vegan travel

The vegan cruise is over

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I am tired but happy.

Right this very moment I am sitting on my bed in west London after calling a cruise ship home for the past week. It has been a wonderful trip with lots of unique experiences.

I’m about to post all my favourite photos from the trip with Vegan Travel, but I also need to remind you of the next wonderful adventure coming up.

Click here to read about the New Year’s Eve cruise heading out of Amsterdam on December 29, 2016. It is going to be a trip to remember!

Now my photos from the south of France!

Fab salad plate on the #vegancruise today. Incredible maple mustard dressing. #vegan #vegantravel

A photo posted by Fat Gay Vegan (@fatgayvegan) on

If I see ONE MORE enchanting castle in the stunning French countryside… #vegan #vegancruise #vegantravel

A photo posted by Fat Gay Vegan (@fatgayvegan) on

Just devoured this sloppy cannelloni for lunch on the France #vegancruise #vegan #vegantravel

A photo posted by Fat Gay Vegan (@fatgayvegan) on

So pretty! Lunchtime dessert on the #vegancruise today is pineapple rice pudding with cream! #vegan #vegantravel

A photo posted by Fat Gay Vegan (@fatgayvegan) on

Ratatouille with rosemary potatoes for dinner on the #vegancruise tonight. #vegan #vegantravel

A photo posted by Fat Gay Vegan (@fatgayvegan) on

A photo posted by Fat Gay Vegan (@fatgayvegan) on

A photo posted by Fat Gay Vegan (@fatgayvegan) on

Enjoying a rain day on the river with a bottle of @fritzkola #vegancruise #vegantravel #vegan

A photo posted by Fat Gay Vegan (@fatgayvegan) on

Dang! Afternoon #vegan cake on the @vegantravel cruise. #vegancruise

A photo posted by Fat Gay Vegan (@fatgayvegan) on

A photo posted by Fat Gay Vegan (@fatgayvegan) on

A photo posted by Fat Gay Vegan (@fatgayvegan) on

Josh is getting VERY comfortable with living on a cruise ship. Pot of tea and a 500 piece jigsaw!

A photo posted by Fat Gay Vegan (@fatgayvegan) on

Hanging out in my cabin, watching France roll past. Dreamy times on the south of France #vegancruise with @vegantravel

A video posted by Fat Gay Vegan (@fatgayvegan) on

A photo posted by Fat Gay Vegan (@fatgayvegan) on

A photo posted by Fat Gay Vegan (@fatgayvegan) on


Get booking for the next cruise. You’ll love it!

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New Year’s Eve with FGV

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You all know I love being involved in special vegan get-togethers and gatherings.

Whether I’m presiding over a beer festival or watching diners be treated to a special meal, one of my favourite things to do in life is to create opportunities for people to enjoy being vegan.

This love affair with being social is being taken to a whole new level at the end of the year as I jump on board the New Year’s Eve cruise hosted by Vegan River Cruises that just happens to be setting sail from Amsterdam.

I’m so excited!

Following on from last year’s NYE adventure down the Danube, I know exactly what to expect from the 2016/2107 journey. But maybe you don’t, so let me fill you in.

This year’s NYE vegan cruise runs between December 29, 2016 and January 4, 2017 with the starting and final port of call being the gorgeous city of Amsterdam.

After spending the first night docked in Amsterdam, the cruise sets off for a magical journey along waterways as the boat visits Rotterdam, Brussels, Antwerp and Maastricht before gliding back to Amsterdam.

We are going to be wowed by the scenery as we pass medieval towns and windmill-studded fields.

The ship itself is enough to make you want to book this holiday. Check out some photos below before I jump into telling you what you get on board:

01-emerald-sky-moored-at-cologne-e1397170956920-1024x527 amsterdam-canal-night balconysuiteemerald brussels emerald-sky-in-koblenz emeraldbar emeraldsuite emerladpooldsc_994_3329885k-1 ftdc_emeraldwaterways-pool_at_nightindoorbalconysuite lobby_emerald r0_0_3543_2362_w1200_h678_fmax swimming_pool_onboard_emerald_waterways

Well, there isn’t too much more I need to say about the ship that the photos haven’t already conveyed.

These ships are the equivalent of a 5-star hotel on water. The suites are luxurious with ultra-comfortable beds and well-appointed bathrooms.

All of your meals are included on the NYE cruise, so you don’t need to spend any money while on board. Yep. That’s right. Breakfast, lunch and dinner every single day is served to you at no extra charge and of course every single thing on the ship is 100% vegan.

