Will Travel For Vegan Food: A Young Woman's Solo Van-Dwelling Mission to Break Free, Find Food, and Make Love

by Kristin Lajeunesse

In September 2011 Kristin Lajeunesse set out on a journey that would change her life forever. With the goal of dining at and writing about every single vegan restaurant in the United States, Kristin spent eighteen months living off of donations and out of a renovated sports van, driving up and down the entire country. After 48 states, 500+ restaurants, and 35,000+ miles Kristin shares her uplifting journey filled with risk, laughter, love, and heartbreak. Tear-jerker there is one particular story about a teddy bear that will break your heart and put it back together again city after city.

Genres: Vegan, Nonfiction, Travel, Memoir, Food

258 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2014

Reviews

[Nathaniel Grills · Rating 1 out of 5]

To begin, please know that this 1-star review is not coming from an angry omnivore who just spends his time patrolling the Internet and writing hateful reviews. I am vegan, I am an animal rights activist, I am all of the above. That being said, I (to an extent) wholeheartedly support the influx of any form of pro-vegan media, this book included.

In actuality, my review stems from Lajeunesse's inability to take what was no doubt a one of a kind experience, and make the reader feel what she felt. Instead, she strings together a meek and forgettable assortment of weak adjectives, mundane conversational dialogue and poorly developed plot lines that leave the reader constantly wanting, but never receiving, more.

This book shoots for inspirational, makes an attempt at motivational but lands directly in the middle of ordinary. Is it a waste of time? Not at all. Well maybe that time she describes the appearance of her iPhone. Yeah, that part was a waste of time.

[Peacegal · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars -- It's been said that nobody loves food more than vegans, and I would tend to agree. When you're surrounded by a culture that thinks animal products have to be in everything and weak offerings from those omni eateries that even bother to acknowledge that you exist, when someone gets it right you want to shout it from the rooftops. Vegan food can be savory, sweet, decadent--in essence, anything you can eat, I can eat vegan.

As someone who plans vacations around cramming as much vegan food into my face as I possibly can, I could completely relate to this author's desire to visit every vegan restaurant in the US. The premise of this book sounded awesome--a sort of "Eat, Pray, Love" with ethics. And I was hoping for lots of descriptions of all of the foodgasms.

I agree with the other reviewers who were hoping for more food and less of the author's personal romantic travails. I was really hoping for not only more mouthwatering play-by-plays of the menus, but also more profiles of the restaurateurs and their stories. While there was some of this, I was just hoping for more--I especially was curious about the author's impressions of the vegan restaurants I myself have visited. (My impressions were mostly "food coma.") None of these restaurants were in my own state, as it is, the author points out, one of the handful of US states with zero all-vegan restaurants. Sigh...no surprise there.

I also have to feel a bit envious of the fact that the life the author "escaped"--a nine-to-five at an animal protection organization--is my dream job.

I'm really glad that there's a book like this out there, although it could use a bit of polish (there's a typo in the first paragraph--yikes!)--hopefully it will inspire veg*ns to go on adventures of their own and inform omnis that there is a whole other world of food out there--delicious flavors they are probably missing out on.

[Breanna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not enough about the food. Too much about her awkward sex life. Definitely used the thesaurus a lot.

[Colleen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was expecting a book about veganism, but instead it was a memoir about finding oneself. That's fine, but it just didn't meet my expectations, plus the writing was poor--typical of a blogger who has cool experiences but lacks writing skills. I was confused why she went into such detail about one particular sex scene--it didn't seem to have anything to do with veganism or her journey, and I kept thinking, "isn't your mother reading this?"

[Ember · Rating 3 out of 5]

More than a travel memoir about crossing state lines, Will Travel For Vegan Food delves deep into crossing the lines of firmly guarded comfort zones.

Feeling an unexplainable (and unexpected) sense of longing for more than her 9 to 5 job working for an animal protection organization, and inspired by the numerous books she’d been reading about working for herself, from any location, Kristin Lajeunesse was suddenly struck by a desire she didn't even know she had: to eat in every all-vegan restaurant in the continental U.S.

Lajeunesse left the job she thought she'd wanted and the boyfriend she realized she’d been holding onto for too long, sold most of what she owned (and stored the rest at her parents’ place), bought and outfitted a G20 Chevy sportvan and hit the road.

Though she initially intended for her journey to be a solo one, Lajeunesse rolled away accompanied by a new man she met at a meetup in the months before setting out, with visions of an epic love story-in-the-making dancing through her head. It didn’t take her long to realize her mistake, though it did take her some time to express her desire to go it alone.

