Travel Meals.

Andy and I are perhaps a bit strange, but when we go on holidays we don't really see it as a chance to eat out (February 2010 Sydney trip excepted). 

For instance, last year we went to Port Douglas and made full use of the communal BBQ.  In 2008 we headed to Mission Beach with no intentions of eating out.  Part of our reasoning is that we rarely eat out anyways -- it's just not something we love doing.  Part of the reasoning is that we are frugal/thrifty/tightasses.  And part of the reasoning is that our holiday destinations are not always very vegan-friendly.  Luckily for us, there is a lot of accommodation in North Queensland for self-caterers.

On our recent fortnight in Far North Queensland, we ate a total of four meals in restaurants (not including our breakfasts at the Daintree Eco Lodge, but including our two dinners there).  We had sandwiches in Port Douglas for lunch one day, and veggie burgers in Cape Trib another day.  Otherwise, we took care of our own meals.

We often choose our accommodation based on a few factors.  First, the presence of a spa bath.

The spa bath on the balcony at Daintree Eco Lodge.

The indoor spa bath at Mt Quincan Crater Retreat.

Second, king sized beds.

The giant bed at Daintree Eco Lodge.

In the tablelands, heaters and/or fireplaces were a key ingredient.

This fireplace at Mt Quincan swivelled!  We could point it at the bed or the couch!

And finally, kitchens.  Then we get creative about what to bring up, and what to buy once we're at our location, to ensure that we have tasty, healthy, and varied meals.  A big batch of black bean burgers lasted us most of the week at the caravan park with our parents, supplemented by a pasta meal.  When we moved on to the honeymoon, we still had a few burgers left.  They went really well with local brussels sprouts and potatoes.

We brought up a box of felafel mix, which we ate with the rest of the brussels sprouts and some local broccoli.

Upon checking in to our honeymoon accommodation, we were greeted with a fresh loaf of bread, which we enjoyed with olive oil and balsamic.

Look! You can see into the crater in this photo.  It's the grassy marsh in the background.

The other things we brought up were pancakes -- mix the dry ingredients in a jar and then just combine with soy milk and veggie oil when you want to cook them; dhal -- dry ingredients and spices combined, then mix with a tin of tomatoes and some water, and serve over rice; seitan mix -- gluten flour and veggie stock/herbs in a jar, mixed with water and tomato sauce, then boiled (we would have BBQed but unfortunately didn't have access) and served with local veggies; and easy-peasy pasta.  Cooking in another kitchen isn't always the easiest, but it is our preference.

(That said, there is one very vegan friendly option in the Tablelands, Nick's Swiss Italian Restaurant in Yungaburra, which even has soy ice cream available.  By the time we made it to Yungaburra, though, we couldn't be bothered leaving our super-nice accommodation.)