In addition to your three meals a day, the cruise includes afternoon tea with cakes and a late night snack. All wine, beer and cocktails are included in the price you pay for the cabin. You will not be asked to pay for any food or drink while on board. Of course, all of the wines and beers are 100% vegan.

There is free WiFi in all suites and on board entertainment including a karaoke night hosted by me and my partner Josh!

You can explore the cities and towns where we dock either on your own or by paying to join some of the organised shore excursions. You can even make use of the electric bicycles on board the ship to adventure throughout the surrounding countryside. If you choose to stay on board for most of the trip, you can make use of the pool (!) and gym.

I’m incredibly excited to be part of this luxury cruise and proud to be involved with a business that goes to great effort to give passengers a completely vegan experience. Heck, even the toiletries in your suite are vegan!

Will I see you on board over New Year’s Eve?

Click here to see full details including pricing and to begin booking your vegan holiday.

Copenhagen 2016

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Post by:

joe panel

You know, I’ve got no excuse to go on holiday to Copenhagen again. There are so many new vegan places in Berlin that I’ve failed to tell you about (though that will soon be rectified, I promise!), yet here I am trotting off to Denmark again.

Anyway, the good news is that since my last visit a year ago, Copenhagen’s vegan selection has improved considerably. In addition to seeing more vegan options in non-vegan places, there are a few new all-vegan restaurants too (and they’re not of the faddy health food variety that dominated previously). Here’s the low-down on two of them.

I think our favourite new place was Souls. Located on a quiet but pretty square in the residential area of Østerbro, Souls is a real step up for vegan fare in Denmark.

We had two sandwiches, and they were not only huge but incredibly tasty too. Photographed here you can see a “Soulful BBQ” which includes grilled mushrooms and tofu, and the Kidney Bean which includes something like Mexican-style refried beans and guacamole, among other ingredients. One sandwich (or “sanger” in their Australian parlance) is plenty of food for one person, but you can order some sweet potato fries now, if you have room.

Souls-Copenhagen-sandwich-2 Souls-Copenhagen-sandwich-1 Souls-Copenhagen-outdoor-seating

They also have a (US-style) pancake brunch, which we never made it to, much to our regret!

We also visited Café N which has a wide range of food available. They have some tasty croissants (the best vegan croissants I’ve had, maybe) and enjoyable sandwiches and sides, as well as full-plate meals (and the portions are generous here, too). You can see a big sandwich crammed full of mushrooms and tofu, with some chunky fries and home-made mayonnaise dip artfully blurred in the background.

Cafe-N-Copenhagen-sandwiches-and-chunky-fries Cafe-N-Copenhagen-board

My only complaint about Café N is that they stop taking orders at 9pm, but their website doesn’t mention this (just says they close at 10pm). Come on guys, it’s easy to put that information on there! The staff were very friendly and directed us to another restaurant that had some so-so vegan options, but it was still disappointing, especially as we could have got there earlier if we’d known.

Anyway, those are my latest recommendations for Copenhagen. I hope the city continues to expand for vegans… maybe one day it will catch up to Berlin!

south of france cruise

Vegan surf camp

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What follows on this page is one of my favourite guest posts of all time.

I won’t explain as Elena from The Vegan Society does such an amazing job. My words would only get in the way.

Vegan Surf Camp By Elena Orde from The Vegan Society

Sun, miles and miles of beaches and all the delicious food you can eat… have I got your attention yet? Vegan Surf Camp is a haven for globetrotting vegans, located in the wonderfully green Plage-Moliets in the South of France. The camp runs throughout July and August each year, and I was lucky enough to visit in the second week of their season.

Let’s begin with the important stuff… the incredible food. Each night the staff laid out an array of amazing homemade dishes. A few examples include mushroom and seitan stew, crispy garlic bread, tomato and ‘tofu feta’ salad, vegetable tempura, burgers, fried potatoes, plus the camp’s own vegan mayo, which they literally made by the bucket.

dinner spread plate1 plate3 plate2

As a complete surfing newb I didn’t know how I would take to it. But with the guidance of the surf instructor I actually managed to stand up on the board a handful of times over the course of the week (before plunging into the sea and having a little drink of ocean each time). So I think that counts as a win.

If surfing isn’t your bag, the camp has so much else to offer. You can go for walks along the coast or in the surrounding woodland, become embroiled in ping-pong wars, or lounge around the camp’s outdoor bar in their rainbow-striped hammocks or on their rustic decking complete with cat-patterned upcycled cushions. It’s all gloriously Instagrammable.

beach and vsc flag decking hammock2 surf crew beach

The camp also offers daily outdoor yoga sessions in the woods. What with the warm breeze and the chirruping wildlife, the atmosphere was so relaxing that I found myself dozing off during the end-of-session Savasana. I can definitely get behind a yoga pose which basically consists of having a bit of a lie-down with your eyes closed.

yoga

The only downsides to the camp were due to my own lack of preparation. If you’re going, take suncream. Take a lot of it, and use it. Or you will end up like me, with randomly-placed patches of sunburn from where you fell asleep in the sun and your towel slipped off a bit. Also: come prepared with mozzie repellent. I found myself having some very un-vegan thoughts towards these little guys as they nibbled on me in the evenings.

