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Weed Friendly 0-5 rating: 5 Easy to find and good quality.

Nightlife 0-5 rating 

5 Bars, clubs and festivals are basically what South Africa is known for throughout the country. We suggest partying in Johannesburg plus good photo ops in Maboneng then enjoy festival season while bar hopping in Cape Town.  

Beauty Scene 0-5 rating 

5 South Africa has everything you need from products to stylists. There is also no shortage of hair and nail salons whether you’re a high or low maintenance baddie.

Johannesburg:

We were deciding where to go next when we took a quick trip to Baltimore, one of the underrated travel destinations in the United States. We decided that we would make our way to South Africa. We’ve learned a few budget travel tips along the way so we start checking for tickets a few weeks before we want to travel. There isn’t much difference between buying tickets a few months out and a few weeks out so relax and be spontaneous. We took a weekend trip to Los Angeles and booked flights and accommodations two nights before from DCA to LAX for less than $1,000 usd.

 South Africa is an easy trip to take because for Americans it’s a Visa Free country with a 90 day stay. We landed in Johannesburg right at the beginning of the South African winter and had to go shopping immediately. The malls are overwhelming and large. We found Westgate and Rosebank Malls easy to navigate if you’re looking for essentials and don’t want to take hours looking through hundreds of stores. Johannesburg has something that they call Jozi vibes. It’s this kind of cheerful coolness that flows through everything and everyone. 

We loved going to Maboneng for impromptu photo shoots and people watching. The clubs in Maboneng play good music and locals come and dance all night. There was literally no shortage of things to do in Johannesburg from historical tours to dance classes. Shoutout to Soweto’s Finest Dance Studio https://www.instagram.com/sowetosfinestdancestudio_/?hl=en . 

There are plenty of casual fine dining restaurants, vegan restaurants, and vegetarian restaurants and we made a list of everything we ate below. 

Grocery shopping: ShopRite and Pic-N- Pay are chain grocery stores and Kaylee’s Market in Joburg.

Eating Out:

James XVI has amazing Ethiopian cuisine. There is only one vegan option so just go eat. https://www.lonelyplanet.com/south-africa/gauteng/johannesburg/restaurants/james-xvi-ethiopian/a/poi-eat/1585519/355617 

Kaylee’s Market & Eatery is an all vegan restaurant with an extensive menu full of both comfort foods and healthier plates. The cakes and desserts are top tier and there’s a vegan grocery store attached. https://kaylees.co.za/ 

Modrockers is a plant based fast food burger joint. If Wendy’s or Chick Fil A went vegan it would be Modrockers. It is ironically located next to a McDonald’s. https://www.happycow.net/reviews/modrockers-johannesburg-283938 

Dosa Hut is an Indian restaurant specializing in dosas. We ordered the Mysore Masala Dosa over and over and over. http://www.dosahut.co.za/  

Durban:

We have a homegirl from Durban so we had to visit. The flight there from Cape town was short and pleasant. Durban is a big state with small town vibes. Getting around Durban can be a bit challenging sometimes because everything is so far so we recommend staying in a few different parts to really get a feel for the whole thing. The center is quaint and family oriented with lots of restaurants and shopping. The beach is beautiful and you’re likely to run into a few monkeys during your stay too. 

The Japanese Gardens are a peaceful place to hang out and it’s a good place for people with digital nomad jobs to chill and get some peace and quiet. Durban is a great place to stay if you want the city resources without the fast pace of the city. Another must try in Durban is Bunny Chow. Bunny Chow is an Indian dish that originates from Durban. It’s curry stuffed inside bread kind of like a Panera bread bowl and you cannot leave Durban without trying it. https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2017/02/01/511834972/bunny-chow-south-africas-sweet-sounding-dish-has-a-not-so-sweet-past 

Durban is another spot with amazing food. The highlights, other than the Bunny Chow, are listed below: 

The Vegan Chef is a small vegan spot with good pastries and other sweets. https://www.theveganchef.co.za/?v=edb5dc74af1c 

Oh My Soul Cafe has a large menu and tasty food. The ambiance is also quaint and super cute. https://ohmysoulcafe.com/ 

Capetown:

Capetown is picturesque. The ocean and the mountain are a heavenly backdrop for any vacation, especially for those interested in solo travel destinations. Getting around is super easy with Uber and if you’re adventurous, there are shuttles and public transportation around the city too.  It’s even a beautiful place to slow down and take a walk around town.