This setting of boundaries and reclamation of independence was an obvious turning point in Lajeunesse’s trip, and really served to open her up to a whole host of new experiences, people, ways of thinking and, ultimately, important new perspectives about herself and how she wanted to shape and live her life.

While some of the "logistic" details (like baby wipe van showers) may not inspire you to type up your two-week notice and start buying and selling on Craigslist, there is a universal truth in Lajeunesse’s adventure of self-discovery that just might help you realize your own dreams, however big or small they may be.

Though the title of the book and the blog it's based on are about roaming in search of cruelty-free food, Will Travel For Vegan Food is more of a road diary (or captain’s log, as she sometimes refers to it), with all the heart-pounding vehicular hiccups one might expect, scenes like scream-singing along to the radio in celebration of personal freedom and the exploration of loss and forgiveness encountered along the way. This is more of a story about the passage of time and all of the letting go and growing up that comes along with it than it is about vegan food. (But don’t fret – there are still ample descriptions of some of the country’s most memorable meals to be had, and you can read up on the places she chowed down in detail on her blog.)

What started out as a simple-but-kind-of-crazy idea stretched on longer (two years on the road instead of the one she’d envisioned) and sent her deeper into herself than she’d ever expected, and affected more people in more ways than she could have predicted from the outset. This book is a great read for anyone afflicted with wanderlust or who has loved, lost or felt a longing to go looking for themselves, vegan or not.

[Bookworm · Rating 1 out of 5]

Noooooooooooooooooooooo. This sounded like a fun, different read. Young woman decides she's going to take a chance and despite having a new graduate degree, a new job that she loves and a new relationship, Kristin Lajeunesse is going to take a road trip and eat at every single vegan restaurant in the US. Based on the cover (back and front), it looks like it took about 2 years across 48 states and 547 restaurants. Cool! I've read books on similar premises (for example, 'Slice Harvester' is one man's quest to eat a slice of pizza in *every* single pizzeria in NYC) and so this seemed like a good book to read to continue my food theme. 
 
And that's where my enthusiasm basically ended. Initially it seemed like an endearing read of what drove Lajeunesse to decide to just pick everything up, drive around in a van and take this road trip. But as she talks about her various relationships the book very quickly and steadily deteriorates into something that is not at all reflected by the book blurb and cover. 
 
It's not about the food. The restaurants and food, in fact, are barely covered. It's about finding herself, stumbling through various romantic relationships and her general love life, what's going on in her family. The "vegan food road trip" appears to be a hook. I don't know. My eyes started glazing over after the first few chapters. I don't have a "read until X point" rule but once I saw that by page 48 we're still not really talking about the restaurants or the food I could tell that this was going to be a loss.
 
For the right person this could certainly be a good read. But the criticisms are on target: sometimes the writing isn't just very good at all. How on earth did she manage to crowdfund this thing? Did she *ever* really think about how she was in a position to safely undertake an endeavor like this under relative safety (financially, physically, etc.)? There wasn't even a list of restaurants in the book? For a title that's priced at $20 (yes I know it's printed on recycled paper and it's a smaller/indie imprint) the least we could get would be a list or an index as a guide for the restaurants she apparently visited. I have no interest in the blog, thanks.
 
I wasn't expecting something like 'Sistah Vegan' because I could see that these were two entirely different books (I only read them close together because they were about vegans and veganism). But this is absolutely not what the title/blurb says it is and it is much too expensive. I'm glad I got this as a bargain book but I wish it had been available at my library instead. Borrow if something about it something like an 'Eat, Pray, Love' for vegans appeals to you but I'd skip it.

[Caitlin Halpert · Rating 1 out of 5]

In short this is a terrible book - don’t read it. It’s poorly written, poorly edited, woo-y, tells you nothing about the author and is a disgrace to vegans everywhere.

First of all, blog writers are not book writers. This book is so tough to get through. The author uses far too many adjectives - they aren’t even evocative, they’re just annoying. The author doesn’t make her trip seem interesting or fun or cool. She makes vegans look bad. She makes food bloggers look bad. I can’t believe her editor didn’t help clean up the mess of disjointed blog posts that are barely tied together by some sense of story. It’s hard to tell if there even was a editor since this book is filled with spelling and grammar errors. Bleh. Just bleh. It’s poorly written, uninteresting. She has failed to be Elizabeth Gilbert, and it’s painful to watch her try.

