Me at 20

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Thursday, 10 October 2019

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Today, I turn 20. Well that’s weird. No longer a teenager huh. When you’re younger ‘your twenties’ seems so far off, so alien. In your head you have an imaginary version of yourself, all hypothetical and adult – they have their shit together, they look and well, are, cool. And their feet reach the end of the bed. 


None of that happened. Now, 20-year-old me is real and still not very adult, and my feet still don’t reach the end of the bed.

I am now in my second year of uni. I won’t lie, it’s odd not being the newbies anymore. People ask me directions or questions about the uni projects I’m involved in and I know the answers. I love being back in Newcastle. And it’s great to be in a new house, out of first year halls and with new opportunities to explore new areas of the city more easily. I am feeling overwhelmed being back, even though it’s only been about three weeks (even if it’s only about 2 actually in uni doing stuff). It’s a very different overwhelmed than last year, though. Now, the place and most of the people are familiar to me, I just seem to have way more on my plate in terms of both academics as well as in other areas of my life.

My room is beginning to take shape. I’ve still got some prints to put up on my walls, but that’s the only thing that’s really left to do. They’re from some of my favourite films (as well as one of our Lady Goddess and Saviour Ruth Bader Ginsburg) so hopefully it’ll look really cool when I’m done. I’ve got books piled on every surface possible, my yoga mat permanently on the floor (and it’s not always covered with shoes and bits of paper!), and a plant pot waiting for an inhabitant (I accidentally killed its last one last year, so it’s now time for me to find Enid 2.0). 

I am still vegan, and can’t believe that it’s been nearly a year and a half. Obviously there have been hiccups along the way – none intentional, I might add – but every mistake is a learning curve and helps me improve next time I go somewhere. Let’s just say I now bring snacks everywhere and know to say ‘No cheese!’ when buying anything in Disneyland.  

In my birthday post last year, I mentioned that I was really focusing on trying to change my shopping habits to include less plastic and less fast fashion. And to be fair, I feel like I’ve been relatively successful in that. I will forever be a work in progress in this respect, as sometimes these things are unavoidable. I mean plastic is literally everywhere! I rarely buy clothes anymore, and when I do, most of the time they’ll be second hand or from more ethical high street stores (M&S you are my trouser fave), and very occasionally from smaller independent companies, although that’s very rare due to their prices (very rare as in not happened yet but it’s the goal). I’m currently saving up to buy a cool pair of ethically made trousers from one such company and I’m looking forward to trying it! With every item I now own, I try my best to wear over and over again. It’s definitely made me more creative and bold with my fashion choices. 

My hair is much longer than it was. Last year, it was still pretty short after the major chop I had done at the end of college. Since then I’ve only trimmed it every now and again, so that it now goes down to just below my shoulders. I love having it this length, it means that I can experiment with my hair - and by that I mean I am able to do Leia buns again!

This year, I am definitely more involved in uni outside of my studies. Last May I was elected Social Media Secretary for the Feminist Society – something that combines my two loves: feminism, and oversharing onlinesharing information about the issues I care about online. One of the first things I did with FemSoc was to start up a monthly Feminist Book Club. We held our first book club event two evenings ago, focused around Reni Eddo-Lodge’s Why I Am No Longer Talking to White People About Race. It went so well and has made me even more excited about the future of this book club and future FemSoc events coming up this year!

I’m also much more involved in a uni volunteer organisation called N.E.S.T. this year. NEST is a project which aims to empower refugees and asylum seekers in the North East through further education in the English language. I went along to lots of NEST sessions last year, but this year my friend and I are the kids’ leads. It’s become such a big part of my life now and I love it so much – I just can’t wait to get back into the swing of things!

In the past year, I’ve really had to figure out how to look after myself mental health-wise. I won’t go into detail but let’s just say it’s been a learning curve I’m still definitely learning from. Now I’m warier of watching my limits, keeping busy but not so much that I burn out, as well as watching any other factors which may have a significant effect in whatever way.

At this moment in my life I feel like I’m more certain of some things and less certain of others. With an emphasis on the latter. I feel like things are getting a tad more serious now, and that’s kinda scary. But hey, I guess I’ll just keep reading interesting books and getting excited about new vegan food and see how we go.

This is me, at 20. 



