Alternative Travelers

13/01/2025

Hey all!

While this account has been inactive for the past few years (quick refresher: this is the Alternative Travelers, house sitters and sustainable/vegan travelers), we just wanted to publish one last post to say thanks for everything!

We are officially closing down shop. The Internet has changed and so have we. It’s not the same place it was when we started blogging in 2016 (!) and our lives/goals have shifted a lot in the past few years. We’re onto new chapters and adventures. 🎉

While we could just never post on this account again and fade into oblivion, the connections made here were real and that didn't feel right ❤️ This will be the last post on this account, and as of today the Alternative Travelers website will be offline.

If you want to stay in touch with either of us, here’s how:

👉Follow Sam on Instagram and on Substack at samanthony.substack.com

👉Follow Veren on Instagram and on Substack at https://thevmang.substack.com/

👋Thank you so much for all the support all over the years. We couldn't have done it without y'all and wish you all the best on your own new chapters and adventures! ☺️

28/07/2021

Traveling thru food is one of our favorite things to do. Last week, we traveled to the Szechuan province of China via , an all vegan Szechuan place in the East Village!

Szechuan cuisine is known for its bold and spicy flavors, using lots of chili peppers and garlic. We asked our server to recommend a good variety of popular dishes and this spread did not disappoint!

🥟: Handmade veggie dumplings with dipping sauce

🥞: Scallion pancake because it's my fav

🍜: Dan Dan noodle bowl

🍛: Kung Pao tofu with veggies and rice

It was all absolutely amazing, highly recommend this spot!

P.S. Definitely reserve in advance if you want to go at a peak time. It's a small spot with just a few tables inside and a couple outside.

🇨🇳Which dish of these would you most wanna try? Had anyone here been to the Szechuan province? 👇

24/07/2021

🗽Iconic NYC shot preserved in the feed 🗽

Been answering your questions on NYC in stories so head on over there to ask yours! ❓

We both have an intimate relationship with NYC after many years of living here. It's where we met, where I was born, a place we always keep coming back to to see family and friends.

We know the city very well but aren't afraid to be honest about the less glamorous aspects.

But one thing to appreciate about New York are these views! This is an oft photographed spot, for good reason 😍

29/06/2021

Is this a bike account now? Who knows! 😂😂😂

I feel like all I've been posting on stories have been from biking around Buffalo. Whoops, sorry not sorry 😜

You may have seen my stories from Monday night rides with , a free and inclusive community ride that rides 10 miles thru a different area of the city each week. We've felt so welcomed into the community and the rides are always so fun, like a big hangout on wheels. 🚴‍♀️

With not being able to go out, connect with and meet new people for OVER A YEAR, it's been so nice to finally do that!

Biking thru the streets as a group is not only more fun and safer than riding alone, it also raises awareness about biking. People and their kids come out of their houses, wave and cheer us on, raise their fists in the air in solidarity, and yesterday some guy emphatically THANKED US again and again for what we're doing.

Making city streets safer for EVERYONE, not just cars is absolutely essential for community health and wellbeing. For many BIPOC, low income, and disadvantaged communities, biking is the only transportation option. It's one thing to choose not to own a car, and another to not be able to afford one. I feel extremely passionate about pedestrian and bike safety and access not only for this reason but because of my own personal experiences, but that's a story for another day.

*steps off soapbox*

If you're interested and curious about biking, Episode 55 of The Alternative Travelers Podcast all about urban biking, our biking adventures while traveling, bike safety, tips for new bikers, all that fun stuff!

P.S. Don't worry, non-bike content coming soon. It's just been a busy month and I haven't had the time or brain space to post anything else!

08/06/2021

New interview episode is out today on House Sitting Travel, talking all about house sitting as a family.

Our guest this week is Jessica Swenson of Let's Adventure More who travels full time with her family of five, including three young children! 👨‍👩‍👧‍👧

Jess and her husband Will lived a typical suburban lifestyle in the San Francisco Bay Area until 2017. That year, they left their jobs, home, and stuff behind in exchange for a trip around the world.

During that year, they experienced 20 countries together with their three hooligans. From 2017-2021, they were digital nomads, world-schooling their children and housesitting around the world. William is an accountant working remotely and Jess is a professional photographer.

In 2021, they purchased a new home base in NW Arkansas and continue to travel part time after 5 years of full nomadic living.

