
Travel Vocabulary
This travel vocabulary consists of sentences and words that I have used often. So it is more a subjective vocabulary of experience than an objective dictionary. Nevertheless, I would like to add it here, because a lot of relevant vocabulary is missing in normal travel guides and I think that this kind of information should be accessible for everyone. I have added the languages of the three Guyana countries to the vocabulary, although they probably communicate more in English.
In some countries, and especially in the rural areas of almost all countries, communication can be difficult because the conversation partner does not know what is vegan. In Argentina, for example, most people who do not have vegetarian friends confuse vegetarian with vegan. But they usually ask what you mean. In Bolivia and Peru, where people have little contact with tourists, it is sometimes easier to explain that you only eat things that come from plants or you plead lactose intolerance. Allergies are usually respected. In case of a pure preference it often happens that the corresponding ingredient is removed from the food and you still get stew or soup with meat stock. Many people lack education and they do not know exactly what comes from plants and what comes from animals. Then you have to enumerate it. Also many people are not aware that bread, which is prepared with butter, lard or milk, is not vegan. It happens more often that you get the answer you ask for because people want to sell their stuff. Therefore you should either formulate as neutral as possible or ask for the opposite. Questions would be here:
What does it contain? – Qué contiene?
Does it contain milk/butter/lard/eggs? – Contiene leche/mantequilla/mantequa/huevos?
Is it made with vegetable oil or lard? – Esta hecho con aceite vegetal o mantequa?
Whereby one usually gets a very imprecise answer to the question, what does it contain. With bread, for example, you get “Harina” as the answer, which takes you much further.
In the restaurant it helps to estimate the situation. Is one in the province or in the metropolis? Are you in a vegetarian restaurant? What is the educational level of the staff? Depending on how you answer these questions, you can ask about vegan options or describe what you want. Asking for vegetarian dishes and then asking if you can have that one without cheese etc. is sometimes also worthwhile.