If you liked this post you might like: Me at 19

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My Advice to Uni Freshers

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Monday, 9 September 2019

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I'm about to start my second year of university, and I keep thinking back to this time last year when I was just about to move in and had no idea what to expect. I don't claim to be an expert on anything, we're all just fumbling our way through trying to make sure we eat and stay on top of reading. These are just a few things I've learned in the past year and which may be helpful to others.

Find your safe space

Whether that’s a coffee shop, bookshop, wherever. I have two. The first of thse was (and still is) a teahouse right next to my uni. It’s cosy, has some great vegan cakes and more tea than you could ever dream of, and quickly became my go to for practically everything. Meeting friends, a place to read, to kill time, to write a blog post, write an essay. I find it’s so good to have somewhere non-uni related that’s also not my flat (now house) to get away and chill.  The second is Tyneside Cinema, an independent cinema in the middle of Newcastle. I love films, and going to the cinema has always been one of my favourite things to do. My first year at university was the first time I actually went to the cinema by myself and now I go all the time. Okay, that may be partly because of the cheap tickets I’m able to get because of my age but I take full advantage of that because I love going somewhere and being completely absorbed in something else for a couple of hours. The point is that you should find somewhere which feels almost like a warm hug when you need one. 

Look online

The best friend I made at uni, I met online. I saw that she was doing the same course as me on Twitter on results day, followed her and messaged her later on. We had a conversation and met I think at some point in Freshers’, if not the next week. I’m so glad I met her, and if I hadn’t been stalking through my course’s tweets and likes we may not be the friends we are today (despite being on the same course, there are a lot of people you don’t meet even if you have all the same modules). 

You can also find lots of Facebook groups specifically for freshers. There you can find flatmates, other people in your accommodation and people doing your course. I didn’t have a Facebook account until about midway through the year, so I didn’t use those groups but I know that a lot of people found them useful. 

Get involved!

I love my course, don’t get me wrong. I find it interesting, I love debate and discussion and constantly finding out new things. However, some of my favourite things about uni is the extra-curricular stuff. I went to lots of events with the Feminist Society last year and this year I’m their social media manager – something which has given me a bit of purpose over summer as well as got me looking forward to events happening over the next year.

At the beginning of the second semester, I also got involved in a student-run organisation providing free English lessons for refugees and asylum seekers in the local area (as well as sports, trips and activities for children). This has been a huge part of my uni experience, having given me purpose and direction, and has ensured that I make better use of my time by actually getting out of bed at a decent time on the weekend. I’ve genuinely missed

There are so many volunteering opportunities available at practically every university, so you should be able to find something which suits your interests. And if there’s something you want to do which isn’t available? Then start up a society or organisation yourself! Your Student Union should provide you with support on how to do so. 

Explore the area

You may already know the location of your uni for whatever reason, but if you don’t then it’s a great opportunity to explore! There’s so much going on and so many new places and things to discover. Look up places on the internet and on social media before you go, and just have a walk about when you’re there. Even after you’ve been there for a while you’ll still be finding new things!

Use your common room(s)

As I study 2 subjects, I have access to 3 common rooms across the campus. This is actually so useful, and I didn’t quite realise it until later on in the year. I find common rooms useful, not necessarily for working (I end up chatting to people or getting distracted because it’s a more relaxed environment). So for me, they’re a good place to heat up and eat my lunch, get a drink (tea or water) or just somewhere to wait and read a book when I have a short amount of time to kill in between lectures. 

Bulk cook!

I cook a lot. I love it as an activity but it’s also cheaper, more nutritious and really tasty if you know what you’re doing. I always make sure I’ve got some lentil bolognaise and homemade tomato sauce in the freezer (as well as often some kind of veg curry) so that I can easily shove on some pasta and microwave the sauce and a meal will be ready super quickly and with hardly any effort. Of course sometimes it’s nice to have a ready meal every once in a while, but that’s just so unsustainable to do all the time (both in terms of money, nutrition and the environment). You can find loads of great recipes all over the internet – Jack Monroe’s website is a particularly source for all kinds of dietary requirements and amazing food. I’m gradually making my way through one of her cookbooks as well and they’re great!

