Sam and Zab are a British couple who has been traveling indefinitely since 2013. They have been writing about their trips and adventures, vegan food, travel tips, and a myriad of other interesting things about traveling on their website Indefinite Adventure. In the latest installment of our Vegtravelbuddies Interview, we reached out to Sam Wood who together with husband Zab set off to Buenos Aires a little over five years ago to start their slow travel around the world while building a vibrant website where they share about their life on the road. Here he shares with us some of the fascinating highlights as they set out to explore more places across the globe.
Q: How long have you been a vegan and what made you decide to make the switch to veganism?
My four year anniversary of going vegan was in January 2018, when I switched from being a default omnivore to living fully vegan. I never really liked meat that much, hardly wore leather and didn’t care for cheese and I actually lived with a vegan for a while before making the decision and started to see how this lifestyle made sense. I finally realised that using other living beings for our gain doesn't sit well with me, and so it was an easy decision to make.
Q: Tell us about your website Indefinite Adventure. What inspired you to start running the site?
I first started it for fun, as a way to chronicle my travels when my husband and I began travelling indefinitely in South America in 2013. After a year or so I started to take it more seriously and it has since become an important part of my online presence, and through this, I’ve received sponsored opportunities for travel, other freelance writing work and contact with many other vegan travel bloggers.
Q: What is the biggest challenge for you as a vegan traveler?
Prioritising which amazing vegan places to eat at first! To be honest, most of the destinations I travel to have tons of vegan food (indeed, that’s a big reason I choose them in the first place), and with limited time and money, deciding which ones to try out is often the hardest thing about travelling as a vegan. Otherwise, I find that there aren’t really any challenges associated with it directly!
Q: Can you name the most vegan-friendly places you have visited?
Since 2015, my husband and I have had a home base in Berlin, Germany, and I think it’s easy to say that this is the most vegan-friendly place we’ve visited in the world, or at very least in Europe. There are so many fully vegan restaurants, as well as vegan options everywhere, even in places you might not expect it, and the concept is well understood almost universally. What makes it stand out though, is that the vegan scene in Berlin isn’t limited only to options for eating out: there are fully vegan supermarkets, shoe shops, clothing retailers, and even a vegan sex shop! It’s vegan heaven.
Q: How much has traveling as a vegan changed over the years? Is it easier to travel now as a vegan?
I’ve only been vegan for four years, but I have seen some shifts even in that time. For me, perhaps the biggest change that has happened over time travelling as a vegan is that I’m now much better prepared than I was at first and am much quicker and finding out how to get good food because I have the experience of having done it in many places already and know what works well for me. But beyond that, I think there has been a shift even in these last four years in how popular veganism has become. It’s entering the wider consciousness (at least in some parts of the world) and so more people, even if they’re not vegan themselves, have a grasp on the concept and even understand it without judgment. Of course, I can’t speak to how this compares to what it must’ve been like travelling as a vegan ten or twenty years ago when the idea was likely met with a lot of confusion, lack of understanding and perhaps even ridicule.
Q: You spend a lot of time traveling. What is the longest time you’ve spent in one place?
Now that I have a home in Berlin, it is certainly here that I spend the most time. I still love travelling, but I’ve also discovered that I really like being at home and doing things that I can’t do when I’m travelling, like nurturing and forming relationships with people and getting involved in local communities in a deeper way. Before this, I guess the longest I’d spend in one place at a time would be around four to six weeks, which I did in several places including Buenos Aires, Lima and Mexico City.
Q: What was the last place you’ve visited? What veggie-friendly dish would you recommend for vegan travelers who may be heading there?
I recently went on a trip to the northeastern US, and particularly enjoyed my time in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The vegan scene there is great, and though it’s pricey, I really loved the food at Vedge and would highly recommend it. Philadelphia is known for several typical dishes, most famously the Philly Cheesesteak, and of course you can find vegan versions all over the city. The one I tried, however, I didn’t really like, and not being able to compare it to the non-vegan version, I don’t know if this simply is because it wasn’t good or because that kind of food isn’t my thing.
Q: What’s your take on “don’t worry about money, just travel” advice? Any tips for people who want to travel but feel financially stuck? Any tips or advice for vegan travelers?
I think it’s kind of irresponsible advice, and shows a lot of unchecked privilege. Money can be a big worry for many people. I worry about it often, and I don’t have any money troubles and have always been lucky to have enough, so I feel that to give this advice is very ill thought out and not very helpful. Better advice would be to give the person in question ideas on how they could reduce their expenses, save money and make a specific, actionable plan towards going travelling, if that’s their dream but are worried about how to afford it.
As for vegan travellers regarding finding food, I would say try switching to an abundance mindset, rather than one framed by scarcity when it comes to finding food, and you’ll be surprised what happens: there really is always something to eat!
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Website: www.indefiniteadventure.com
