Indefinite Adventure — This gay couple travels the world together.
Sam and Zab are a British couple who identify themselves as digital nomads. We’ve asked Sam several questions about this kind of lifestyle, practical tips and their future plans:
After 7.5 years of relationship Zab and you left your home in 2013 to travel without a return ticket. Do you travel since then and are you still a couple?
Yes, my husband and I are still a couple and this year will celebrate our 13th year together. We still travel together a lot, but we now also sometimes travel separately, sometimes for work, but also for fun or with friends.
How does your family like your love and lifestyle?
They are all very supportive and encouraging of it. Our parents have even said that they admire us for choosing this kind of lifestyle over the typical path that they took.
What’s your favorite country so far?
I have a few, but one that comes to mind first is Sweden. I really like visiting in the summer, and enjoy visiting Stockholm in particular because my husband and I have several friends there.
Could you name us additionally 3 countries you think people should visit?
I don’t like to tell people “oh you have to visit this place” because my tastes and interests when it comes to travel destinations might not match theirs. However, my personal top three countries besides Sweden would probably be Thailand, Czech Republic and Mexico. I enjoyed all of them for similar reasons as Sweden, but the one thing these three have in common is that they’re much more affordable!
Is there a destination that will never be on your list?
I guess I’m not in a hurry to visit Russia again. I actually travelled across the country by train in 2009 to get from Asia back to Europe, but only really stopped in Moscow. I didn’t find it a very friendly city at all, and given the situation with the persecution of homosexuals there now, I’m not encouraged to visit at all. Perhaps if that changed, then I might consider it again, but my previous experience in Moscow didn’t endear me to that country. Of course, it’s a huge and very diverse place, so I can’t discount it all because of that, but there are many other places I’d rather visit first!
Could you recommend the most helpful apps for travelers?
I really like the app Trail Wallet, which is for travellers to note down all of their spending and keep track of their budget. I use it on a daily basis too, even when I’m not travelling and find it helpful to see how much I’m spending and making sure that I’m living within my means.
Have you ever used couchsurfing and what’s your experience?
I used to use couchsurfing a lot, but haven’t for the last few years since taking my work with me as I travel. The ones that I had were all very positive experiences of couchsurfing, and indeed I have hosted people too: when I lived in Spain for a few months in 2012 as an English teacher, I had a spare room in my flat, and I wanted to give something back to the community of couchsurfers that I’d been part of, and hosted some people I’m still in touch with today!
As you’re vegan, which place in the world provides the best food for you?
Veganism is spreading at an incredible rate at the moment, and so finding good vegan food is getting easier pretty much everywhere. There has not yet been a destination in Europe that I’ve found it hard to find vegan food, and indeed some cities here (such as Berlin) have such huge vegan scenes it can be hard to know where to start! So far, I’ve yet to come across a destination that was really bad for vegans, and I suspect that as the movement becomes more and more popular, the idea that it’s difficult to travel as a vegan will disappear.
Do you usually travel on a low budget or do you prefer a little bit of luxury?
I like a mixture of the two, or most often, something in between. I’m not good at sleeping in transit, and if I try I usually just arrive grumpy and tired which is good for no one, so I try to avoid overnight buses (though an overnight train with a sleeping berth is OK). I do like being able to cook my own food when I travel, but I generally dislike cheap hostels (especially because I don’t like sharing my sleeping space!) and often prefer to rent a small Airbnb apartment for that reason. Generally speaking, I’ve found that spending just a little more increases my enjoyment of a trip a lot and so I’m usually happy to go with something that isn’t necessarily the cheapest option. For example, when my husband and I were in South America, and travelling in Bolivia, we decided a couple of times to take a 30 or 40 minute flight instead of a 12 hour bus ride. Sure, the flight cost several times more than the bus, but it was still very cheap by European standards, and it meant we arrived at our destination fresh, rather than sleep-deprived from a long, windy bus journey. It also had the added benefit that we got to see some of the spectacular Bolivian landscape from above, which we would have totally missed had we taken the bus, because it would’ve been at nighttime!
So you prefer your own room to dorms?
Yes, always our own room. Even at 22, I felt too old for dorms, and 10 years later, definitely am now! I’m a princess when it comes to my sleep, and I don’t want to share the space with other people.
How do you make money and is it enough to live from it?
I do freelance writing for various online publications, accept advertising on my blog and sometimes do work as a social media manager. All together, yes, this is enough for me to live on, though my living expenses are quite low, and my husband and I support each other financially.
Where on Social Media do you have the biggest fanbase and are you in contact with your followers?
I guess it’s Facebook, and yes, I do have followers contact me sometimes. However, I don’t focus so much on my own social media; since I do it for work for other people, I end up getting bored of doing my own as well!
Can one meet you during your travels?
Yes, sure. I have met up with readers and other bloggers on my travels and at home. It can be quite satisfying to meet in person after exchanging messages online, and in fact I’ve made quite good friends with some people this way.
Do you have a place in mind where you would like to settle down one day?
Actually, we have already done that! We are based in Berlin and although we still travel a lot, we really enjoy having a home we can come back to!
What’re your travel plans for this year?
This year, my husband and I have actually not made as many travel plans as we often do, which was intentional as we enjoy spending time at home now too! We will make some short trips, mostly to visit friends and family in Germany, Austria, the UK and perhaps Spain. We may add in one other trip to a new destination, such as Latvia, Malta or Serbia, but that’s not been decided yet!
If you want to read more amazing stories, guides or simply see what happens next in the life of Sam & Zab, you can check their website and also follow them on Facebook.