Use libraries and charity shops as much as you’re able to

I am a huge advocate for the use of libraries and charities whenever possible. Textbooks can beare expensive, so if you’re able to keep a book out of the library as long as possible or find the ones you’re looking for in a charity shop for a much cheaper price, then go for it! This is probably a lot easier with humanities rather than sciences – I make no claim on any kind of knowledge on the latter. You’re much likely to find politics, history and literature books in charity shops rather than hardcore science texts. Although obviously they should have all the textbooks required in your university library. Sometimes the stock in the library doesn’t always fit the demand, and you’ll only have the book you need for a fraction of the time you need it for. What I’ve found useful is getting the books you need out early and taking pictures of the pages you need, and then looking over them whenever you need them.

Be open to meeting new people

There are people everywhere at uni, which can be overwhelming if you’re used to smaller places. It’s easy to latch on to the first people you meet and feel obligated to stick to them no matter what because they’re the only bit of familiarity that you now have, but often a week or so later you’ll barely speak to them. You’ll find your crowd, it may just take some time to get there.

It’s okay to feel sad or out of place, and it’s definitely okay to miss home (and to not miss home too)

Whatever feelings your having they’re valid. It’s a whole new situation and that takes some adjusting to. I was excited and happy to move out of my parents’ house and being living on my own (yes it’s not actually on my own but you know what I mean), but I still had moments of really missing my family, my cat, my friends from home… It can actually get really emotional. And that’s okay. It’s also okay to not miss home. And I’ve seriously missed Newastle when I’ve been back home. You can’t win!

Holidays will be hard, but you can hopefully figure that one out your own way

Uni holidays are long. So long. Suddenly you’re back at home after months away, not doing completely your own thing anymore – it can be a lot. I definitely found the readjustment back to living at home, even just temporarily, more difficult than the adjustment to actually starting uni, something no one had ever mentioned to me until I experienced it. I don’t have the answer for how to ‘do’ the holidays, if someone does then please let me know. 



If you liked this post you might like: 5 Kitchen Essentials as a Vegan Student

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August 2019 | Monthly Wrap Up

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Saturday, 31 August 2019

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How has it taken so long for August to finish? It feels like a freakin life time!!
Favourite part?

For some reason, it feels like I’ve done hardly anything this month, however I’ve actually been quite busy. 

Right at the very beginning of August my friend Charlotte and I went up to London to see our friend Lizzi in a preview of the show which she (and her company) brought up to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival about a week later. It was great and we were both so proud of her!

Depsite not having seen my friends as much as I would have liked this month, I’ve still seen them a few times, including a great long-awaited coffee catch up and an evening drinks turned spontaneous night out. 

My grandparents also came to visit us for a few days, which was absolutely lovely. We had a great day out in Winchester, looking around the cathedral and going to see the house where Jane Austen died (love a bit of Jane Austen tourism, my no.1 gal).


The next Saturday I spent the day in Cardiff with my family, as my brother and his girlfriend were going to see the Wales v England game, and the reat of us decided to tag along to have a day out. It’s been ages since I’ve been in Wales, so it was really nice to go back to some of my favourite places, more specifically a secondhand bookship and comic store in Castle Arcade which I visit every time I’ve been in Cardiff for years. It’s a tradition now, what can I say.

On the Bank Holiday weekend, my family and I went up to London to watch a production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Globe Theatre for my dad’s birthday. It was honestly one of the best things I have ever seen on stage. I was laughing the entire time. It as outrageous, raucous and clever, and the atmosphere was so unique and genuinely electrifying. If I lived in London, I’d be there all the time with £5 standing tickets. 



I’ve done a lot of experimenting with food this month, which is something I absolutely love. One of my favourite things about being vegan is that it forces you to be more creative and experimental with food. Several times at work I’ve seen some of the cakes or traybakes which we’ve been selling, really wanted to eat one but been unable to because of the animal products they contain, then made them at home whenever I next had some free time and the right ingredients. For example, I’ve made some cracking scones and some millionaire shortbread. I’m very proud of how well both turned out and I’ve got some more ideas on how to improve them in the future.

This is the tofu bowl I had for my lunch when we visited the Tate. It was miso-ginger and (I think!) deep-fried, and it was deeeee-lish!
I’ve also tried a new slow cook baked bean recipe and I can’t wait to make a vat of the stuff at uni. It was so sweet and tasty, I could genuinely eat bowls of the stuff. I’ve also experimented more with tofu marinates and methods of cooking it, as well as a lentil-sundried tomato mix which turned out to be really delicious.

