Vegan

I'm used to seeing heaping plates of grilled veggies drizzled with olive oil in so many restaurants in Italy that I'd have thought it among the easiest countries to get vegan food, but here's a list of prep steps for future travel.

1. Never expect translations. Unless the government has invited you explicitly, consider yourself an uninvited guest who ought to be thankful for any courtesy.

2. Try to get a phone that can get service where you will be. This can be tricky. If you can't do that, but you CAN get an internet connection at least some of the time (in hotels, for example) consider bringing a laptop. If that is too bulky, then at the very least pre-translate some phrases you expect to need and take screenshots on your no-signal phone or transcribe onto 3x5 cards you can hand people with full text of both languages on each card (either all on one side or English on the back). Example: I would like vegetables and pasta, but no meat, no eggs, no cheese, and no dairy.

3. Make sure you have an adapter that plugs in to their electric outlets.

4. Learn at least a few key words/phrases: "I'm, ummm... Sono vegano... umm, uhh, ... no carne, no latte, no formaggio, no frutti di mare. They may ask something like, "Mangi le uova?" and hopefully you can figure out with hand gestures that they mean 'eggs'.

5. When you find portable food/snacks, buy some extra in advance so you have a backup.

6. Learn to cook so you know what ingredients go into different foods. Example: Tuscan bread is just flour, water, and yeast. The rest of Italy usually adds some salt. In contrast, biscotti has eggs.

In Italy, vegan options are most likely found in meals sections: Primi, Contorni, and Insalata -- you aren't likely to find vegan options in Antipasti, Secondi, nor (obviously) Formaggi e frutta.