”Sin carne? Bueno.. quieres pollo?” 

As a vegetarian traveling to places where vegetarianism is less common, you will notice that people get confused by your request to have a dish without meat. And with meat, they will think of red meat. As far as they’re concerned, chicken is not meat. Is fish even an animal at all? 

Being vegetarian or vegan is becoming more and more popular. This change is not just happening in the United States and Western Europe. In 2016, 8% of the Latin American population considered themselves vegetarian and 4% considered themselves vegan. Across Latin America there are thousands of vegan and vegetarian restaurants. Though this number may be rising, it will not always be easy to travel South America as a vegetarian.

Nowadays it’s easy to live in a first world country and completely take the accessibility of vegetarian or vegan meat substitutes for granted. Even fast food chains are starting to cater more and more towards vegetarians. 

So, when you’re planning a backpacking trip to a place on the other side of the world, you might not even think about the challenges you’re going to experience at first. 

Meat is an important component in many traditional South American dishes. Think about Argentinian steak. Empanadas are often filled with meat, Coxhinas in Brazil are made with chicken, and engraved in my mind is Cuy (Guinea Pig) from Peru. 

However, it is a misconception that the South American cuisine is solely based on meat. Corn is one of the main ingredients in many South American dishes, as well as Potato. There are thousands of different types of potato native to the Andes region and 35 different types of corn. Not to mention the dozens of various types of fruits and vegetables. 

Examples of typical South American dishes that are vegetarian (or have vegetarian versions)!

• Humitas
• Empanadas (often vegetarian option available)
• Papa a la Huancaina
• Choclo con Queso
• Arepas
• Rice with Beans

Though it’s great that these dishes exist, having traveled through South America for over 10 months as a vegetarian has taught me that it can definitely be a challenge at times. For a large part, the difficulty depends on the places you’re traveling to.

Capital cities

Capital cities will be the easiest place to find vegetarian food. I’ve been to seven different South American countries and every single capital city had plenty of vegetarian options.

Restaurants will most likely offer at least one or two vegetarian options and you can expect to find a few vegetarian restaurants as well. While the prices in these restaurants may be higher than meat dishes in cheaper chains, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the prices of really tasty vegetarian burgers and other dishes. Often, if a hostel has a restaurant, these will offer vegetarian options as well. Many travelers are vegetarian, so even if you can’t find any vegetarian places around you, the hostel owner or workers will most likely be able to point out some places for you.

A few of my favorite vegetarian-friendly restaurants during my trip:

• Sapiens | Santiago, Chile
• Nativo, Arte y Comida Natural | Bogotá , Colombia
• Banco Rojo | Buenos Aires, Argentina *
• El Punto Vegetal | Salento, Colombia
• Cafe Del Mundo | La Paz, Bolivia * 

*not vegetarian, but many options  

Small touristic towns

Because these towns are smaller, there are not as many options. Many travelers follow a similar route on their trip known as the Gringo Trail. Places like Pucón in Chile, El Calafate in Argentina or Salento in Colombia all offer breathtaking landscapes that attract tourists. The towns are small but they are used to receiving travelers and they have adapted to it. Many of these places live off of the tourism that the town receives. 

The good thing about this is that, like in the capital cities, these places are also used to receiving vegetarians. While they won’t always have vegetarian restaurants, the restaurants they do have will often have vegetarian options. Especially hostel restaurants should not be an issue. 

Small non-touristic towns

Now, this is where things get a bit more complicated. I’ve been to towns where they never receive tourists. They’re not used to it, which means there are not as many restaurants or choice of hostels/hotels. There will probably be chicken places and a few hot dog stands, but for vegetarian restaurants you’re definitely in the wrong place. The most difficult part of this is that a lot of people in these small towns will simply not understand you, even when you’re speaking Spanish.

As I’ve hinted to in the beginning of the article, ‘meat’ to them is just red meat. The term ‘vegetarian’ is often confusing. So, a tip from me would be to not only say you’re vegetarian or that you don’t eat meat, but be clear by saying you don’t eat meat, chicken AND fish. You will get some confusing stares and you might get asked again if chicken is okay, but eventually this way they will get it.

Also be aware that when you’re ordering soup, they might find a soup to be ‘vegetarian’ when it’s chicken soup with the piece of chicken fished out. The little pieces of chicken still floating in your dish are disregarded. Just be as clear as possible when ordering something when you’re not sure if there might be meat in it.

In general, I’ve found that people are willing to try and understand you. People in restaurants will alter dishes so you can eat them, even though you might leave them confused.

Buses

South America is a big continent and unless you’ll be flying everywhere, you’ll probably be taking some long distance buses. Some of these buses give you food on a long trip, some don’t. Ask them beforehand. Companies like Cruz Del Sur do offer vegetarian options as long as you reserve in advance. If you buy the ticket an hour before departing you’ll be served meat like everyone else. Of course, politely saying no to this and eating your own food instead is not an issue. 