Best read?

I first read Daughter by Maya Angelou – an emotional and heartwarming read by an incredible woman. I just love her.

The next book I read was Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal, and it is definitely in the running to be my favourite book of the year. One thing I’m doing this year as part of my role as he social media manager for my university’s Feminist Society, I am running a monthly book club, and I chose this book to be our first read. You can read my full book club review of it here. 



Next, I read Be the Change by Gina Martin, a toolkit for all activists. I genuinely couldn’t put this down, I was reading it whenever possible, something I don't tend to get from non-fiction books. It was fascinating and so useful and relevant to my life and wat I'm doing at the moment. Anyone who wants to make a difference, organise a campaign or want to do live more ethically then this book will definitely help!



I then read This Is Not a Drill by Extinction Rebellion, a collection of essays written by members of Extinction Rebellion, climate scientists and activists as well as a couple of MPs. The facts are so real in this book; it really leaves you nowhere to hide. This was a devastating read, particularly as it coincided with the beginning of the burning of the Amazon Rainforest. Please read and please act. 

I am now currently reading Insufficiently Welsh by Griff Rhys Jones and Sweet Sorrow by David Nicholls. The first book I am reading in pieces, as he discusses one part of Wales at a time. It’s heartwarming for me, I always feel a bit of comfort when reading about my home country

Favourite tunes?

I mostly listened to The Beatles this month until the release of Taylor Swift’s most recent album, Lover. Since then I’ve just been listening to T-Swift on repeat. 

Credit

Favourite watch?

This month I’ve been rewatching Grey’s Anatomy (this time with my family) and Agent Carter (oh Peggy, I miss you), as well as Grace and Frankie. I also watched all of Good Omens with my dad and honest to go it was so good. I absolutely loved it and will be watching it again and definitely reading the book as soon as I am able. 

I am also currently watching Mindhunters on Netflix. The haracters are so interesting, it’s so tense and fascinating. For anyone who finds serial killers interesting, you will love this.

What did I learn?

That although I can try my hardest in whatever way to help improve the world, sometimes the big things happen and you feel like any difference you may have made has been for nothing.

What’s happening next month?

BACK TO UNI!!!!!! Genuinely though, I am so excited to get back to uni. I need a bit more structure and purpose in my life. Get me back to Newcastle. 


What’s been on my mind?

Honestly? Newcastle. Missing my friends (both from uni and from where I live as schedules conflict a lot). Also stress from the bloody state of the world. Eco-anxiety is real folks. As well as fascism/dictatorship anxiety. Woop, thank you Boris Johnson, you dickhead. 

Favourite blogger/vlogger?

Melanie Merphy, Hannah Witton, Madeleine Olivia, Venetia Falconer… I can’t think of anyone I haven’t mentioned previously.

Favourite post?

Why Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is a Modern Feminist Cult Classic. I loved writing about one of my absolute favourite shows and just wish I could’ve got more in. It’s not a perfect post and I didn’t include some points I wish I did but otherwise it would’ve been extremely long. I’m really proud of it anyway, and I hope you guys like it!

Biggest inspiration?

A little girl making the decision to go veggie when I was serving her at work. It was great and I was (and still am) so proud of her for not eating the ‘meat jelly’. The world seems pretty dim at the moment and it’s taking a lot for me to stay above ground sometimes. I’m trying to hold onto any little piece of hope possible. 

Any other favourites?

Almonds. Particularly almond butter stuffed in dates. Man those are good. Honest to god I’m obsessed, and I freaking love making almond butter. Next, I’m going to try making some of my own chocolate spread.



If you liked this post you might like: July 2019 | Monthly Wrap Up


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Why Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Is a Modern Feminist Cult Classic

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Friday, 23 August 2019

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It’s no secret that I am a massive fan of the TV show Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. At this point I probably know at least half of the songs of by heart (if not more… there are a lot), all of which my flatmates are probablydefinitely fed up of hearing – and I won’t lie, they do sound super weird without context – and I’m still rewatching episodes here and there to try and get over the series coming to an end. I love sharing my love for this show, and when anyone asks me for a new TV recommendation (feminist or otherwise), I will always mention Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. It’s viewing figures have never been all that impressive, despite its critical acclaim, but I believe that this show will live on for a long time as a feminist cult classic. We are saturated with so much TV at the moment that sometimes it can feel overwhelming by all the content we have thrust at us constantly, and that means that sometimes gems such as Crazy Ex-Girlfriend can be pushed aside and forgotten about. So what is it about this show which makes it so special to me? I thought I’d explain.

