How to Travel as a Pescetarian

The other day I shared six things that happened to me when I decided to cut meat out of my diet and become a pescetarian. But as a travel blogger, I realize that this lifestyle change could seem limiting when you’re experiencing new cultures and countries. And while I haven’t visited places like South America, where meat plays a large part in the cuisine, I have been able to find delicious alternatives in countries like England, France, Iceland, Canada, Bulgaria, Hungary, Austria, St. Lucia, St. Martin, The Netherlands, and Czech Republic.

In fact, I feel like my “dietary restriction” has actually helped me to become more adventurous with my culinary choices. But part of the reason why I’ve had such success as a pescetarian overseas is because I like to consider myself a smart traveler. I do my homework when it comes to planning every aspect of my trips. From flights to accommodations to museums, all the way down to the restaurants I’d like to visit and what they have available for pescetarians, I leave my house prepared and excited for what’s to come. But let me get a little more into detail of how I prep and what I do if I end up winging it. Here is how to travel as a pescetarian, and really this advice goes for anyone with an allergy or other dietary restriction.

Plan Ahead

I love planning my trips and I won’t just look up the best things to see, places to go and how to get there, I’ll actually research their culture. It’s important to be in tune with the local customs, but it also informs my choices in what I purchase for souvenirs. And it can also tell me what kind of cuisine I will find when I arrive. Some places like England, France and the Netherlands obviously had many options for someone like me who doesn’t eat meat. My sister had been living in Bulgaria for several months before I traveled to visit her there and she is also a pescetarian so I knew I’d find options there. Getting an idea of what locals eat on a daily basis will give you a better idea of how easy it will be to find a restaurant that can cater to your restrictions.

Research Restaurants in the area you’ll be visiting

This is another part of my planning process, but not just because I want to make sure there will be something for me on the menu. I like to find out the restaurants that can actually serve as “sights to see.” For example, I had to visit Le Loir dans la Théière in Paris because it is this whimsical tea room, known worldwide. But it wasn’t until I did my research that I knew that! While I don’t suggest planning ALL of your meals, since it can be fun to be a bit spontaneous, I like to plan about 75% of the restaurants I’ll visit on a trip and if their menu is available online, I’ll check it out just to make sure there is something there that I can eat. 

Make sure you try one culinary specialty that fits into your lifestyle

In London, this was so easy. Fish and chips is served at almost any authentic pub. In Prague, I stuck to the smazeny syr (fried cheese) for lunch. My favorite local treat was trdelnik (pronounced tre-del-nik),  In the Netherlands, they have tons of pancake shops and stroopwafels. When you visit any island nations, like St. Martin or St. Lucia, seafood plays a large part in their diet. I always like to find something that is part of the local cuisine to try so that I can say I gave it a go. 

When in doubt, pizza, salad or soup may be the way to go

I am lucky that I love pizza and almost everywhere you go, you can find a good pizza place, or their is something like a flatbread on the menu. But a salad can also be a safe option. If it does have meat, I either pick it off or request it without the meat. And, if you’re desperate, soup can work. I say desperate only because most soups start with a meat based stock. This is what I sometimes turn to when I visit Quebec City, but that’s also because I just really love French onion soup (which is cheating because it does have a beef-based broth).

Travel with other Pescetarians

Or at least with people who don’t mind if you plan your meals around your dietary needs. When my sister and I met up in London in 2013, we both relied on fish and chips because she’s actually the person who got me started on pescetarianism. Same thing when I went to Iceland and England with my mom in 2018. And now Arielle is pretty much a pescetarian so when we travel if their isn’t a kids menu we’ll split a pasta dish or a grilled cheese. 

Also where this can be helpful is when you attend afternoon tea. Most tea rooms offer an assortment of sandwiches, some of which are meat-based, but when you make your reservation (which you definitely should do) all you have to do is mention that you would prefer a tray of vegetable or fish sandwiches an they’ll be happy to oblige.

Now that you know how to plan your meals as a pescetarian abroad, make sure you have everything you need in your suitcase by grabbing my free packing guide! Just enter your info below!