Multiple Day Hikes

There are two ways to do a multiple day trekking: on your own or with a guided group. When you’re on your own and you go camping, you bring your own food so all the power is in your own hands. When going with a guided group you need to make sure vegetarian options are available beforehand.

When signing up for a multiple day trekking, just ask the company you’re going with whether it’s an issue and they will most likely say its not a problem. Again, guided hikes are popular among tourists so the companies organizing the trek will be used to your request. I’ve actually been extremely positively surprised by the quality of the vegetarian food I’ve received during multiple day hikes. For example, during the 4 day trek to the lost city in Colombia, a cook will hike the same route as you, but faster. They will prepare the food as they’re waiting for you to arrive. These guys work magic and after a long day of hiking, your stomach will be very happy with what will be on the plate in front of you, vegetarian or not. 

So, in general, traveling as a vegetarian in South America might bring some challenges but it is definitely possible and a lot easier than I thought it would be before I left. One last tip I want to give you is: cook! If restaurants fail to give you vegetarian options, just make your own food. The majority of hostels will have kitchens where you can prepare food. If you bring a piece of tupperware with you on your journey you’ll be able to bring your own food on hikes, buses, day trips etc. On top of that this will also save you some money.  

Let me know in the comments what your experiences have been traveling as a vegetarian!

Click here to watch the full Ted Talk!  

Boroditsky ended her talk by proposing that we look at ourselves by thinking about why we think a certain way, how we could think differently and what thoughts we wish to create. From this video, we can conclude that language definitely does shape the way we think. If you already speak multiple languages, this might make you reflect on yourself and whether or not you notice your own personality changing when you switch to another language.

Traveling and being among people who speak different languages can be very interesting, but also challenging. In 2014, I spent six months in the United States to study English. Many of my friends at the International Language School were from Latin America. As the ‘odd one out’ among a group of people all speaking the same language, I’d often have to sit around listening to a whole bunch of Spanish mumbling without understanding a word of what they were saying.

With time I did learn the useful phrase: ”Dejen de hablar español!” (Stop speaking Spanish!), which was my first sentence learned in the language. However, I still often felt a bit left out and it started a fire within me of wanting to learn how to speak and understand the Spanish language.

I know there are many different reasons why people may want to learn a new language, but the objective for each is the same. And therefore, so is the solution. Over the years, I’ve managed to get to a B1 level of Spanish, which has allowed me to comfortably talk to natives and even have discussions with people about topics such as capitalism and migration.

I’m here to give you 7 useful tips that you can use in order to learn the language you want while traveling abroad.

1. Apps

Most of the people reading this article will probably have at least heard about the app ‘Duolingo‘. Duolingo is an app where you can do daily exercises of just a few minutes to help you learn a new language. When I first started learning Spanish, the app Duolingo helped me learn a few basic phrases and it helped me memorize some vocabulary. This app is especially good if you’re completely new to a language. However, If you are really invested in becoming fluent in a language, a different app (such as Babbel) might be more useful.

I heard about Babbel from a friend of mine I met whilst traveling. The concept is the same as Duolingo, but there is more content and different types of exercises. They offer beginner and intermediate courses, along with separate grammar, listening and speaking exercises. The only thing with Babbel is that it does cost some money per month to use the app. It is up to you if you find it worth it to pay this, but I’ve only heard positive stories from the people around me.

These kind of apps are really great for learning while traveling because you can study vocabulary, grammar, and listening skills anytime you want, anywhere you want.

2. Take Classes at a Language School

This tip is especially useful if you’re planning on staying in one place for a longer period of time, but even if you’re a fast-paced traveler, this is definitely possible! There are language schools scattered around each big city and often also in touristy smaller towns. Sometimes, hostels also offer cheap Spanish classes.

Language schools in big cities often offer both private classes and group classes in different levels. You will have to do a language level test before your classes start so you will be put in the right class. Usually, it’s not necessary to sign up for these schools far in advance! If you want to study at the school for multiple months it might be best to plan it with the school in advance, but if you want classes for just a week or multiple weeks, the process is very simple. I usually show up the Friday before you want your classes to start and ask for information. You can sign up right then and there. Sometimes you will be able to do the language level test that same day, sometimes you will be asked to do it online, and sometimes you will be asked to come a bit earlier on Monday morning before the classes start.

The good thing about many language schools in big cities is that they are used to receiving travelers, which means that they offer classes year-round and you can start any week that you happen to be there. The downside is that classes can be very pricey. If classes at a language school are outside of your budget, looking for hostels with cheap Spanish classes might be an option.

(THIS hostel in Sucre, Bolivia, offers cheap good-quality private Spanish classes in the hostel – and it also has incredible breakfast (included!) every morning!)  