**(There will be a spoilers ahead, although I’ll try my best not to go into too much detail, they’re necessary to get my point across)**

Main picture credit

 Crazy Ex-Girlfriend centres around just that: the ‘crazy ex-girlfriend’ trope. Analyzing what it is, the societal ideas and preconceptions of it, and, most importantly, the real women and circumstances behind it. We start off with Rebecca (payed by creator and co-writer Rachel Bloom) being broken up with by Josh Chan (Vincent Rodriguez III) at the end of a summer camp they attended when they were 16. We then rejoin Rebecca ten years later as she is about to be asked to become partner at the law firm she works at in New York. After having a panic attack the moment before she is given her promotion, she sees Josh on the street outside and a switch is flipped in her mind. Following Rebecca through a series of rash decisions (moving to West Covina as a means of following Josh, quitting her job and trying to break up Josh’s long-term relationship to name just a few), we see how the prospect of an idealized version of love is seen as a quick-fix by Rebecca for her so-far undiagnosed mental health issues (she has to wait until series 4 for a correct diagnosis).  Many of Rebecca’s actions throughout the show (particularly in the earlier series) are outlandish, ridiculous, often illegal and nearly always unhealthy and damaging to both herself and the people around her. However, with her diagnosis and willingness to learn and be kind to herself, she learns to reign those in and, through practicing self-care and treatment for her illness, is finally able to love and value herself and her relationships. 

The fantasy ideal of romance along with the idea that without that “perfect” person you are not complete is broken down entirely by this show, made especially prominent by Bloom and McKenna’s satire on the romcom genre through twisting its tropes and by making the show a musical black comedy. Rebecca’s obsession with the classic Hollywood fairytale romance leads her to ignoring the underlying issues she needs to address (yes, I sang that to the tune of the second season theme song) and means that she makes unhealthy choices in an attempt to achieve these unattainable standards. And whilst it may take four series for Rebecca to completely understand what is the overarching message of the show: romantic love will not “fix” you, although you still deserve it, but you have to solve your problems yourself. 

At first, the show’s humour may seem a bit full on and weird, which can put some people off (I know some of my friends have been a bit confused at my recommendation initially because of that), but as you get to know the humour and the characters, they serve further to promote the messages the show is trying to convey. The points they make become more poignant as part of the juxtaposition which is so intrinsic to many of the musical numbers. Some of my favourite songs which are the perfect examples of this is Maybe This Dream and The Miracle of Birth - both performed by Donna Lynne Champlin and both contrast the unpretty side of what many women experience (starting periods on a run, a weak pelvic floor, childbirth, etc.) the first with a stereotypical Disney princess song and then the latter with a Stevie Nicks-esque feminine folk song.

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Throughout the 4 series we watch as Rebecca’s relationships to all of the characters change, along with her declining mental health, and then again as she is able to rebuild herself through her own acknowledgement of her situation and taking responsibility for her actions (yep, again I sang that). And whilst the show is primarily about Rebecca Bunch, the show doesn’t sideline any of the other characters at all. Each and every one of the “side” characters has their own arc and is developed in a realistic and beautiful way – they remain their own person no matter their connection to the main character. Valenica, Heather, Greg, Josh, Nathaniel, Darryl… even Rebecca’s mother becomes more sympathetic as we get see more of her.

We see characters of all kinds, and the diversity of the characters really brings something special to the show. I mean what other show can you think of which had at least four episodes in a row without including a straight white man?? We have a Filipino man as a romantic lead, who takes up the role of Gene Kelly in one of his main songs. We have a middle-aged man discovering his bisexuality and singing about its legitimacy to his whole office. We have a mixed race black woman rising up the career ladder, being a great friend and having a loving, healthy relationship at the same time. I could go on. It’s true the show isn’t perfect – it could do better in various means of representation but it’s pretty damn good for the general standards of TV. In many shows, the character’s race or sexuality becomes a huge part of their character arcs. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend creates the characters’ arcs and development separate from their race, gender and sexuality, although at times they do come into play as they are significant in real life. The writers flip this in the character of Nathaniel, who’s whiteness, straightness and richness is basically his whole thing – at least in the beginning anyway. 