We’ve been to Capetown in both winter and summer and we recommend the summer, December-February. The streets are filled with people of all ethnicities and outdoor dining is at its height. Also, Capetown is most known for Table Mountain. Take advantage of warmer temperatures and go hiking in the summer. Lion’s Head is a great start if you’re physically fit and want a bit of a challenge as a first time climber. Also, shoutout to Sethu and Winnie at McQueen’s, https://mcqueensbeauty.co.za/ ,and the whole staff at Yemaya Salon, https://www.urbanspa.co.za/ for keeping our nails and feet together and massaging the kinks out after hiking up the mountain.

We listed all of the restaurants that we loved in Capetown below. It is one of the top culinary destinations in the world. Thanks to South Africa being the Rainbow Nation, there are Asian restaurants, Indian restaurants, Ethiopian restaurants, and Mexican restaurants in addition to tons of vegan food. 

Grocery Shopping: Woolworths and Checkers are both chain grocery stores with large selections and good vegan alternatives for dairy and meat. Based on Plant and Nude Foods are specialty stores and what one doesn’t have the other certainly will. Nude Foods also has dry goods, soap, soy wax and other goodies. Wellness Warehouse also has vitamins and other organic food and healthy products.

https://www.woolworths.co.za/dept/Food/_/N-1z13sk5

https://www.facebook.com/basedonplantstore/

https://nudefoods.co/

Eating Out:

Simply Asia is a fast Asian restaurant that serves noodles and curries. The 5 Spice Ramen is our favorite and we ate lunch here almost daily. It’s also literally everywhere and has gluten free noodle options. https://simplyasia.co.za/

I Love The Dough. Clever name. Good pizza. The vegan pizza is #trapqueenapproved https://www.ilovethedough.co.za/ 

Little Ethiopia Restaurant is a small spot that we found. It’s a jewel though and the service is amazing. We were starving and the chef was the only person there. All of her employees had called out but she still made us food before she closed down for the day. http://littleethiopia.co.za/ 

Conscious Kitchen has lots of healthy vegan options and cool vibes. The staff is super friendly and the swings are fun to eat in as you watch Cape Town life go by. The view of Table Mountain is as awesome as the club sandwich. https://www.theconsciouskitchen.co.za/ 

Scheckter’s Raw isn’t a raw restaurant but they are known for their raw desserts. We love their avocado toast and crispy kale. The food is light and healthy. https://schecktersraw.com/ 

Dapper Coffee is a hipster cafe with terrific coffee. It’s black owned and the chai is perfectly spiced. https://www.dappercoffeeco.co.za/ 

Wild Eatery is a vegan restaurant and cute little food truck housed behind Nude Foods. Get the Inari bowl and browse through Nude Foods on your way out. https://www.wildeatery.co.za/ 

Andiccio24 has vegan pizza and it’s open late. Pick your own pizza toppings. https://www.andiccio24.co.za/ 

Grumpy & Runt is a bundle of joy right next to one of the jewels of Cape Town. The donuts are round mounds of lusciousness and the sandwiches are good too. https://www.grumpyandrunt.com/ 

The Falafel Guy is you know…falafel but to the max. Think toppings on toppings. https://www.instagram.com/thefalafelguysa/ 

Prashad Vegetarian Indian Restaurant can make almost everything on the menu vegan and everything should be tried. If you’ve never tried Indian food, start here, close your eyes and pick. https://www.prashad.co.za/ 

Nu is centrally located and has a few good vegan options on the menu. You can stop in for something quick like a wrap or a smoothie or sit down and have a chat with the friendly staff. https://nufood.co.za/ 

Moro Gelato has vegan sorbet. The chocolate and peanut paradiso flavors are delightful. http://morogelato.co.za/ 

Bamboo Plant Power is an all vegan restaurant with quite a few gluten free options. The calamari is made with oyster mushrooms and is chewy and perfectly seasoned. https://bambooplantpower.co.za/ 

