anchor.diff:  
   :hp-tags: [vegan, how to, food, conference,]
   
  -A few weeks ago, I attended one of the three annual conferences my company holds. This particular conference is hosted in Ludwigsburg, Germany, which is in the Baden-Württemberg - a place where meat is king! This was my first conference after choosing to become vegan and I honestly, I was worried. Would I survive this trip as a vegan and if so, what would I be surviving on.
  +A few weeks ago, I attended one of the three annual conferences my company holds. This particular conference is hosted in Ludwigsburg, Germany, which is in the Baden-Württemberg state - a place where meat is king! This was my first conference after choosing to become vegan and honestly, I was worried. Would I survive this trip as a vegan and if so, what would I be surviving on.
   
   image::ludwigsburg.jpg[Ludwigsburg, Germany]
   
  -While going through the experience, I thought it would be helpful to share a few tips with my fellow vegan friends! So here we go:
  +While going through the experience, I thought it would be helpful to share a few tips with my fellow vegans! So here we go:
   
   ===== Before the conference
   
   Don't wait until the last minute to start thinking about how you will survive on a plant-based diet at a conference. 
   
   *Registration* - 
  -When registering for the conference, keep your eyes peeled for a field about food preferences or special requests. If you didn't see such a field on the form, reach out to the organizers and ask if there will be a vegan option offered onsite. Any organizer worth its salt will reply!
  +When registering for the conference, look for a field about food preferences or special requests. If you didn't see such a field on the form, reach out to the organizers and ask if there will be a vegan option offered onsite. Any organizer worth its salt will reply!
   
   *Hotel* -
  -Contact the hotel your will be staying at and ask about vegan options available at their hotel. If they don't have option, plan time to shop when you get there. 
  +Contact the hotel you will be staying at and ask about vegan options available at their hotel. If they don't have an option, plan time to shop when you get there. 
   When I asked this time around they replied: "For dinner, simply ask your server and we will accomodate. You can eat rice bread, fruits and vegetables for breakfast. No, we don't have non-dairy milk."
   
   *Trip/Flights* -
  -International flights offer vegan options. They aren't always tasty. For those who don't know, you +++<u>can</u>+++ bring food through security, but no liquids over 100 ml. I always bring snacks (protein and something sweet) in my carry-on. For the international flights, I choose a fruit only meal. Fruits are light and tasty, full of vitamins and I don't feel gross when I land. This time around I departed from the Toronto airport and they had vegan options, but don't count on your airport having any options. I had a tasty, yet dry vegan falafel sandwich. 
  +International flights offer vegan options. They aren't always tasty. You +++<u>can</u>+++ bring food through security, but no liquids over 100 ml. I always bring snacks (protein and something sweet) in my carry-on. For the international flights, I choose a fruit only meal. Fruits are light and tasty, full of vitamins and I don't feel gross when I land. This time around I departed from the Toronto airport and they had vegan options, but don't count on your airport having any options. I had a tasty, yet dry vegan falafel sandwich. 
   
   image::falafel.png[Falafel Sandwich Toronto Airport]
   
  
positive.code: Since it was so close to Halloween and it was pumpkin season, they served this amazing pumpkin soup with pumpkin seeds! I had two servings. :)
  
  *Restaurants* -
  Many restaurants now offer vegan options, but don't necessarily advertise it. Take the inivitative to research vegan friendly places so you can suggest them when making plans with clients or colleagues. There is no doubt about it, they will appreaciate you organizing the dinner plans! If they've already made arrangement, just call the restaurant to confirm that they have vegan options.
  
  A great website to research restaurants is https://www.happycow.net/[happycow.net]. They don't usually list restaurants that have only one vegan option, so you might want to want to do a Google as well "vegan restaurants in [CITY NAME]".
  
  *Bar* -
  Did you know that some alchoholic beverages aren't vegan?! To be safe, look up your drink of choice on http://www.barnivore.com/[barnivore.com] - it's a great resource!
  
negative.code: Here was one of my afternoon snacks, since the conference didn't fufill my protein needs. I made myself an open-faced rye bread sandwich with kalamata olive spread and mixed seeds.
  
  *Conference* -
  If you're lucky the conference food will be tasty and will offer protein. In May 2016, I attended a conference in North Carolina and they always served a form of protein with vegetarian or vegan meals. Some of them were actually very tasty.
  
  Here are two of the meals I had at the conference in Germany:
  
  