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The best countries to travel in as a vegetarian 

After traveling in more than 60 countries in the world, I can say that there are some countries that are a bliss to travel in as a vegetarian and in others, it’s hell. Japan remains the most difficult country for me to travel around as a vegetarian, especially since I don’t eat fish or like it. Other than that, Central Asia is probably the region in the world that was the toughest, because they simply don’t understand the concept of being vegetarian and will try to serve you meat anyway. Food plays a huge part when I travel. It’s going to make it or break it in the end, because if you travel without eating proper food, you’ll just walk around feeling bad. Luckily there’s a few countries in the world where traveling around as a vegetarian was both incredibly easy and the food was amazing. Here are some of the best countries to travel in as a vegetarian.

Israel 

Israel is a fantastic country for both vegetarians and vegans. Israelis love their vegetables, their hummus and falafels, so you can always get a fully vegetarian meal wherever you go. Their food is healthy, tasty and fresh, so it’s paradise for foodies. I never had any problems ordering a vegetarian meal during the 6 months I stayed there and I always got really good food. The only downside is that it’s a very expensive country to travel and live in, so make sure that you’re prepared for high prices. 

Taiwan 

I knew that Taiwan would be good for vegetarians, but had no idea how easy it was. Just like Israel, Taiwan always has one option for vegetarians. Although their diet is quite meat based, like everywhere in Asia, you can find a ton of vegan and vegetarian options in restaurants and even street food. The food in Taiwan was probably the best I’ve had in Asia and that’s saying a lot. 

Vietnam 

Some people think it’s difficult to travel around in Vietnam as a vegetarian, but that’s probably because they don’t know how to ask for a vegetarian meal. Since I speak the language, I thought it was super easy to find vegetarian food everywhere. You can always find at least a few options and if you do your research before, you can find plenty of restaurants who only serves vegan or vegetarian dishes. 

Germany 

Germany is one of the leading countries when it comes to vegetarianism. This especially applies to Berlin, the hipster capital city. They’re proud of this too and you can tell how this movement is growing by the amount of restaurants and cafés that has gone completely vegetarian or vegan.

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The 5 lies I told myself about traveling to Indonesia 

I really enjoyed Indonesia and it’s probably one of the best countries I’ve visited. There’s a special kind of atmosphere in Indonesia that you just can’t get anywhere else and I think that’s why so many people keep traveling there and returning to it, not to mention the growing expat community. Indonesia is a wonderful country with some of the most spectacular sceneries I’ve ever seen. But before I went there, I had quite a different scenario in my mind of what it would be like.. Here are the 5 lies I told myself about traveling to Indonesia. 

I’ll want to stay in Bali the entire time 

Parts of Bali was probably my least favorite part about Indonesia. I knew that it would be overrun by tourists so it wasn’t a surprise when I got there, but I was shocked to see almost no locals. Bali felt like going to mini Australia and I just thought the culture was a bit lost there. The entire time I thought I’d stay in Bali for the entire month I’d be traveling there, but I quickly packed my bags and set off to Java, my favorite island. 

I don’t need to drive a scooter 

Yes, you do honey. I do not like to drive scooters and I have no interest in learning. I’ve seen enough people walking around with crutches to know that I don’t want to be one of them. So I told myself that I’d manage somehow in Bali without driving a scooter  – surely there has to be a way around it. Nope. You won’t get anywhere without a scooter in Bali. I was lucky to have friends who drove me around, but if I didn’t have them, I’d be stuck in the house. You definitely need to drive a scooter when you’re in Indonesia. 

The food won’t be good 

I don’t know why I thought this, but boy was I wrong. The food is delicious! There’s not that much diversity like the Thai kitchen for example, but Indonesia still has a lot going on. I love the use of spices and that it tastes fresh. I could easily return back to Bali just for the food. 

There’s not much else to do than beaches 

I traveled to Indonesia mostly because of the beaches. But I have to admit, I got a bit tired of it after a while. I was a bit afraid to feel bored in Indonesia, but that was just me being stupid. There’s so much to do here that you won’t be able to squeeze everything in even if you wanted to! I did some incredible hikes in Java, to volcanoes and amazing viewpoints. I explored cities that had incredible architecture. I went island hopping and saw some of the most beautiful landscapes I’ve ever seen. There’s so much to explore in Indonesia and you’ll be surprised by the diversity of the country. 

One month is enough 

You could probably stay for one year and still not have seen it all. Every single island in Indonesia is so different from each other and takes a long time to fully explore, so if you think you can see everything in one month, think again. 

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Things everyone learns during their first backpacking trip 

Backpacking is one of the most fun ways to travel. But it can also be quite challenging, especially if it’s your first time doing it. But traveling is all about learning, it’s about getting to know yourself more and putting yourself out there in situations you’ve never been in. It can be incredibly fun, although frustrating too, but that’s all part of the experience. Here are some of the things everyone learns during their first backpacking trip. 

Overpacking is never a good idea 

So, you thought you had to bring all of those fancy clothes, those extra pair of shoes and the jewelries that you’ll probably never wear. You think that it’s always better to bring more so you don’t have to buy something when you’re abroad. Guess what? It’s much better to pack too little than too much. Because all of those heavy things is something you have to carry, from every place you move to. And believe me, you’re going to be moving a lot, sometimes even running to make sure you make it on the bus. And that’s when you’ll be deeply regretting that you brought on so much. But that’s fine, because we all make that mistake the first time we backpack. 

You will get lost 

Even if you have your paper map or the one on your phone, you will get lost. And that’s totally fine! That’s when you need to rely on strangers and that’s also when you realize how much good there is in this world. We’ve always been taught not to trust strangers, but as soon as you start traveling, you’ll realize how much kindness there is in this world. 

You will get exhausted 

Even though you want to see as much as possible, it’s never a good idea to rush through a trip and just go from place to place. You might notice it at first, but you will get absolutely exhausted after a while. You might even get sick because you don’t allow yourself to rest. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by everything too and for first time travelers, it’s easy to get over enthusiastic. But it’s more important to rest sometimes than to see another temple or another beach. If you’re traveling when you’re sick, you won’t be enjoying it anyway. 

You’ll never be able to see it all 

Let’s face it. Even if you spend months and months in one single country, you won’t be able to see it all. It’s impossible. We’re so eager to do everything that we forget to just stop somewhere and enjoy the moment. Try to stay somewhere for a longer time instead, immerse yourself in life there and get to know that place properly. It’s so much better than hopping around just to tell people you’ve been there. 

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