Cause & Effect is one of the best bars in Cape Town . This bar is a whole mixology experience. The drinks are strong and tasty and each drink comes with its own bit of presentation and drama and they have vegan options. The vegan board is shareable so bring friends. It was featured on CNN and World’s Best Bars https://www.worlds50bestbars.com/list/51-100  

We went to Kenya and we didn’t go on safari or to Giraffe Manor. We got our e-Visa a couple of weeks in advance and flew straight into Nairobi. We stayed in Nairobi the entire time because it’s huge. The bush is about 45 minutes from central Nairobi and we stayed about 30 minutes from the bush in an area called Wangige. It is green and the trees and views definitely make you sing the theme song to Lion King.

Nairobi is easy to get around using Uber. Crime is fairly high so use caution and be careful walking around the city. After staying in Wangige we moved to an area called Runda Estate which is more central. Nails and hair salons are available and most are in malls and take walk-ins. We enjoyed our spa experiences in Nairobi and a lot of people are friendly and charming.

The best part about Nairobi wasn’t the western food in our opinion but vegan restaurants and vegetarian restaurants do have them. We recommend eating as much local food as possible. The best part about the food in Nairobi was eating raw. The juice and fruit in Nairobi are top tier.

Weed Friendly 0-5 rating 1 Pre rolls are the going rate and the quality is poor. We wouldn’t recommend getting them. Good weed is hard to find.

Nightlife 0-5 rating 4 If you like reggaeton then you will love clubbing in Nairobi. It’s real chill but bring your pepper spray and your mace.

Beauty scene 0-5 rating 5 Nail salons and beauty salons are abundant and a google search away. We went to a few different ones and found that the service was comparable across the board.

Grocery Shopping:

Fresh Markets and juice spots are abundant in Nairobi. If you walk two or three blocks in any direction you are likely to run into a stall with fruits and veggies and someone selling sugarcane and ginger juice. 

Carrefour Market -Local grocery store with everything you need; has many locations across Nairobi 

Healthy U -Health food store with tahini, vegan ice cream and other plant based specialty items along with vitamins, essential oils, and organic feminine hygiene products

Eating Out:

Coconut beans and chapati w/greens is another traditional Kenyan food and it’s available everywhere. The best part about that is that it is so good. Everyone makes theirs differently though. Our favorite was Taste and Crunch, a small restaurant with a few delicious traditional vegan options. 

Ugali– So ugali isn’t a restaurant, it’s a traditional Kenyan food. We say try it once but it’s basically a thick rectangular piece of corn meal. It’s sort of bland and is really just something to go with beans or stew.

Soul Vegetarian Catering & Bakery is just one of the good vegetarian restaurants in central Nairobi. The staff is sweet and friendly and the menu is updated frequently. The food is definitely made with love and the sorrel and ginger lemonade are literally a little piece of heaven. They also make a variety of gluten free foods.  https://soulvegcateringandbakery.com/ 

Ethos Organic Cafe & Restaurant serves mostly Western vegan food like hot dogs and sandwiches. What kept us coming back was the gluten free bread. The German Bakeshop, housed inside of Ethos, bakes fresh vegan gluten free foods like bread, bagels and pretzels. https://www.ethos.co.ke/ 

One of our hosts in Mexico told us, “Mexico es flexico” and we found that to be very true. Mexico was easy going as a country and each region has its own flair. We started in Quintana Roo in the Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Tulum areas. It is hot and pretty and tequila is everywhere. Americans can stay for up to 180 days visa free so we decided to explore the whole region. We even ended up in a little town called Chetumal on the border of Mexico and Belize.

Getting around Mexico using land transportation is safe and easy. We used Ado. There are many places in Mexico that aren’t accessible by plane and many of its most beautiful scenery can’t be seen without doing some land travel. After Quintana Roo, we went to Merida which is in the Yucatan Peninsula. Merida is a slower pace than the beach and lets you get a feel for how Mexico used to be. The architecture is lovely and there are lots of cultural events to attend. We ended up in Mexico City, the 5th largest and one of our favorite cities in the world https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2022/11/23/what-is-the-largest-city-in-the-world/10175489002/ . 

