Sarah Filippi-Field works for the NGO Girls Education Collaborative. She has been vegan for seven years and is a vice president of the American Vegan Society. Laura Cheadle is a professional singer-songwriter and musician who has been vegan her whole life. What do they have in common? They have traveled to over twenty countries between the two of them! They sat down recently to discuss stories, tips, and tricks for being a vegan globetrotter.
How did you get into traveling? How has traveling as a vegan changed since then?
Laura: I started performing really young, at twelve or thirteen years old. Back then it was really hard. My only options were Subway or something like that. Now I tour both around the States and the world, playing music for people. It’s really fun because I have a lot of adventures trying to find things to eat.
Sarah: I first began traveling through my college’s learning-abroad program. Then I lived in Germany for two years for grad school and have since traveled around the world for both work and fun! Even just in the past few years, vegan options seem to be growing so it’s gotten much easier.
What’s been your most surprising vegan-friendly place?
Laura: Memphis Tennessee is where I had the best barbecue I’ve ever had in my life. They had a lot of all-vegan restaurants which was shocking, and it was all vegan versions of Southern food.
Sarah: Tanzania! Since meat and dairy are so expensive, many of the popular dishes there are accidentally vegan. For example, their national dish is called Ugali. It’s a porridge made from cornmeal and served with kidney beans cooked in coconut milk. Hearty, healthy, and delicious!
This is an excerpt from the cover story of the latest issue of American Vegan magazine, which all American Vegan Society members receive.
