holiday checklist

[Tofu Monster]

yo amigos veganos.

next week i'm spending a week in rural france helping my dad move into his new house. there aren't going to be many shops in the area so i'm going to be limited in what i can buy when i get there. i reckon i should be okay for bread and veg and fruit and suchlike, but i'm worried i'll be a bit stuck.

since this is the first time i'll have been abroad since going vegan, i'd be grateful for any posts suggesting what people might arrange to take if they were in the same boat, or have already been through this situation. then i'll have some ideas about what i need to take with me.

and eventually, maybe this thread will be of benefit to others too.

cheers guys. :)

[Kiran]

I have been abroad on a few occasions, after becoming a vegan. There is a high chance that you might be a bit stuck. I am not telling this to intimidate you.... but I am talking from my experiences. Don't take it for granted that bread will be vegan.. many have milk in it. When I was in Spain, I had to avoid bread altogether. The worst part is if you can't read the ingredients. You will assume that a food item is vegan.

I think one of the best tools to have with you is a translation of things you want to know. For example translation of "does this contain milk or meat?" in french. When I went to France, I had slight problem.. I did not speak French. Same was the problem in Austria and Germany where I did not speak German.

Ask someone to translate a few texts related to your issues and you should be ok. keep it handy and don't touch anything that you are not familiar with. Always carry vegan energy bars with you. So my top priorities are

- Translation scripts (if you don't speak the language )
- Emergency food items like energy bars
- Carry your own Jams , because you never know how they make them abroad

[boomer]

Are you driving or flying ????

Weight may be an issue with supplies if flying.

But one item I try to take every trip is the trusty jar of marmite. I would also pack some cous cous, plus the pot of Pure.

Fruit and veg will be great in France, nice local markets Etc.

Need any help with your bags??? ;)

[glorfindel]

Hey Tofu Monster, nice to hear that u are coming in France,
hope u ll enjoy ur trip :)
The advice I could give you is :
- Either u take food with u as Kiran said, but it may be a bit difficult if u take a plane
- Or just take nothing and buy all ur food stuff BEFORE going in the rural country. U should cross a quite broad city before ur arrival. ( even in rural france, there are a few cities that contain health stores :::: " magasins biologiques" :) )

AH i was about to forget,
If u need some help for the language (like how to say i m vegan and stuff like that ), i m here ;) send me a PM if u want ( it s always a pleasure to aid a vegan english speaker coming to France :) )

Hope that will help you ;)

[Stu]

http://www.rpc-group.eu.com/up_images/pure%20blauw.jpg

[ConsciousCuisine]

http://www.rpc-group.eu.com/up_images/pure%20blauw.jpg


Is that margarine? It looks like personal cleansing wipes!

[Stu]

Yeah, it's margarine. But now you mention it, I think Tofu Monster should indeed take personal cleansing wipes. And a lot of them (I smelt him in person on Sunday).

[twinkle]

I went on a veggie ski holiday a couple of years back and one of the other guests, who had apparently lived in france for years told me that french bread in France is always vegan. The shop in the resort sold soya yogurts too, though I think it with people with allergies/intolerance in mind rather than any awareness of vegans.

It's coming up for chestnut season in France in a few weeks. I wouldn't mind living on marrons glace for a while :D

[screamingcarrot]

ive hauled mini tins of baked beans, packets of dried fruits, nuts and seeds and nutritional yeast all over europe. vegemite or marmite is a great idea too,boomer.

[sugarmouse]

Is that margarine? It looks like personal cleansing wipes!

personal cleansing?lol has anyone notice there are 'wipes' for everything (and everywhere!) now?

face,make up, hands,babies, perfume, deodrant,butts,other 'areas' :confused: :eek:

have a great time!

[cedarblue]

when i went to france this summer i virtually lived on salads, pommes frites (thats chips to you! ;) ), bread, pasta (dried egg-free), marmite on toast, fruit.

i took with me some fruit & nut bars, marmite, peanut butter, bags of nuts, soy milk.

you should be able to find rice in local shops (riz) and maybe lentils. lots of stews and one-pot dishes coming up i think. maybe take a little plastic pot of some pre-mixed curry spices? i know its not french but curry is tasty wherever you go.

this page from the vegan passport (http://www.lekkerplantaardig.net/vgp/18.htm) might be worth printing out and taking with you. you can always show it to waiting staff/shop owners who may then be able to point out some stuff you can eat.

i wish id taken some choc dessert or vanilla dessert pots with me too!

[AbFab]

I always print up cards explaining what I can and can't eat, in very great detail (e.g. no eggs, no honey, no cream, no etc), whenever I go somewhere where I don't speak the language. I also usually say I am allergic to dairy, I know it's a little lie, I use it sometimes in England too when I am a bit dubious as to whether I'll be taken seriously, and in a way, I AM allergic to dairy - the thought makes me sick!

That aside, I try to take some filling things like flapjacks and homemade chocolate cake for treats, as I have been stuck in places where there is limited food for me to eat, and healthy though it is, fruit sometimes just doesn't hit the spot. And little packets of chocolate smarties if you can get them (Whizzers), or the mini eggs (or whetever treat stuff you like), just in case you get a craving that you can't sate. You should still be able to eat a large variety of fruits and vegetables. I'd take some herbs and spices and maybe a small bottle of chilli or garlic oil, as sometimes the vegan interpretation comes out as 'plain, boiled veg', which just needs a bit of seasoning and you're away. Why do they think just because I don't eat dairy or meat, I like my food bland???! I am sure you can buy herbs and stuff out there, but if you want to keep costs down, it may be worth taking some that you already have in stock. Although local garlic is probably better than ours! And take baked beans! I don't know if any other country likes baked beans as much as we do, and if they have them at all, they are always horribly overpriced.

