere as a vegan.

In Indonesia I ate a lot of Gado-gado (rice, boiled vegetables and peanut sauce), fried tempeh and tofu, and Nasi Goreng with no egg (fried rice and vegetables), which is popular in Malaysia as well. I’ve tried many new and interesting kinds of vegetables and fruits so far and look forward to sampling what the rest of Asia has to offer. For me personally few things taste better than water spinach or morning glory sauteed with garlic. I could eat plate after plate of that stuff.

In Southeast Asia there’s no need to cook for yourself since food is so cheap. In Europe, on the other hand, eating out all the time can become expensive. I would cook for myself a lot, mostly the same kinds of meals: stir fry, vegetable and bean chilli, wraps and vegetable pasta. All pretty easy to make. Using lots of different vegetables, herbs and garlic (lots of garlic!) was enough to keep me from getting bored with them. Having said that, when I get access to a kitchen again I’d like to learn to cook at least one another dish. There’s definitely no shortage of vegan recipes online to choose from.

I’ve heard stories of people being vegetarian and vegan before travelling and then quickly giving it up. I understand that there can be challenges in ordering food, such as communicating your dietary needs, or not wanting to be perceived as difficult in front of others for avoiding certain foods. Travelling alone can be stressful enough, so why add another stress to the mix? Sometimes I think about how easy it would be to just say ‘Fuck it’ and go into the nearest KFC.

On the other hand, I still oppose using and killing animals for food and I don’t believe I have to become complacent about my principles just because I find myself in a different country. If anything, finding myself in a country where animal products feature heavily in the diet helps to remind me of the sheer number of animals that have to be exploited and killed to meet this demand.

Some people might say that I’m missing out by not trying the steak in Argentina or all of the sushi that Japan has to offer, but I don’t see it that way. I don’t feel like I’m missing out on these foods any more than I’m missing out on fish and chips or a roast dinner back home. For me, these foods carry with them ethical and environmental costs and I wouldn’t be able to stomach them knowing this.

The famous travel blogger Nomadic Matt has said “I understand why people want to be vegetarians and I really think it is great but for me, I’d think I’d miss out on too many cultural dishes by limiting my diet to just non-meats. After all, food is huge part of culture.” I can see where he’s coming from, but I can’t accept that as a good reason to eat meat, just because it is ingrained in the culture. You can make excuses for anything if you start invoking cultural relativism.

For example, someone I met in the hostel I stayed at in Granada went to see a bullfighting show, because it’s a part of Spanish culture. As an animal rights advocate, or even just as someone with eyes, I can see the cruelty involved in bullfighting. He went on to describe how this particular matador was a bit of an amateur and so couldn’t kill the bull instantly at the end. The animal had to be speared several times before it was finally put out of its misery.

Now I didn’t criticise his decision for going to see the bullfighting show, in the same way I don’t demonise people when they eat meat. It’s just not a polite and productive way to get your message across. I explained why I personally could not have gone to see it myself, which he understood.

If I ever found myself in a remote part of Mongolia, say, then I might have to eat some meat. I’m not saying I would jeopardise my health and my life for the sake of animals. However, I can’t think of any countries that people travel to where fruit, vegetables, grains, nuts and beans aren’t readily available. I think that wherever I decide to travel I can stick to a vegan diet; maybe even in Mongolia…