This Thursday is another landmark in my new lifestyle — I’m embarking on my first trip since I’ve become a vegetarian.

And, to amplify the difficulty of traveling while veg, I am visiting Texas, the barbecue capital of the country.

I’ve witnessed vegetarian friends struggle while traveling in the past. When backpacking in South America I had many friends who ate only rice and beans because the food culture there simply revolves around a meat-based diet.

Unfortunately, the Texas culture also revolves around a diet of barbecued meats.
I already know there will be temptations at virtually every restaurant, but if I keep a few things in mind I can still eat healthy and tasty food away from home.

Whether you’re going by road or sky there are always ways to stick to your vegetarian diet. If driving, pack a cooler instead of relying on fast food.

It’s cheaper, healthier and tastier to bring food from home, and you get to skip trying the dreaded Burger King veggie burger!

Believe it or not you have options when you’re flying, too. Most airlines have vegetarian choices if you simply notify them ahead of time.

And more often than not, the veg meal is better than the microwaved roast beef sandwich the rest of the passengers receive.

Delta/Northwest and Continental offer a vegetarian meal that just needs to be requested when purchasing your ticket. United, TWA and USAir go as far as offering a vegan meal.

There is undoubtedly a lot of dining out while traveling. When at a restaurant it’s important to be very clear with the server.

Go ahead and say you’re vegetarian and don’t want meat. Unknown restaurants have unknown dishes, so don’t feel bad about letting your server know your diet.

If you’re traveling overseas, make sure you know how to say “no meat” in the native language. In French say “pas de viande”, in German “kein Fleisch” and in Italian “nessuna carne.”

Obviously this is just an example of some of the dialects you may need. However, if you visit an online translator, you can figure out the phrase in virtually any language.

Lastly, always have a backup plan. There may be times and places where it’s not an option to eat vegetarian.

In these situations don’t give up! Just be prepared with emergency snacks.

There are plenty of healthy, protein-packed snacks that can get you out of a bind if you simply carry them around with you.

Some good snacks to keep on hand when traveling are dried fruits, protein bars, pretzels, dehydrated soups and raw nuts. These foods are filling, yet easy to carry around from day to day.

Hopefully I can take my own advice and stick to my veg diet while in Texas. No one likes added difficulties while traveling, but with a little planning I believe sticking to vegetarianism is completely doable away from home.