Sam and Zab are a British couple with insatiable wanderlust. After being together for seven and a half years, they left on one-way tickets to Buenos Aires in 2013 and travelled for 10 months in South America. Now, they are based in Berlin and travel slowly from there, working form their laptops as they go. They're always on the hunt for the best vegan food, cakes, street art and quirky things to do and see on their travels. Follow their journeys on their blog, Facebook, Twitter and Instragam.
What is your travel style?
We are slow travellers. We like to spend at least a few days, but ideally a couple of weeks or a whole month basing ourselves in a new destination, especially big cities, and finding all the little hidden nooks and crannies to be discovered that we wouldn't have time to find if we were just there for a weekend, for example. We also make an effort to make friends in the places we visit, be they expats or locals. This way, we get recommendations for things to do, see or eat that we might not otherwise hear about, plus we have people to visit if we return!
You are currently in Berlin. How do you like the city and what are your future plans?
We love Berlin. The city has such a great energy, and it really feels like anything is possible being here. It's also really easy to meet new people and make friends here, which we are very grateful for! Our plan is to use Berlin as a base and spend maybe a third to half of the year here, then travel elsewhere the rest of the time, specifically to warmer places over north European winter to escape the cold, grey days!
You have travelled extensively across South America. Which are the three must-visit places in the region that you would like to recommend to our readers and why?
If you like vibrant, dynamic cities, Buenos Aires is an absolute must. It was easily our favourite city on the whole continent with a great vibe, fascinating history and excellent food. To experience amazingly disverse and otherworldly landscapes, we would also definitely recommend doing a tour through Bolivia's South West Circuit, ending up in the famous Salar de Uyuni salt flats.
You have written extensively about vegan food and restaurants on your blog. Which have been your hot favourites around the world?
Oh my, that's a hard question! The dirth of vegan options is another reason we love Berlin so much, as there are great eats to be found all over the city. Apart from that, one of the biggest highlights for us was in Lima, Peru, where we found two fantastic vegan restaurants we loved, Almazen and Raw Cafe.
Besides Syria, are there any other destinations that you would want to visit again?
There are almost always things about the places we visit that make us want to return to one day, even if the experience we had wasn't the greatest, but it's a question of priorities. There are still so many places we haven't been that we still want to explore before we consider going back to old haunts!
What tips would you suggest for the benefit of our budget conscious travellers to find low-cost accommodations?
We find that renting an apartment is very often a good idea. Even for just a few nights, renting a studio apartment for example, can be cheaper than a mid-range hotel, especially in medium to large cities. Staying for a longer period, you can usually get even better deals too. When we rent a place for a whole month (like we did recently in Lisbon), you can usually negotiate the price down with the owner, meaning that in the end it might not cost you much more per night than staying in a hostel dorm room!
"London is a place to visit rather than live in." Is there any other city that evokes the same sentiment in you?
Paris. We have a kind of love-hate relationship with that city, and in many ways it reminds us of London with its fast pace, rushing commuters and rude service. But it also has some amazing sites and really cool areas to hang out in. It's the kind of city we can enjoy if we're not in a rush to tick things off a list there, but otherwise it kind of stresses us out!
This interview with Sam and Zab is a part of Travel Trolley's ongoing 'Best of the Travel Bloggers' series. We are interviewing popular travel bloggers who encourage and inspire people to travel. Check out all the bloggers we have interviewed and learn about their interesting experiences, adventures, travel stories as well as useful holiday tips