The food all throughout Mexico is beyond phenomenal. The quality and availability of fresh fruits, juice, and vegetables alone inspired us to cook for ourselves; however, there are hundreds of restaurants in Mexico City alone. We definitely ate our way through Mexico and listed all of our most frequented restaurants below:

Weed Friendly 0-5 rating 5 speaking Spanish is ideal but people are friendly and will generally point you in the right direction. 

Night Life: 0-5 5 Anything goes in Mexico. Pick your poison. 

Beauty scene 0-5 rating 5 Beauty is a major industry in Mexico so there’s no shortage of places to get pretty. Mexico City has some of the best nail salons in the world. Hair salons are everywhere but the best place to get your hair done in Mexico is the barrio. If you explore you’ll find a braider or stylist that can give you exactly what you want

Grocery Shopping: 

Fresh Markets and juice spots are abundant all over Mexico. If you walk two or three blocks in any direction you will run into a bodega or a juice cart and maybe even a fresh tortilla and salsa spot.

Chedraui is the chain grocery store and is comparable to any U.S. grocery store. 

Mr. Tofu sells specialty plant based items and is all over Mexico. https://www.mrtofu.com.mx/ 

Eating Out: 

Merida: 

Crush was our favorite spot in Merida. The menu is basically hotdogs and hamburgers  but they are good. The restaurant also hosts events and Drag Shows. https://www.instagram.com/crush.merida/reels/?hl=en 

Aresha Pasteleria is delivery only and you have to order a day in advance most times however it is worth the extra planning and wait time. The Cake in a cup is so decadent you’ll think you won’t finish…but you will. https://www.facebook.com/panveganoaresha/ 

Order through WhatsApp +52 999 150 6123

Maiz, Canela y Cilantro has traditional Mexican food and flavors. It looks dark going in but it’s actually quite bright and cute inside. https://www.facebook.com/maizcanelaycilantro/ 

Playa Del Carmen:

Comet 984 is an all vegan, 50’s theme diner restaurant with burgers, fries and shakes. It is definitely cheat day approved. https://www.instagram.com/comet984pdc/?hl=en 

Bio-Natural, Tierra Verde and The Pitted Date all have healthy organic food, extensive superfood smoothie options, and cute atmospheres. They have similar menu items but each has its own flair. .

https://bio-natural.m

https://www.instagram.com/tierraverde.allorganic/?hl=en

https://thepitteddate.com/

Eat Bar isn’t vegan but they’re open late and have good fries and falafel. https://eatbar.negocio.site/ 

Mexico City: 

Vegan Inc. is a perfect little date night spot with semi fancy vegan fare. The tres leches cake is moist and sweet and was our favorite menu item.  https://www.instagram.com/veganinc_puebla/?hl=en 

Fat Vegan is exactly what it sounds like. They serve ice cream, drinks, big ass burgers for breakfast, lunch and dinner, fried chicken and whatever else they can think of. New fat vegan items pop up as the mood strikes. https://www.fatvegan.com.mx/ 

Plantasia describes itself as contemporary and is certainly a casual fine dining restaurant. The menu is Pan-Asian and the flavors are impeccably authentic. Everything deserves to be eaten twice. One trip is not enough. The ambiance and aesthetic are culture driven and selfie inspiring. https://en.plantasia.cafe/ 

Cafe Vegetal is one of those vegetarian restaurants that holds a special place in our hearts. The conchas are soft on the inside and crunchy on the outside with that perfect sweet cake-y goodness that conchas require. It is rude to visit Mexico and not have a concha and coffee for breakfast. https://www.instagram.com/cafevegetalmx/ 

Miga Vegana is a lowkey bakery that has some of the best vegan baked goods in CDMX. It’s a bit off the beaten path however it’s worth the trip. https://www.instagram.com/miga.vegana/?hl=en 

Vegamo has Parisian cafe vibes smack dab in the middle of Mexico City. They serve freshly baked croissants stuffed with vegan meats and cheeses alongside assorted cakes and pastries. https://www.vegamomx.com/ 

PF Chang’s is an Asian restaurant that has vegan options and always comes through in a clutch. https://pfchangsmexico.com.mx/ 

Gatorta is a diamond in the rough. This food truck is a gem. The suadero tacos are mouth watering and the chef’s tattoos are absolutely adorable. https://www.instagram.com/gatorta_/?hl=en 

Green Pizza is a pizza place with vegan options. Our go-to order was a “Manhattan” pizza. https://www.greenpizza.com.mx/ 

Vegan On Santa Fe is only on UberEats. It was a go-to after long days walking through Mexico City. Awesome burgers and good sushi. 

