I am sitting on a balcony on a warm, warm Jamaican evening, reflecting upon my time in the US. I had an amazing time there. I have wanted to travel for a very long time, but I could never afford to. During that fantasising about where I would go some day and what I would see, the US was never somewhere I really considered, but I am very glad I had the opportunity to go along and see what it was like. I was only there for a few weeks, and in just one corner of the country, so I had quite a limited scope of what it had to offer. Having said that, in my short time there I met a wealth of very different people with vastly differing ideals. From the angry Donald Trump supporters who I thought didn’t actually exist in real life, to the beautiful, generous punks in Boston; from the person offering ‘spectacularly bad advice, guaranteed to f*ck your life up’ for only a dollar, to old Jack, who gave us his ‘Nam story in a hard drinking bar in Philly. I met a lot of people in the US, some of which I will stay in touch with, and for that I am most grateful.
My time in the US was comfortable. It was very much not home for me, but the people who welcomed me in made sure I felt like it could be for the duration. We moved around quite a bit, but we were based in Ellie’s family home in Maryland, where we would always come in and out. I was welcomed not only as a guest in the house, but as a part of the family. I was accommodated very warmly by people who were extremely tolerant of (and I think a little excited by) my insatiable appetite for tasty food, and I could easily have stayed for weeks, living comfortably as a Hobbit.
I am slightly sad to leave the little nook I carved in the US behind, but I am extremely excited to venture on, into many of the exciting places I dreamt of going. We are going to see so many amazing things I can’t even begin to process, but throughout it all I am going to carry with me a fondness for Momma’s cooking that I did not expect to find.
Additional Vegan Travel Blogs from Ross & Ellie:
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Ross & Ellie’s Vegan Travel Videos:
VeganTravel.com is a place where vegans from around the world can share their passion for travel and adventure, help promote and grow interest in going vegan, shed light on the issues animals are facing around the globe, and help build a more sustainable and compassionate world. By sharing our collective experiences, we believe we can show the world how easy it is not only to travel as a vegan, but also spread a message of compassion with those we meet along the way.
