Do You Have to Go Vegan All at Once? What My 14-Year Journey Taught Me
Fourteen years ago, as a sophomore in college, I went vegan for the first time.
I’m an all-or-nothing person, so there was no gradual transition: one day I ate animal products and the next I decided I was completely vegan.
But my journey wasn’t perfectly linear. Limited college dining options, the social side of eating and travelling through Europe eventually led me back to vegetarianism before I became vegan again after graduating. Fourteen years later, I still believe that changing gradually, pausing or simply eating more plant-based meals are all choices worth celebrating.
Going Vegan at College in 2012
At the time, I was living in New York City, which sounds like it should have made being vegan incredibly easy. In reality, most of my meals were served in a college dining hall.
Vegan options were limited, so I spent plenty of evenings eating whatever I could find at the salad bar just so I could sit and have dinner with my friends. Afterwards, I would head back to the dorms and cook my actual meal in the communal kitchen, which was about as well maintained as you might imagine.
My college was only a ferry ride away from Manhattan, but when it came to vegan food, it felt like a completely different world.
Whenever I had the chance, I would spend weekends in the city searching for the best vegan restaurants and treats I could find. Those little discoveries made the effort feel worthwhile.
Studying Abroad as a Vegan
That spring, I studied abroad in London, the city I would eventually move to just six years later.
Veganism was even less accessible across Europe at the time, especially while travelling. I began thinking about all the places I wanted to visit and all the foods I wanted to experience.
I did not want to travel to Italy and feel like I could not eat pizza, or visit France and miss out on crepes.
I was also living with a vegetarian, so I decided that, for the semester, I would eat whatever was easiest to find while remaining vegetarian. By then, I could not imagine going back to eating meat, but I also realised I was not ready for veganism to mean missing meals, struggling socially or constantly eating alone. Suddenly having a meat-free diet felt effortless.
When I returned to college, I stayed vegetarian until graduation.
Finding My Way Back to Veganism
Once I graduated, I went vegan again.
This time, it stuck.
I have been vegan ever since, and the world has made it much easier to remain vegan than it was when I first tried in 2012. Having a real kitchen and a fridge bigger than a microwave also made a significant difference!
Supermarkets now have entire plant-based ranges. Restaurants regularly label vegan options.
Travelling as a vegan still requires some research, but it no longer feels like every meal has to become a challenge.
That first attempt still matters to me, even though my journey was not perfectly linear.
I tried. I paused. I learned what made the lifestyle difficult for me, and I eventually returned to it when I was in a better position to make it sustainable.
Why Vegan Travel Still Excites Me
That early experience is probably why I still get so excited when I find incredible vegan food while travelling.
There is something genuinely joyful about eating vegan pizza in Italy or finding a vegan crepe in France, because those were once the exact experiences I assumed I would have to miss.
Food is such an important part of travel. It connects you to a destination, its culture and its people. For a long time, being vegan could make it feel as though you were standing slightly outside that experience.
Now, more traditional foods are being veganised, more restaurants understand plant-based diets and more destinations are becoming easier to explore without compromising your values.
Every time I find something that would have felt impossible in 2012, I am reminded of how far things have come.
Do You Have To Go Vegan All At Once?
Although I personally went all in when I first tried veganism, I do not think everyone needs to approach it that way.
Sometimes going vegan overnight works. Sometimes you need to flirt with veganism first. You might begin with meat-free Mondays, switch a few favourite products or choose the vegan option when it is available.
You may become vegan immediately. You may take a break and return to it later. You may never become fully vegan at all.
That does not mean your choices are meaningless.
So, do you have to go vegan all at once? I don't think so. Every meal without animal products still reduces demand. Every person asking for a vegan option makes businesses more likely to provide one. Every small change helps make plant-based food more visible and accessible for the next person.
Fourteen years after I first went vegan, I am still celebrating that initial spark.
My journey was not perfect, immediate or completely straightforward, but it led me here.
Bit by bit, the world is becoming more vegan-friendly, and that is always worth celebrating.