Mora Mora serves healthy vegan fare and has a large menu. Their traditional Mexican breakfast tofu scramble is one of the best that we had in CDMX. https://moramora.mx/collections/condesa 

Churreria El Moro is a churro heaven where the churros are like two feet long and there’s vegan ice cream. https://elmoro.mx/ 

Chetumal is a small but culturally important town on the border of Belize and Mexico. There is a little spot on the left hand side going toward Belize with a few plastic chairs and tables with umbrellas out front. Ask the elderly woman cooking in the outside kitchen for the black pepper sauce. It fills your entire mouth with flavor before it settles in the spicy spots on your tongue. It is an experience…if you can find it.

We’d never been to Houston so we decided to visit. When we got to Texas we were exhausted so to be honest, we rested a lot and engaged in excessive amounts of self care. Houston is a large city but people are talkative and friendly and the food is good. We loved the amount of fun and family friendly activities that Houston offers. We had so much fun making candles and painting at Pinspiration, a DIY craft workshop https://www.pinspiration.com/locations/houstonheights/ .

The owner was kind and helpful and the workshop is like art and color therapy rolled into one. Houston is just a hop, skip and jump from Las Vegas so we recommend taking a weekend trip. We went to Meow Wolf’ Omega Mart, a trippy interactive art installation during the day and saw Rupaul’s Drag Revue that night. We loved every sleep deprived second and slept for the next two days once we returned Houston. 

Weed Friendly 0-5 rating 5

Nightlife 0-5 rating 5 We frequented the strip clubs but the restaurants turned nightspots were chill and had good music too.

Beauty Scene 0-5 rating 5 Shoutout to our nail artist https://www.instagram.com/thehippienailtech/?hl=en  

Grocery Shopping: Kroger is a high 2key vegan life saver. The Simple Truth brand has a ton of vegan options.

Eating Out:

Voodoo Donuts has phenomenal vegan donuts and they’re open until like 4am. Dangerously delicious. https://www.voodoodoughnut.com/ 

Korny Vibes is one of the cool vegan restaurants in Houston. The menu is comfort food and it’s pretty good. https://www.kornyvibeshtx.com/ 

Chef Kenny’s is a vegan Asian restaurant. The bento box was our delivery go-to. Chef Kenny’s has an extensive menu and everything we tried was tasty. https://vegck.com/ 

Flying Idlis is one of many Indian restaurants in Houston. Idlis are their claim to fame so we had to try them. https://flyingidlis.com/ 

F#ck Gluten is a gluten free foods haven with vegan options. The bowls were flavorful and they had quite a few healthy options. https://www.fckgltn.com/ 

Pressed is a juice spot with good options. https://pressed.com/ 

Pythagoras Conscious Food Philosophy is a vegan bar restaurant. They specialize in bar food and other gluttonous delights. We ordered the pizza a few times and demolished it each time. https://pythagoras.space/ 

Las Vegas, Nevada 

Weed Friendly 0-5 rating 5

Nightlife 0-5 rating 4 The shows in Vegas are worth every penny and the clubs were about the same as any other city. Dress accordingly because dress codes are strictly enforced.

We Recommend: 

Nevada Wellness Center is a Black owned marijuana dispensary in Vegas. They have two convenient locations and they’re open 24 hours. We went around 11 pm and got served through the walk-up side window. Check the website for the menu. https://nevadawellnesscenters.com/ 

Tao Asian Bistro & Nightclub

World famous for a reason! The restaurant is dark and loud but the food was worth the hype. We suggest making reservations for dinner. https://taogroup.com/venues/tao-asian-bistro-las-vegas/ 

Veganos is a Mexican restaurant that’s also in Las Vegas. It’s located off the strip. We love Mexican food so we enjoyed their traditional tacos. https://www.ubereats.com/store/veganos-kitchen/T3hx4Jv2RGqrRpHHyPAwKw