You might be surprised to learn how easy it is to be vegan in many countries with meat-loving reputations. There’s more to Turkey than kebabs, and Germany’s bratwurst sausages are increasingly going veggie. It all means that travelling as a vegan is getting easier and breezier as time goes on. Get a head start planning your next food-filled trip, as well as some suggestions for dishes you can try out now at home.

Indonesia encompasses an astonishing 17,508 islands, making it the world’s largest island country and the fourth most populous country on the planet. The island of Bali is by far the best-known and most popular tourist destination – and for vegans, there’s nowhere else like it. Make a beeline for the town of Ubud, surrounded by lush rice paddies, where the word ‘vegan’ is practically everywhere you look. It’s a top wellness destination thanks to its yoga retreats and restaurants packed with salad bars, vegan curries, juices and even raw pizza (at The Seeds of Life café). Then there’s the world’s first organic vegan cinema, Paradiso, where you cosy up on a sofa and order vegan snacks while you watch the latest blockbuster.

England was the birthplace of veganism: the founder of the Vegan Society movement, Donald Watson, was from Doncaster and coined the term ‘vegan’ in the 1940s. And Britain continues to do Watson proud. For the past three years, it’s been ranked the most popular country worldwide for veganism, with Brits expecting vegan alternatives for everything from food and clothes, to beauty products and perfume. Head to London and you’ll be in the vegan capital of the world, with 152 all-vegan restaurants citywide. But you’ll be spoilt for choice in foodie cities like Brighton, Bristol and Edinburgh, too. For an introduction to the country’s epic vegan food scene, grab tickets to one of the many vegan festivals there, like VegFest, Vegtoberfest or Glasgow Vegan Festival. If you can’t wait to get involved, VegFest runs livestreams and vegan chat from its website year-round.

Although 3% of the US population now identifies as vegan, there are areas of the country where it’s hard to find an animal-free meal. But it’s also home to some of the most progressive cities in the world when it comes to vegan lifestyles, including New York, which has the second-highest number of vegan restaurants of any city in the world (after London). Largely speaking, vegan-friendly regions are urban, coastal states such as New York, California or Oregon; while Southern states like Alabama and Mississippi are big on meat. Best stay West, where veganism is most widespread: San Francisco was named top vegan city in the States by PETA, citing a vegan butcher’s shop and a sausage restaurant turned vegan diner; Los Angeles is home to high-profile vegan spots like musician Moby’s Little Pine; and Portland, Oregon has its own vegan mall.

Greece’s meaty souvlaki skewers are about as far from vegan as it gets, but hear us out. While Greece is not an obvious vegan destination, many of its traditional foods are vegan-friendly by default. This is because the Greek Orthodox Church celebrates some 180 fast days – and fasting, in the Orthodox Church, means abstaining from meat, dairy, eggs and fish. As a vegan in Greece, the word nistisima – meaning fasting – is your best friend. Drop that term when ordering (and mention if you don’t eat honey), and you’ll be onto a winning vegan Greek meal of chickpea salads, fried aubergines and semolina-based halva. You can get a taste for Greek vegan foods via these recipes on the Veganuary website.

Yes, Germany might be best-known for pork knuckles, schnitzels and sausages. But it’s also one of the most environmentally conscious countries on the planet, with the number of vegan inhabitants having doubled in the past four years. And progressive Berlin isn’t the only vegan mecca there. Hamburg’s vegan scene is quickly catching up, and even in rural Germany and supermarkets countrywide, the accessibility and range of vegan alternatives is staggering – and bolstered by a booming mock meat industry there. In 2020, German vegan food brand Veganz opened a vegan cheese factory in Berlin, and you can buy its products online via VeganKind. There are many vegan festivals in Berlin to kick off a plant-based food odyssey: check out Vegan Summer Festival, or VeggieWorld.

Turkey isn’t just about kebabs, although they do feature heavily on restaurant menus across Istanbul and beyond. If you hunt out family-run, home cooking establishments, you’ll likely find dishes based on beans and vegetables as much as meat, and most Turkish cooking uses olive oil over animal fats. Then, there are meze platters which tend to be stacked with falafel, stuffed vine leaves, olives and hummus – plus Turkish Delight, for afterwards. Cosmopolitan Istanbul is perhaps your best bet for fully vegan and vegetarian restaurants: Mahatma Café is 100% vegan, and you can pick up vegan groceries at Vegan Dükkan and Veggy.

Israel is sometimes called the most vegan country in the world: an estimated 5-8% of its population identifies as vegan, which is the highest percentage of any country worldwide. While traditional Israeli cuisine easily lends itself to a vegan diet, with falafel, hummus and olive oil reigning supreme, Tel Aviv is a paradise for modern vegan spots, too. Anastasia was the first fully vegan café there, and it continues to rank among the city’s best-loved vegan joints thanks to its famous hot chocolate dessert and realistic vegan cheese. Then there’s the slick, NYC-inspired Four One Six, and the down-to-earth Rainbow Burger, for starters. Want to try your hand at making perfect hummus? This Guardian column has it covered.

Thanks to its predominantly Buddhist population, it’s perfectly possible to eat a plant-based diet – and eat it well – in Thailand. Fresh fruit stalls and vegetable markets abound, and there are 42 vegan restaurants in Bangkok alone – many of them serving up quinoa burgers, raw pasta or nut-based cheese as well as pad thai and green curry. Throw in the incredible value for money and you’re in for a meat-free treat (just remember to request no fish sauce!). If you’re staying long enough, venture out to vegan-friendly Chiang Mai, which caters to eco travellers with an impressive array of herbivorous restaurants – and Phuket, which holds an annual Vegetarian Festival. Craving the taste of Thailand now? Vegan pad thai is an easy dish to throw together at home - check out this recipe from Hot Thai Kitchen.

Florence Derrick is a travel and lifestyle writer based in London and reporting from all over the world. You can find more of her work on her website and on Twitter @FlorenceDerrick. She is an author on the upcoming London Like a Local, due to publish later this year.

Lessons in wellness from Japan

With more than two million people currently aged over ninety, Japan certainly must be doing something right when it comes to wellness. Featuring extracts from Be More Japan, here we share inspiration from the mindful philosophies and healthy habits central to Japanese life that you can incorporate into your every day.

Read now >>

Britain on the box

Period dramas have long been one of British television’s finest exports and many of the filming locations are real-life houses, streets and neighbourhoods. Check out these scene-stealing locations.

Read now >>