Laura Cody has been traveling the world full-time since 2013. She writes about her travels, vegan food, and more on her website Vegan Vs Travel. Read our full interview with Laura as she provides a glimpse into what it is like to travel full-time as a vegan.
Q: How long have you been vegan and what made you decide to make the switch?
I have been vegan since October 2016. Like many vegans there were multiple reasons that I switched, the most visceral being seeing a dog cut up for meat in Vietnam, and visiting 'one of the good' organic farms in Slovenia, where I saw for myself how badly cows are treated in reality.
Q: When did you decide to travel full-time and what was it like for you in the beginning?
I started travelling the world full-time in July 2013 just after I graduated. Travel has always been and continues to be, something that both inspires me and helps me grow.
Q: Tell us more about your website. What inspired you to create it?
After I'd been travelling for a year I founded the website Travelling Weasels, I love blogging but as Travelling Weasels didn't start vegan I thought it was more logical to start a new website rather than edit old posts.
Q: Can you name some of the most vegan-friendly cities you’ve visited so far?
Many European cities are up there: Berlin, Warsaw, Madrid, and London to name a few, I found Bangkok to be really easy to navigate for vegans, but by far the most vegan-friendly city I've been to was Tel Aviv.
Q: Is there a place that you find particularly challenging to visit as a vegan? Can you tell us about what made it difficult for you?
Italy and Japan were definitely my most challenging. The former because meat and cheese are so ingrained into the cuisine (which in turn is such a huge part of their culture). Japan simply because I can't speak Japanese, and usually when I visit a country where I can't speak the language, common sense usually works (aka that looks like that would have meat in it, that looks vegan etc). But with Japan that doesn't work - I thought I was safe with some plain old bread until I bit into it and found a little fish inside!
Q: What was the last place you’ve visited and how’s the veg food scene there?
I'm currently in Budapest and the vegan food scene is pretty decent here. They have some really yummy restaurants and the supermarkets are surprisingly well stocked with vegan favourites (lentils, tofu, vegan milks etc).
Q: What are some of the best vegan dishes you’ve had so far and where did you find them?
The best vegan burger I've ever had, and actually, the best burger I've ever had, was in Madrid.
Q: What’s your take on “don’t worry about money, just travel” advice? Any tips for people who want to travel but feel financially stuck?
I think anyone can travel for free - through hitchhiking, couch surfing and dumpster-diving. Maybe that's not how people want to travel but the advice "don't worry about money, just travel" still stands if you want to travel more than anything else you will travel with strangers and sleep on their couches and eat out of bins.
Q: Any tips or advice you can share with other vegan travelers?
Some days you might be stuck eating plain bread and Oreos, but don't ever let anyone tell you that you're missing out on a big part of travel. Sure you won't eat balut in the Philippines or guinea pig in Peru, but you will be travelling in a more ethical way than most (and you're much less likely to get food poisoning). Additionally, beef is the same no matter which country you eat it in. In a lot of ways, it's much more adventurous to travel as a vegan - you never know what you'll end up eating (but you will know it didn't come from something with a face).
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