Traveller Profile - Caro from Veggieway

This month we are featuring Belgium girl; writer and travel blogger Caroline Muller.

Caroline is a self-proclaimed foodie with a love for writing and photography. She believes there is nothing better than sharing a good meal with a new friend (in a great location). Caroline shares her travel stories on her website Veggie Wayfarer. Perfect for female travellers that like to explore off the beaten path locations and eat great vegetarian food. She offers travel guides (including a guide to Lake Bled, Slovenia and Iran), vegetarian food guides and sustainability tips and tricks.

Caroline has been a vegetarian for over eighteen years and shares her worldly knowledge of where you can grab a wonderful bite to eat. She is currently exploring how to be more sustainable both in her travels and daily life.

You can check out Caroline’s gorgeous photography and the incredible places she has travelled to on her Instagram account, and Facebook page.

1. Why do you travel?

I was lucky enough to have two parents that loved travelling and took me and my brothers along when they travelled. These travels exposed me to a myriad of different cultures and have shaped the lens through which I see the world today. Travel is a gift that keeps giving; it has given me perspective when I was going through very tough times and also keeps proving that the world is such a wonderful place filled with extraordinary human beings.

2. Tell us your favourite: place to visit, mode of transport and source to get travel info.

My favourite country to visit is a hard one, there is a lot of beauty in the world and each place has something to offer. But, if I had to pick a top three it would be the following: Iran for its culture and the unbridled hospitality of the locals; India for the luscious food and the full cultural immersion you cannot but help experience with every fibre of your being and finally Italy for its rich history and the sheer beauty that can be found around every corner (well and of course it is the country with a mouth-watering selection of vegetarian food too!).

My favourite mode of transport is hands down the train. I love taking long-distance trains as they are a sustainable way to travel and they provide you with the opportunity to see the country you are visiting unfold in front of you, from the comfort of your seat.

As for my sources for travel information, they vary depending on the type of trip I undertake. If the trip is very content heavy, then my main sources will be Pinterest and to a lesser extent Instagram. If however, I am undertaking a cultural trip I will turn to blogs to get the nitty-gritty details of the places I want to travel to and how to get there.

3. What is your favourite travel memory?

I travelled to Iran in October 2019 with a fellow traveller that I met via social media. Knowing nothing about either my travel companion or the country I was going to visit, and slightly influenced by the media’s portrayal of Iran, I was more nervous than I care to admit. In fact, despite being a seasoned traveller I found myself unable to sleep due to stress in the week leading up to my departure.

The trip turned out to be one of the best I have ever undertaken. Iranians are some of the most hospitable and gentle people you will ever meet. Iran has a long and beautiful history and the architecture that can be found in Isfahan and Shiraz is simply captivating. We travelled from Teheran all the way to Shiraz. I came out of that trip with a lifelong best friend and a deep love for Iran. I can’t wait to go back and visit the rest of the country, to write about the experience and in doing so break down some of the false messages the media has spread about the country and encourage others to go out and explore.

4. What’s the most important thing you’ve learned while travelling?

That people are inherently good. The world can sometimes feel like a scary place, with a lot of nasty things going on: Wars, robberies gone bad, murders, global warming, … In all honesty it makes me feel deeply sad at times. Whenever I travel and meet new people (locals or fellow travellers), I am reminded that despite the bleak picture that is painted, there is still hope for the future as the human race is inherently good. In all my years of travel (both solo and with others) I have been lucky enough to always find someone to help me out when I got myself into trouble, got lost or tripped and needed a visit to the hospital to get some stitches. Sometimes help came from people who spoke the same language as I did, other times we communicated with hands and feet, yet the intention was always the same: To help me out without any personal interest.

5. Who would you love to sit next to on your next flight?

Malala Yousafzai. I find her energy, drive and most importantly her message a beacon of hope for women everywhere. Instead of wallowing in her own tragic experience (which frankly she has every right to) she used this tragic even as a catalyst for change for others.

6. What’s your best money-saving tip to travel?

Before the trip - The biggest expenses are flights and accommodation. For flights, I use Momondo to see which dates are the cheapest, being self-employed I am lucky to have the flexibility to choose when I fly out. With regards to accommodation, I will often pitch hotels to work together if I am going on an extended trip. In return for quality content that fits their marketing needs, I will either get a press discount or a hosted stay. If however, I am only travelling for a few days then Airbnb is my go-to option as they have an offer that suits most budgets.

During the trip - As dreary as it sounds, I budget both in advance of the trip as well as during the trip. I find that if I input all my expenses into an app, it helps me keep track of my spending throughout the trip and I to reign it in when it becomes excessive.

7. How do you deal with the post-holiday blues?

This is a tricky one, especially when coming back from a sunny holiday and it is dreary and rainy back home (coming from Belgium this tends to happen a lot). I try and take solace in getting back to my routine: Working out regularly, seeing friends after work and planning fun activities during the weekend. If the above does not work, then I start making some tentative plans for a new trip. Even if the trip is months in the future, the planning phase usually kicks my post-holiday blues in the butt.

8. What’s one thing you like to do in every place you visit?

Sample the local (vegetarian) cuisine! Preferably from a terrace with a good spot to people watch. There is simply nothing better than enjoying a meal while looking at the locals go about their daily business.

9. Travelling can leave a big environmental footprint, how do you minimise yours?

I am a vegetarian and try and eat at restaurants that work with farm to table initiatives (e.g. a short supply chain). In addition, I ardently refuse to buy bottled water (I carry a refillable water bottle with me everywhere I go). Whenever possible I will rely on public transportation to get me from point a to point b. Currently, I am delving deeper into all the aspects of sustainable travel. As I learn more about the available alternatives, this will become one of the main pillars of my travel blog Veggie Wayfarer.

10. Plan an around the world trip for us, stopping in one city only on each continent.

What a dream trip, however hard to plan without a timeframe and a budget!

For Europe I would have to pick a stop in Rome, the eternal city is an absolute must for food and history. Next make your way to Goma in Rwanda to embark on an epic Gorilla trekking adventure together with the Dian Fossey Institute, learn all about these majestic animals and the conservation efforts undertaken by the institute.

Picking one city in Asia is very hard, but I would have to go with Shiraz in Iran. This ancient city is home to the pink mosque. Make sure to come early in the morning when visiting the pink mosque marvel at the stained windows and the kaleidoscope effect they produce as the morning sun hits them, spreading rays of coloured light all over the (pink) walls of the mosque.

After Asia, it is time of Oceania, and what better way to experience this continent than through the flavors on offer in Sydney. The city is known to be at the forefront of pretty much any trend as well as being graced by a very sunny climate.

Make the long flight from Oceania over to North America to celebrate Mardi Gras in New Orleans. The city that is the birthplace of American Jazz, boast amazing architecture and has a very substantial food scene (hello creole food!).

From North America, make your way down to South America to the little town of Bariloche in Argentina. This sleepy town is a wonderful base for getting to know Argentinian Patagonia. There are plenty of hikes to be done, local beers to be tasted and friendly locals to get to know in a setting that is nothing short of magical (mountain lakes, dramatic backdrops and romantic sunsets are all part of the package).

Last but not least, it is time to go to Antarctica. There are however no cities on this continent, just research stations, therefore I would suggest taking one of the many guided cruises that leave from Porto Natales (Chile) direction Antarctica.

Thanks for sharing Caro. I can relate to your stories. I absolutely love Iran, India and Italy too, they are such unique places to visit.

To read past traveller profiles; click here.

Each month an enthusiastic traveller will share with us their personal stories from their adventures around the world. If you would like to be featured in the upcoming months then please drop us a note below…