Members of The Vegan Society receive 5% off their Vegan Surf Camp booking fee, plus hundreds of other great discounts. Sign up here.

Vegan Surf Camp runs throughout July and August each year. Get more details and pricing here: https://envegansummercamp.wordpress.com/

south of france cruise

I love cruising

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Do you all remember when I was talking about a vegan cruise down the Danube? Sure you do. It was all I spoke about on my blog for six months!

It has taken me a while to process the experience and now I feel just about ready to share a fraction of some of the hundreds of photos I took during this once in a lifetime experience. Boarding the ship was like stepping into a completely vegan world and everything you could want or need was at your fingertips.

I even got my haircut onboard!

Before you get busy scrolling below to see my cabin, food and sightseeing photos, I want to also tell you I am joining forces with Vegan River Cruises for two glorious vacations in 2016. Yes, two 100% luxury vegan cruises to choose from this year.

The first cruise will be a 7 night/8 day cruise along the Rhône in the south of France. I’m not sure I need to sell too hard with this one. It’s the south of France in late October 2016!

All your food, all your drink and some of the most glorious Autumn weather in Europe? Yes, please. See you on the ship! Click here to see all the details and to book your cabin.

I did say I will be on two luxury vegan cruises in 2016. Here is the second.

I am thrilled to be taking part in the Vegan River Cruises trip between December  29, 2016 and January 4, 2017 as it takes in the glorious waterways of the Netherlands and Belgium.

Starting in Amsterdam before docking in Brussels for New Year’s Eve, this Winter cruise is going to be the height of relaxation as we glide past windmill-studded countryside. Get in early if you want one of the best cabins. Click here for info and booking.

OK. Now those photos I promised you from my recent NYE vegan cruise down the Danube.

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Highly skilled food transportation

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I’ve developed incredible skills when it comes to transporting chilled and frozen vegan food from one part of the planet to another.

You could be forgiven for thinking a flight from Los Angeles to London is too much time in the air for frozen food to make it back safely, not to mention the long periods at either end getting to and from airports.

But I’m FGV and nothing stands in my way when it comes to the food I love.

All of the goods you see below were frozen and wrapped in multiple plastic bags before being swaddled inside my favourite Harrington jacket and crammed into a suitcase.

Every single item made it back to my London home still frozen.

Check it all out below. I’m off to eat it all!

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Frozen

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The last few days of any vacation in the USA is a fraught time, but it has nothing to do with trying to squeeze in last minute sightseeing.

The drama revolves around shopping for perishables and freezing them for the flight back to the UK. Does anyone else do this? I can’t be alone.

Arriving home with a case full of frozen food is a fabulous way to extend the joy of your holiday. Even when you are back in the grey UK, your vacation lives on through a freezer full of vegan groceries.

Check out the photos of the haul that made it back with me from New York City a few weeks ago.

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Go on a vegan House Trip

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There is a trend in travel for tourists to book entire homes for the duration of their stay, as opposed to paying for a hotel room.

I have used several of these services in the past, most notably AirBnB, for trips all over Europe and North America. I enjoy the freedom of having my own apartment with full cooking facilities, which is a necessity for vegans on the road in most cities around the world.

I was recently asked to contribute some of my top vegan picks for a guide to London, hosted on one such vacation platform. HouseTrip is a booking service for travellers wanting something a bit more out of a holiday than just a hotel or hostel bed. You can book an entire house or apartment and it is always cheaper than a hotel room. Plus you get the added benefits of being in a real house such as Wifi, a washing machine and a fridge.

I very rarely stay in a hotel when in a location for more than a few days. I like my creature comforts too much.

I seemed to have strayed from the point of this blog post, so let me get back on track.

house trip vegan

I am thrilled to have some of my tips for eating vegan in London included in the HouseTrip veggie guide. The company told me they aimed to create a resource for vegan and vegetarian customers who book with them, making it easier for them to decide on which neighbourhood is best for their visit.

You can head on over to the HouseTrip Vegetarian & Vegan Food Guides by clicking here.

Visit HouseTrip online

Follow HouseTrip on Twitter

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*Disclaimer: HouseTrip paid me a fee in exchange for use of my vegan picks for London.