A decade ago, traveling as a vegan meant sourcing dinner from the nearest tropical fruit vendor, making rice and beans in a hotel microwave, and missing out on compulsory cultural experiences—street meat, chocolate tastings, wine tours, and all. Cut to 2023 and there are designated vegan restaurants in virtually every country. You can go to Nairobi, Kenya and find vegan mac and cheese (yep, really), or travel to the literal edge of the Arctic Circle and feast on falafel. Rice and beans be damned.

I went vegan five years ago at a campground in New Zealand. Even then, options were limited to $3 avocados and alt milk at the odd coffeeshop. Now, New Zealand travelers have meatless pies, gelatin-free pick ‘n’ mix, and more than one brand of soy or nut milk in their arsenals. They might never even have to chop a whole pumpkin and cook it on a camping stove, those lucky bastards.

It’s true: Despite our penchant for announcing our veganism to the world, being one of those people is no longer fringe or different. But in losing our edge we’ve gained an infinity of food options in every corner of the world, so, hey, I’ll take it. So https://thevegangarden.com/‘s here are the best countries to feast on vegan food now that living on vegetables is not only acceptable but cool. –Olivia Young

Never mind the power that clotted cream, Sunday roasts, and shepherd’s pie once had over Great Britain’s past—this historically meat-loving kingdom has evolved into a vegan mecca. A number of places, like Sutton and Sons, even make their beloved “fish” and chips with seaweed-wrapped banana blossoms now.

London, Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Bristol repeatedly rank as some of the most vegan-forward cities in the world. London held the top spot on HappyCow’s 2022 list, not least because it’s home to a whopping 165 fully vegan restaurants within a six-mile radius of the city. Enjoy an internationally-inspired, colorful meal at Mildred’s, which transitioned to a fully vegan menu in 2021, or go for some comforting mac n’ cheese at Wulf & Lamb. Then, when you’re in need of something sweet, indulge in a vegan sourdough donut at Crosstown. Another reason to visit? You’ll never be far from a McDonald’s McPlant burger, a Greggs no-sausage roll, or the famed Burger King Vegan Royale “chicken burger.” Road trip junk food, sorted.

Plant-based travelers might be surprised to find this East African industrial agriculture and food-processing hub on this vegan-centric list—after all, Ethiopia lays claim to one of the continent’s largest concentration of cattle farms. But thanks to the longstanding prevalence of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, which counts upwards of 45% of the population as professed members, vegan meals are very easy to come by. The religion requires that believers fast for 200 to 250 days per year, but instead of abstaining from all food like other traditions mandate, Ethiopian Orthodoxy only prohibits animal products. That means that depending on the season, vegan options abound, especially in larger cities like Addis Ababa where Happy Cow lists a host of options (don’t miss the daily vegan lunch buffet at the deeply historic Taitu Hotel).

In terms of national cuisine, it’s rare to come across cheese or eggs, though butter or clarified ghee does sometimes come into play (many restaurants have switched over to vegetable oil, which is cheaper and more inclusive). Injera, the spongy fermented flatbread commonly used as both utensil and plate, is made from iron-rich teff flour and adds a hearty plant-based edge to any dish. Spices are also plentiful, and blends like Ethiopia’s signature berbere light up veggie staples like chickpea-fueled shiro, misir wat, a red lentil stew, and turmeric-laced kik alicha, a fragrant yellow split pea curry. When in doubt, just load up on yetsom beyaynetu, a combo platter spanning several different fasting-friendly (AKA vegan) dishes.