Bon voyage.

Oh, and I didn't think you smelt at all when I met you. :)

[Tofu Monster]

thanks for the suggestions guys. the 'pure' marge is the one thing that was already on my list stu, as i have a nearly full one in my fridge. i guess great minds think alike eh? :D

there's some other good ideas there too. i do speak basic french, enough to get by a bit so i should hopefully be okay. and as boomer has very kindly offered to post me a 'vegan passport' that was going spare, i should be fine if there are any difficulties.

i'm actually hoping that i'll be able to spend the week being forced to eat relatively basically and modestly, and thereby save a few pounds (money) and shift a few pounds (weight) along the way!

[AbFab]

Ooh, and take some chocolate spread! Don't forget to wrap everything up really well!

[catmogg]

I ate tons of bread and jam in France. Bonne Marche jam is all vegan and the strawberry one is more than delicious. They're not big on nut butters though, so if you like them take some with you. They do have a fantastic array of soya yoghurt/desserts. I got hooked on a pistachio flavoured yoghurt and ate it swirled with this really sweet chestnut paste i discovered. Personally, I wouldn't recommend eating out, i paid full price for a meal minus the meat, ie. rice and salad.:mad: :(

Toiletries wise i took my own but rather than carrying the whole bottle or what have you i transported them in some smaller plastic containers i bought at boots. (They were pretty cheap...)

I rekon you'll do well to stick to fruit, salads and warm veg on rice. Like someone else mentioned there are usually loads of nice markets selling fresh, locally grown produce. French olive oil is usually so good you can whip up a fantastic dressing, drizzle it over veg and you won't want much else..........

[glorfindel]

Bonne chance et amuse toi bien ;)

By the way, where do u go in france ? North or South ?

[abrennan]

have a good time


come back with a French accent:D

[Tofu Monster]

Bonne chance et amuse toi bien ;)

By the way, where do u go in france ? North or South ?

merci beaucoup :D

i'll be in the midi-pyrennees, sort of between toulouse and the spanish border i think. hope the weather will be okay as it's gone a bit shit here.

so far, i've bought the marmite, peanut butter and jam, and the chocolate spread is on order from veganstore.

and i suppose if i don't find some accommodating french madamoiselle to spread it all over, i'll just have to put it on toast and eat it. :rolleyes:

[mophoto]

has anyone tried jerky?? i am scared to, but it maybe a good thing to bring when traveling.

i will be stuck on a cruise ship in mexico in january, so this thread is helping me out, too. (except for all of the french stuff):)

[Tofu Monster]

has anyone tried jerky??

yeah man, i think most of us males would admit to doing that from time to time.

rather a personal question though, don't you think?

[mophoto]

yeah man, i think most of us males would admit to doing that from time to time.

rather a personal question though, don't you think?

:D

[AbFab]

merci beaucoup :D

i'll be in the midi-pyrennees, sort of between toulouse and the spanish border i think. hope the weather will be okay as it's gone a bit shit here.

so far, i've bought the marmite, peanut butter and jam, and the chocolate spread is on order from veganstore.

and i suppose if i don't find some accommodating french madamoiselle to spread it all over, i'll just have to put it on toast and eat it. :rolleyes:

Yeah, you may as well take the chocolate spread and try your luck, you've got nothing Toulouse.

[Risker]

I'm planning a trip to spain soon so I did a bit of research and came accross this website that looks like it might be quite handy, just choose where you are going and it lists any vegan-friendly resaurants in the local area.

http://www.happycow.net/index.html

[glorfindel]

merci beaucoup :D

i'll be in the midi-pyrennees, sort of between toulouse and the spanish border i think. hope the weather will be okay as it's gone a bit shit here.

so far, i've bought the marmite, peanut butter and jam, and the chocolate spread is on order from veganstore.

and i suppose if i don't find some accommodating french madamoiselle to spread it all over, i'll just have to put it on toast and eat it. :rolleyes:


Ok, cool i've been there for my holidays twice, it s very beautiful and wild. ( forests ).
The thing is that in this region, it s very hard to be vegan coz the major part of the culinary specialities are based on meat stuff( fois gars, patés, ... ) and some people there ( not all of them, fortunately) are really stuck to that meat culture :(
Yet, they are famous for their warm welcomings ... :)
And dont worry for the weather, it s often sunny there and hot too ... ( espicially if u find french mademoiselles, :D sorry for the joke :p )

Allez bon voyage et surtout bonnes visites ;)

[AbFab]

And dont worry for the weather, it s often sunny there and hot too ... ( espicially if u find french mademoiselles, :D sorry for the joke :p )

Allez bon voyage et surtout bonnes visites ;) Don't tell too many jokes or you'll get moved to the joke thread (http://veganforum.com/forums/showthread.php?p=87575#post87575)! (from post 309 (http://veganforum.com/forums/showpost.php?p=87444&postcount=309))