For a memoir Kristin shared nothing of herself. There’s a complete lack of vulnerability in this book that makes it hard to connect to her. She seems to let you draw your own conclusions about how events made her feel without giving any real hint or indication of what meant what and why she was telling a given anecdote. I don’t know that I could have more in common with her, but I just hated her more and more through this book.

This book is also super woo. She recounts two stories of people “curing” themselves via a vegan diet and makes unsubstantiated claims about the health benefits of veganism. While veganism CAN be healthy, obviously the fact that she gained 25 lbs on her trip shows that you can be vegan and still be wildly unhealthy.

Now, let’s talk about Kristin’s precious vegan values. She makes a huge deal about not disturbing the dolphins in Hawaii, yet on the same excursion she’s fine with a diver manhandling an octopus, one of the most intelligent creatures on earth. Not messing with wildlife means not messing with any wildlife!!!!

Lastly, Kristin describes getting a tattoo of a gypsy on her thigh. There is no question that this is a racist tattoo. The fact that she doesn’t even consider that possibility tells you a lot about this over privileged author.

This is by far one of the worst books I’ve ever read. STAY AWAY.

[Tamara Evans · Rating 3 out of 5]

As someone who’s been vegan since 2009 and who loves to travel to various towns and states to try vegan food, I found a kindred spirit through reading this book by author Kristin Lajeunesse.

“Will Travel For Vegan Food” consists of twenty-seven chapters divided into six parts.

Part one of the book begins with Kristin feeling disenchanted with her life after graduating from college, having accumulated student loan debt, and working a full time job and a part time job. In an effort to discover her most genuine life path, she decides to quit her job, buy an RV, and travel the United States while showcasing vegan restaurants. Part one ends with Kristin starting her vegan journey alone, finding support from old and new friends and learning to trust that nothing in life happens by chance.

Part two of the book begins with Kristin returning to her parents home and discussing their transformation from being farmers to becoming vegetarians when she was sixteen as a way to support her brother Josh. After Kristin graduated from high school and goes to college, her parents become more involved in the vegetarian community and eventually become vegan. Part two of the book ends with Kristin getting duped by car repair guys and permanently ending her relationship with boyfriend Nate.

Part three of the book begins with Kristin learning to get creative during a bathroom stop, experiencing loss of a beloved family member, reconciling her childhood as a equestrian versus her present life as a vegan. Part three ends with Kristin finding inspiration and encouragement in an unlikely place.

Part four of the book begins with Kirstin making new friends in different states, getting another tattoo, and finding solace by going to movie theater. Part four ends with an visit on the road by her mother followed by traveling to Hawaii to explore restaurants and swimming among dolphins.

Part five of the book begins with Kirstin returning from Hawaii, celebrating her thirtieth birthday in Las Vegas, experiencing loneliness and homesickness, realizing that during her travels, she’s become more open to interacting with strangers and has learned to trust herself. Part five ends with Kristin reuniting with a friend then finding a unique traveling companion while in Oregon.

Part six of the book begins with Kristen and a friend enjoying a meal at the world’s only vegan strip club, reuniting with her parents in Portland, Oregon, and reconnecting with her estranged brother. Part six ends with her completing her goal of each at every single all-vegan establishment in the United States after 2 years.

In the final pages of the book, Kirstin shares lessons learned from her travels such as learning to love yourself first, restaurants with fewer menu options typically serve better food overall, and being emotionally healthy is just as important as being physically healthy.

I’m grateful that this book exists in that it provides inspiration and motivation to make one’s dreams a reality.
I also enjoyed the short chapters as well as the friendly, down to earth writing style Kristin uses.

I’m happy that since this book was written in 2014, veganism has become more mainstream and as a result, there are most all-vegan restaurants throughout the country and more restaurants with vegan options.

My only annoyance with the book was there not being a list at the end with all the restaurants Kristin visited during her journey. Instead of a written list of vegan restaurants Kristin visited, the reader is provided with a U.S. map on the last page of the book showing route travelled during Kristin’s vegan food adventure and directed to visit the “Will Travel For Vegan Food” website for a list of restaurants Kristin has visited.

[Carly (Lis les Livres) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Review posted at: http://lisleslivres.blogspot.com/2015...

2.5 stars
First, yes I am vegan, so I should be inclined to love this book. But, I didn't... I loved the concept and enjoy traveling to find good vegan restaurants and would like to visit every single vegan restaurant in the country. However, this book was not what I was expecting. Like many other reviewers, I was expecting the book to include more on the actual places she ate at and what she ate. That information I can find on er blog, which I will check out later.