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One of my favourite characters is Paula, Rebecca’s best friend and colleague. Paula represents so much and I love her. She is hilarious, caring, loyal as hell and wants to do her best to help make the world a better place. There are loads of reasons why I love Paula, those mentioned previously just some of them. As a woman a little older than Rebecca, she is a great avenue to explore a whole world of other issues and themes, and the creators take full advantage of that. For example, through Paula we see the gradual gender-equalization of a previously stale marriage and how her and her husband fall back in love with each other, being a mature student, motherhood, the sometimes over-obsessive nature of best-friendships… When I think of Paula’s arc, however, one of the biggest messages which I at least take out of it is that of ‘you can do it’. She faces a multitude of obstacles – her struggling marriage, taking care of her kids, an unplanned pregnancy and consequently going through an abortion almost in secret, as well as her own self-doubt. I could write a full essay on pretty much all of the Crazy Ex-Girlfriend characters, but for me, Paula is perhaps the most inspirational. Her story is that of the empowerment of a woman who didn’t see activism as something ‘for her’ but takes steps to ensure that it is and makes a hell of a difference despite what she is told. 

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend subverts any and all genres it takes on and the expectations we get from that. And nothing exemplifies this than the last few episodes and the final ending. As Rebecca is faced with the choice of her three main suitors throughout the span of the show, we are lulled into expecting her to end up with a traditional ‘happily ever after’, but the last episode goes against this entirely. Yes, she does get a happily ever after, but with herself. The love of her life is music, her friends, her own company. As Rebecca says herself in the finale: “Romantic love is not an ending, not for me and not for anyone else here.” Instead of the reward for the female protagonist being a man to “complete” them, Rebecca gets personal fulfilment and growth. And Paula? Well, she has both. For both of these characters, their arcs are really about self-growth, improvement and maturing. This is demonstrated and celebrated throughout the entire of the last season. The episode titles change from being focused on Josh or Greg or Nathaniel to ‘I’. Rebecca’s focus has shifted from the men around her to her own priorities. The final song, ‘Eleven O’Clock,’ summarises this beautifully. Rebecca finally opens up completely to Paula (and subsequently her other friends) by showing her secret happy place where she is at her most vulnerable. The song goes through the past four seasons and we go through her journey to self-growth and self-improvement on fast forward. And then in the reprise we have a musical reference back to Paula and Rebecca’s first duet in the pilot – an emotional reminder of just how far they have come since then. 

Now, whenever I need a little bit of comfort, a bit of motivation and empowerment, a reminder of what women can do when they’re given the opportunity, I pop on the show’s finale and feel a bit better about the world. 

You can watch Crazy Ex-Girlfriend on CW and Netflix (among other places if you can find - I watched on Netflix).

If you liked this post you might like: 5 Women-Led Shows You Need to Watch

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How to Eat Vegan on Holiday

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Wednesday, 7 August 2019

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Sometimes it’s easy to get a bit carried away as a UK vegan. I won’t lie, we have it pretty good. Most places have at least one vegan option and there are lots of vegan-only cafes, restaurants and businesses popping up all over the place (even in places you might not expect). With access to vegan food on the rise and seemingly abundant in the UK, we can easily take this for granted, especially if we go to other places. In this post I’m sharing some of the things I do before going away, for whatever reason, I hope they prove useful. (I also want to add a disclaimer that I have never been out of Europe, so I can’t offer any advice to people travelling to other areas of the world, but I hope that my points can translate to people visiting other areas as well.)

Title image taken at Vegabond, Amsterdam.

Do your research!


I can’t stress this enough. Research and knowing where you have options to go in various areas of where you’re going is so useful to me. You can suddenly find that somewhere you didn’t think would be very good for vegan food is actually super vegan friendly. I’m constantly looking for new places to eat, even if they’re near where I live – it’s so exciting. Food tourism is definitely a huge thing for any vegan when you go away – it definitely is for me and my friends. We find amazing food and find that it’s a great way to explore wherever we’re headed as it often takes us off the beaten track. 

