I am super happy with my choice to be vegan every day and have never regretted my decision once

Abbie is a Geography teacher. She enjoys eating around the world on a vegan diet. She has been to over 20 countries, chasing waterfalls and ascending endless mountains in Canada, exploring the Scottish Highlands, and surfing in Indonesia. Meatless Movement recently had a chat with her.

Please tell us more about yourself

My name is Abbie and I am from the UK! I have been vegan for almost five years and was vegetarian for six months prior to this. I chose to be vegan for ethical reasons.

Everything will be okay in the end. If it’s not okay, it’s not the end.
Abbie

When first going vegan I thought that is was the worst decision I ever made! I didn’t know what to eat or how to cook anything! I tried lots of plant milks and didn’t like them at all! I even tried water in cereal… I would not recommend that either.

Life’s an adventure! Take risks!
Abbie

I would always recommend people try a variety of brands and products to find one they like the mos. People often try one and give up.

My go to is Califia Farms barista oat milk. https://califiafarms.co.ukCalifia Farms UK

If you are waiting for someone to travel with you, you may end up waiting a lifetime… so don’t wait!
Abbie

After a couple of weeks I found it a lot easier as I started to learn different recipes and started to experiment with food! I would highly recommend new vegans start with veganizing their favourite dishes. I would also recommend following vegan pages to help you identify products that are vegan! I love @accidentallyvegan and @thevegankind.

Go wild, for a while
ABBIE

The most difficult thing I found was travelling! I travel a lot and at first I really struggled with language barriers and no eating for long periods due to not being able to find vegan food! I spent a lot of long flights not eating! One trip I only ate bread for an entire weekend!

I have found things considerably easier over the years as I know where to expect issues and I can plan to avoid them. Airports can be tricky so make sure you take your own food and also flights have limited options so buy snacks to take with you on flights! This depends on the country! Most western counties it’s very easy to find things in airports.

When going to places that have low vegan populations or have few vegan restaurants I would try to stay in an Airbnb with a kitchen. This way I can get veggies, pasta and fruit from the shop and make meals to take out or eat in the accommodation! This makes things a lot easier if there is also a language barrier.

Not all those who wonder are lost 💕
ABBIE

I would also recommend figuring out options for when you arrive in a new location! I always use the app HappyCow! It is a life saver! It allows you to see vegan/vegetarian restaurants in a local area and there are lots of reviews and pictures for restaurants. It also tells you restaurants with options if you are in a group with people who do not want to try vegan/ vegetarian restaurants.

If I was to say it’s easy and you would face no issues that would be a lie! But you can take steps to ensure you avoid inconvenience. I personally don’t have many problems finding great vegan food. On my travel page I aim to help vegans see different eateries over the Uk and other parts of the world.

Feeling peaceful 🧘‍♀️ Reflecting on life
ABBIE

I am super happy with my choice to be vegan everyday day and have never regretted my decision once. I have had some challenges, but continue to travel fairly easy being vegan! I think a lot of people feel overwhelmed tracking and being vegan, but I hope this can help people when starting out!