Overall, I was not pleased with the book though I wanted so badly to like it. At times, I wanted to stop reading it and just look at the blog, but I couldn't give up on a fellow vegan. Plus, I met the author at Veg Fest Boston this year, and that's why I bought the book. Again, I love the journey Kristin went on, and I think it is a very important one. However, the execution of the book was not that thrilling, and I was bored as well as often times confused about the timing and organization. I see that this book was trying to go for an inspiring self discovery angle, but the prose was flat, and the romance was even dull.

Do I recommend this book? No, but I will try to read the WTF Vegan Food blog. Very clever name:)

[Mike Zickar · Rating 3 out of 5]

I felt like this book wasn't the book I wanted or excepted it to be but about half way through I enjoyed the journey for what it was. I expected this book to give lots of details and tips on travelling as a vegan and to describe in details the food that she experiences throughout her journey. There is some of that, but frankly not that much.

The book focuses mostly on the emotional journey that the author has. And starting off, it was a little difficult to make progress as she focuses on breakups and ups and downs that she is having. Without having read her blog, it was liking hearing a friend talking about their daily life challenges, perhaps interesting to hear about friends, but not that interesting as a stranger.

As I dug into it, the book turned into a quick read, almost page-turner. I felt like the author found her voice, or perhaps I started caring about her voice.

Given the title that emphasizes the vegan aspect of her journey, I think a lot of readers will be disappointed that that isn't emphasized as much. But if you stick with it, I think you'll find it an enjoyable and profitable read.

I really look forward to the author's next book!

[Tammy]

I am glad I stuck with this book. It did feel, at first, like someone talking to her friends to try to hash out her various romantic relationships- not terribly interesting to me, especially due to the supposed focus of the book. However, she eventually explains that this is what she needed to do for healing purposes and was an important part of the journey for her. She also explains- very late in the book- that the book deal was intended for her to tell the personal side of the trip instead of just the food reviews that she did on her blog (which I have not yet read). With all that said, once she stopped talking about romantic relationship stuff, I really enjoyed the book for her experiences living and traveling in a van to vegan eateries all over the country and meeting interesting folks! I agree with other reviewers that it would have been nice to have more information about the restaurant founders, the food, etc., but I liked the parts about her parents, brother, and some of the background regarding her upbringing with horses. I also liked reading her strategy for locating restaurants in each state.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I give Kristen 5 big stars and lots of props for making her dream come true, accomplishing all she set out to do, and more; for raising awareness of veganism and vegan restaurants; and for getting a book deal to boot! I just didn't like the book so much. Part of the problem was that I expected more about the restaurants and food and less about Kristen's inner journey. I had not read her blog, which is apparently where I can find what I was looking for.

Way to go Kristen! Hope you keep living, and communicating about, the vegan life.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I might be biased because I'm vegan, but this book made me want to drop everything and drive to every state like Kristin did. Her personality came through well, and her descriptions of the restaurants were mouthwatering!

[Crista Lash · Rating 1 out of 5]

Uhm, no.... I don’t understand why this book was written or why I read it.....

[Margot Tobias · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn't get into this book. Loved her blog but not her book.

[Annie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I got this book for super cheap at a Goodwill, and I see why. The author might have seen/done/eaten a lot of interesting things, but she lacks the ability to relay them successfully via her writing. It just fell flat most of the time. I think if she stuck closer to main point of interest of her audience, namely the vegan food, this would have been a better book. This is definitely not her medium. Also, can I just say, the stories about people healing their cancer through veganism/raw food were not particularly inspiring (especially since one of them admitted she got five surgeries and six rounds of chemo). Also also, tattoos of a "g*psy woman"? Not cool bro. Not cool. I'll take my vegan food without a side of a slur, thanks.

[Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining. A little TMI regarding her love affairs, but I suppose it fits into the context that the trip is also learning about oneself and recognizing both one's strengths and flaws. But I really enjoyed the parts about the places she ate and the food she was served. If the food was even half as good as the descriptions, it must have been so amazing! My mouth was literally watering to taste some of the dishes set before her.

I don't know that I would have been brave enough to travel so far alone. I am glad she liked South Dakota; it is kind of a hidden treasure. (But those are big horn sheep she sees, not long horn. It's the cattle that are long horn. And yes, they are wonderful to see in the wild. Traffic stopping). And although Washington was the last state in her journey, I would have liked to hear a little more about its vegan restaurants, but that is only because I live near Seattle, so I have a vested interest. As she says, one can always read her blog if it didn't make it into the book. ☺

[Jennifer Willis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I expected this book to be a story about life on the road and that it would include an organized list of vegan restaurants with ratings Etc. but instead it was more about boys that she met along the way and her relationships with them. I lost track with all the names. A little disappointing. That said, I'm still reading it! she's got a great heart and a truly kind person with all her values in the right place.