One of the main tools I use when researching places to get vegan food is Happy Cow. Oh Happy Cow, how I love you. Genuinely, this website (or app if you prefer and/or have enough storage) is incredible. I use it all the time, even just looking up places I have no plans on visiting in the near future. You just have to type in the area you’re looking for (it may already come up with options near to your location) and it was come up with various places which have vegan options available. This includes fully vegan, veggie with vegan options, majority omnivore with some vegan options, ice-cream and health food stores. Whilst Happy Cow is amazing and can show you a lot of places, it doesn’t necessarily show everywhere available as it is updated by users, and new vegan options and businesses are popping up all the time. Nevertheless, it is still my go to resource for finding where to eat when I’m somewhere I don’t know. 

Another way of researching is to look at YouTube videos and blogs to find out about other people’s experiences being vegan wherever you’re going. I loved reading travel and food posts anyway, but it’s always useful to get a person’s proper opinion on a place and they could help offer some insight you may not have got elsewhere. I know that for me blogs and YouTube videos were key to my being able to eat when at Disneyland earlier this year, as there aren’t many other resources you can use., and I ended up writing about my experiences there on my blog as well. Just search ‘vegan in [place you’re visiting] and you should get several pieces popping up (including a few of my travel posts plug plug).

It may sound a bit silly, but Google Maps can also be useful, although it may not be so detailed as other options. 

Although you may be spontaneous in other areas of your trip, it’s always useful having a few back up options just in case you can’t find anywhere straight away.

If you’re somewhere with a different language to yours, learn key phrases in that language beforehand

Whilst English is spoken in lots of places (oof that colonialism, am I right?!), it is useful to know the right words to correctly communicate what you need to. As you can’t learn a whole language in a few months, it’s practical to only learn a few simple words or phrases. Here, Google Translate is your friend (as well as friends who speak other languages or even people on social media who are willing to answer a desperate tweet). In many places, vegan is just vegan, but it’s still reassuring to know that you’re being understood. Make a list of useful words (such as the word for vegan, milk, eggs, meat, butter, animal, etc.) and keep them on a note on your phone to help you when you’re out and about. 

Make sure that if you’re travelling with other people, they understand and are comfortable


I’m lucky to have friends who are vegan and veggie, so finding food means finding food for us all, but sometimes it can be awkward when trying to find food for a group of people when you’re the only vegan there. Whilst you may not be able to control their views on veganism or change them overnight, try to show that you’re doing your best to ensure your food is sorted and under control. It’s always good to be around people who are supportive of your choices and are helping make sure you have enough to eat.

Find supermarkets nearby


One of the only ways to ensure that you’ll have plenty of vegan food (especially if you want to save money) is to cook it yourself. Obviously, in some cases you won’t be able to cook for yourself if you don’t have the facilities, but there are still cold options and snacks which can be useful. If you’re staying in a flat, Airbnb or any other place where you have access to a kitchen, then making your own food can be the perfect way of saving money and ensuring you’re getting the nutrients you need. Most places will have the ingredients for a basic lentil bolognaise or bean chilli, and probably soya milk as a basis. It’s definitely worth a further look around the shop as well as they may have some other products – for example, when I was in Prague last June, we found some pre-marinated tofu for a reasonable price, fried it and used in wraps for our lunches. This gives you freedom, as long as you’re willing to put the extra time in to cook and prep.

Ask questions and say you’re vegan more than you’d probably be comfortable with. 


Asking questions about the food you’re potentially going to eat is so crucial. It’s really the only way to know what’s going on with the food really. As a fairly seasoned vegan by now, I’m used to checking labels and asking questions, but this can be daunting when you’re just starting out. Honestly, if you’re a new vegan, it takes time to get used to and gets easier. 

If there’s anything non-vegan you can adapt in a simply way, do it!

On my recent holiday with my family, I was constantly asking for things without cheese. I had various pasta dishes and several veggie pizzas without cheese (I did check that the pasta and pizza bases were vegan before ordering). There are often things which you can do and often people will be accommodating. If they’re not accommodating you then say that you’re allergic to whatever it is you want to remove or change, then you’ll probably be taken much more seriously than saying you’re vegan. It may be warping the truth, but at the same time I know several vegans who have developed lactose intolerances since removing animal products from their diet, so it’s not stretching it that far and is probable. 

If all else fails: 


Ask for chips. 
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