3. Meet Locals

This is probably the one which I would say is the absolute best way to learn a new language. Meet the locals! Especially when they don’t speak English or just a limited amount, this can be extremely beneficial. You’ll be learning all the vocab which will be useful in everyday life. When meeting this person, you’ll learn how to do this in Spanish (or whichever language you’re trying to learn). When getting to know this person, you’ll learn how to do this in Spanish. And when doing all sorts of activities with this person, or having deep conversations about life, politics, the weather, etc., you’ll learn how to do this in Spanish!

On top of that, you’ll make friends in this new foreign place and you’ll always have a reason to come and visit the country another time.

So the question is… how do you meet locals? I know that it can sometimes be difficult to get to know the local population. When you’re moving from hostel to hostel, most of the other people you meet are travelers. It is easy to meet other travelers and they often are looking forward to doing similar stuff as you are, since you’re all living the same lifestyle with the same traveler mindset, whereas locals are just living their life. They have a job and a family and already a group of friends around them.

While this is true, and it will be more difficult to meet locals rather than other travelers, it is definitely possible and not as difficult as you may think. This can be as easy as starting up a conversation with someone while waiting for your ice cream to be served, or going to see a local band play live in a bar.

The upcoming four tips are all examples of how you can meet local people as well. 

4. Stay with a Host Family

I don’t have any personal experience with staying at a host family, but I know many people who have had great experiences in these situations. There’s a good chance that your host family may not speak English very well and to bond with them, you will have to practice the language you’re trying to learn.

The few times I visited host families of friends of mine, I found that they were very interested in getting to know my life and culture. These people are inviting you in their homes, which means that they do not expect you to be perfect in their language and will most likely be very patient while you’re trying to figure out the past tense of this new verb you learned.

It is especially fun when the family has young kids since these will be intrigued by the stranger in their house. They will want to know all about you, play games with you and it is a great way to practice your Spanish since young kids are unlikely to have learned English yet. Also, watch a Disney show or some other cartoon with the kids! The kids will love that you’re spending time with them and you will be able to practice your listening skills.

5. Take a Dance Class

Another really fun way to practice a new language is to take some sort of class, such as a dance class. I’m not talking about a class given at a hostel (though these can also be really fun), but you’re trying to learn a new language so the best way would be to go to a dance school where all the locals go. Often, you will be able to pay for one or a few separate classes, so it is an easy option if you’re not staying in the same city for a long period of time.

When I was in Buenos Aires I took a Tango class at ‘Escuela de Tango de Buenos Aires‘. The teacher spoke English, but as soon as he realized I spoke a bit of Spanish he immediately continued to speak to me in Spanish. It is a great way to not only get to know locals and practice a new language but also to learn something about the culture in the country you’re visiting.

6. Go to a Language Exchange Meetup

Many big cities will have bars where occasionally a night will be organized for people to exchange languages. Usually, it will start in the afternoon where the focus is on meeting each other and speaking in a language you might not be as familiar with. As the night goes on it might turn more into a party atmosphere.

As far as I have experienced, entering the bar is usually free, you just have to pay for your own drinks etc. Upon arrival, you will get a sticker of the flag of each language you speak. So imagine you speak English, German and are trying to learn Spanish, you will get the American or British flag, the German flag, and the Spanish flag. This way people will know in which language they can talk to you.

I’ve been to nights like this in both Buenos Aires and Santiago, Chile. I think it’s a great way to meet new people and you will definitely get the opportunity to speak a few different languages, but at the same time, it is often more of a social event where most of the people will mainly speak in English. (let me know in the comments if you have a different experience!)

But for meeting new people it’s definitely worth it!

7. Date!

I didn’t realize how much this actually happens until I was in my Spanish class in Santiago, Chile, and the question came up about who was dating a Chilean guy/girl. 4 out of 5 people in the classroom said yes! 

Dating in a foreign country is such an exciting experience. The guy/girl you’re into can show you around and tell you all about the city and you’ll be able to experience the city in a whole different way. You’ll learn about the culture, be able to try the local cuisine, and of course practice your language skills. Be aware that the dating culture might differ from what you’re used to back home, but as long as you keep an open mind and communicate any confusions you may have, this shouldn’t be an issue.

And of course, always stay mindful. Dating abroad is fun, but you should make sure to meet in a public space and let people know where you are. Stay safe!

In the end, no one can take the memories you make away from you. Spending a year traveling through South America has broadened my perspective on so many things. I’ve cried, I’ve laughed, I’ve grown and learned so many things. And trust me, learning a new language along the way will only make the experience more valuable.

I would love to hear your stories! Have you ever traveled abroad while trying to learn the language? Or are you planning on doing this soon? Let me know in the comment box below!