[Jillian Alig · Rating 2 out of 5]

There is a great story to be told here, but unfortunately Lajeunesse’s writing is juvenile at best. It does develop significantly by the end of the book, which is why I would lean to 2.5 stars. Ultimately, though, the book’s confusing, non-linear timeline and meaningless descriptions of that which is very mundane make the story less intriguing than it should be. Props for a good “lift” at the end; unfortunately it wasn’t enough to save this book.

[Sandra Nomoto · Rating 5 out of 5]

The vegan traveller’s muse

I’m almost 10 years late in reading this but what an adventure it is! As a vegan, it’s inspirational and showcases the many establishments changing the world for the better. As a traveller it reminds me how much visiting other places in the world can change us for the better. Lajeunesse’s tales remind us of what’s possible in life, even when it seems impossible.

[Lisandra Caraballo · Rating 5 out of 5]

thoroughly enjoyed this book and how it was so relatable and captivating to read.
definitely inspired me to get back on the road and make new memories with strangers and loved ones alike. as a newly turned vegan this book truly was such a wonderful read and made me feel so at peace with the current choices i make! thank you Kristen!

[Demetzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book made me want to go back travelling in the us and eat all the amazing vegan food!!

[Deborah · Rating 2 out of 5]

not what I expected.

[AS · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to hear more about the restaurants and food, but I guess that's mostly on her blog.

[Brandon · Rating 1 out of 5]

I thought this book would be more about food and traveling, but its.more about the authors personal life in terms of finder herself, not much about vegan food.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as I was hoping. It started interestingly enough, but way TMI about her sex life. The pace really lagged through the middle section of the book, which had me toss it aside for a few days out of boredom, and the ending was so sad that all the positive feelings I built up in the previous couple of chapters were gone. I hate ending books on a downer. I loved her descriptions of the food she ate, though. She should write restaurant reviews, as food descriptions are the book's one strong point, and leave the books to other people. I know road trips solo are meant for introspection to some degree, but you can only write about your thoughts for so long before it crosses the line of self-indulgent navel gazing. I wanted to love this book, but instead it was simply average, with the highlights of her vegan parents (how lucky is she to have vegan family?!) and the food being the things that saved the book from the DNF category.

[happily_reader_after · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me FOREVER to finish this short book because the first 2/3 of the book were very, very boring. I appreciate reading about her trials and tribulations on the trip, but honestly nothing of interest really happened for most of the book. There are definitely a lot of great food explanations, which made my mouth water, of course. She also jumped around a lot in the timeline and I kept being confused as to what was going on (but maybe that's just me). The last 1/3 of the book was good; the end of her trip, the info about her brother....cried a little regarding one animal encounter. My 4 stars is mostly for the last part of the book... and also I can't bring myself to give less than 4 stars to a book about veganism! Ha ha

[Gemini · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, just wow. I can't believe how great this book is. It took me 2.25 days to read this book & that is only because I had things to do & had to put it down. This is such an inspiring book on a woman's journey through her life as a person who changed her eating habits & trekked around the country in a van. It is amazing, just simply amazing on how she struggles emotionally & physically yet pushes through to get her goals achieved. I didn't think I was going to love this book so much but I absolutely did. I can't wait to read more, when is the next book coming out?

[Sarah Russom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just ok. I agree with another reader that she missed the mark on inspiration. The writing is inconsistent and the flashbacks and flash forwards are disjointed and hard to follow. More editing is needed. Aside from her very brief chapter in her brother's addiction, the overall story is limited. Meaning it doesn't go deep at any point and is on the verge of being superficial without intending to be. This book is the tip of the iceberg and if the author dug a little deeper, the experience might present as more authentic and less surface.

[Louise · Rating 2 out of 5]

New to the vegan lifestyle myself, I was very excited to read this memoir. Kristin sounds like a fantastic person and I really enjoyed reading the sections about how she came to veganism and how she then started to view her relationship with horses differently. However, I found the rest of the book to be very uninspiring. I suppose I didn't feel very connected with Kristin's journey? There are also a few typing errors that the editor really should have picked up on.

Also, could have done without the pooing in a bag incident :/ I will never live out of a van.