A different dimension of travel
VegFest is an event which travels around the country, primarily in the South, Bristol, Brighton and London but on 5th and 6th December 2015 it came to Glasgow SECC. There were 117 different stalls promoting vegetarian and vegan foods, cruelty free cosmetics, treats, clothes, related charities etc and around 7500 people attended the event.
In addition to the many stands there were live music performances, cookery demonstrations and a plethora of talks on nutrition, lifestyle, campaigning etc. Silver Traveller Tina Fox gave a talk in Vegetarian for Life’s Mature Zone which was aimed specifically at the over 50’s with related talks and free tea and cakes!.
Tina’s talk focussed on tips for the vegetarian and vegan silver traveller who have to prepare more (and perhaps complain more!) if they are to have decent food on their travels. Vegetarians need to research which countries beyond the UK are veggie friendly and look up where they can eat and similarly in the UK where some areas are much keener on vegetarian trade than others. One enterprising hotel, Portsonachan Hotel near Inverary had brought a stand to the event and brought its vegan menus along to recruit customers with a special deal – well done them for having a bit of foresight! Scotland is a very popular destination for vegetarians and vegans as many of them are keen on the wildlife and beauty of the country so those hotels and restaurants willing to make an extra effort really find it pays dividends. 
Ambleside in the Lake District is another extremely veggie friendly area with three completely vegetarian restaurants and a new vegetarian hotel, Ambleside Manor, opening this December – hope I get a chance to review that one!
It is also important for vegetarians staying in non vegetarian establishments to make their needs clear before they arrive and not just accept second best. So they need to check the menus to see if veggie sausage, veggie bacon, soya milk and soya margarine are available and if not request them.
Silver Travel Advisor had also kindly provided some free travel bags, mouse mats and guides etc for the mature zone and these lasted precisely 5 minutes at the end of the talk!
If you would like to read more about Tina’s travel adventures or about Vegetarian for Life check out the website at vegetarianforlife.org.uk/blog/category/travel