This was such an inspiring and fascinating interview that everyone can learn something from, whether you're traveling with your family or not. Check it out now on your favorite podcast app or stream on our website!

31/05/2021

A breath of summer on Little Summer, a ridiculously adorable street in Buffalo full of little cottages just like this one 😍

We learned all about the neighborhood on the Cottage District tour this past Saturday. The micro neighborhood was designed and built in the 1870s by Lydia Cox, an English woman. She wanted to re-create a dreamy, picturesque English rural village. Walking down the street definitely feels like stepping back in time!

is a non-profit with dozens upon dozens of tours to help people discover and learn about Buffalo's history, architecture, and neighborhoods. They have walking tours, biking tours, and even kayak tours.

You can of course book and pay for individual tours ($15 for most walking tours), but they also offer Explorer Pass Annual Memberships, which is what we got! For $90 for both of us, we get to go on as many tours as we want for a year 😱 Considering how many tours they offer, idk if we will even get to every one, but we're definitely gonna try 😂

IMHO, walking tours are one of the best ways to explore and learn about a place from locals who know and love their city. But they're not just for when traveling to distant places. Try taking a walking tour where you live right now...I bet you'd be surprised at how much you could learn and discover. Who else loves walking tours?!🙋‍♀️🙌

28/05/2021

🍔National Hamburger Day but make it sustainable and local 🍔

is literally an entire mood! This 70s themed vegan restaurant in the heart of Buffalo is without a doubt one of our favs. I've lost track of every time we've gone at this point 😂

This is their Pink Pea housemade patty, classic style with mood sauce. We usually also get some wings to share. So excited that their outdoor patio (where I took this photo last year) is now open for the season!

On a day that celebrates hamburgers, I wanted to call attention to the fact that you can be plant based and still enjoy amazing comfort food that's better for yourself, the animals, and the planet.

It takes a crazy amount of resources to raise just one cow, and let's not even mention all the methane emissions. Beef is truly one of the most taxing foods on the environment and the demand for cheap, readily available beef is only increasing globally.

Alright, I'll get off my soap box now. I just feel very strongly that we should all be more aware of the impact that our choices make on the environment, especially when it's 2021 and amazing vegan burgers exist. Also can we talk about how much more variety there is in different types of plant based burgers vs a normal boring beef burger?! Ok, for realz...I'll stop now 🙈😂

🍔What's on your favorite burger?! 🍔

27/05/2021

On this week's episode of House Sitting Travel we had on some very special guests from the house sitting community, Vanessa Anderson and Ian Usher of House Sitting Magazine and House Sitting Community Support Group!

Vanessa and Ian enjoy a freedom lifestyle as full-time nomads and house sitters, happy to follow the twists and turns wherever life takes them. They divide their time between producing House Sitting Magazine, running a large support group for the community, helping others begin their own unique lifestyle journeys, partaking of frequent travel adventures, while spending a large amount of their time cuddling pets!

Sam initially connected with Vanessa in 2016, back in the early days of our house sitting adventures. While we've been connected virtually over the years, it was so cool to have this conversation.

We talk about:

---How Vanessa moved to Ian's private island in the Caribbean after only having met once before!
---How they first got started house sitting
---Their life as nomads
---House sitting as a couple
---Running House Sitting Magazine
---Hosting the first house sitting conference
---How they've adapted to the pandemic
much more!

There was so much to talk about that we didn't nearly cover it all, so if there's something you'd like to hear more about from Vanessa and Ian's fascinating life, let us know and maybe we can wrangle them back on the show! ;)

Listen to this episode of House Sitting Travel on your favorite podcast app or stream it here:

House Sitting Magazine with Vanessa Anderson and Ian UsherMay 25, 2021May 24, 2021Vanessa and Ian like to live differently. They enjoy a freedom lifestyle as full-time nomads and house sitters, happy to follow the twists and turns wherever life takes them. They divide their time between producing Ho...

24/05/2021

Reminder that my event for .nomadic.network is tomorrow!

I'll be talking about the basics of everything you need to know about getting started house sitting, addressing frequently asked questions, and taking audience questions at the end.

One of the most common questions in my DMs is "how do I start house sitting" and this event is gonna basically be answering that question in super detail!

Attendees will also get an extra special discount to our book, The House Sitting Handbook! Sign up link in bio 🙌 Hope to see you there 😎

21/05/2021

breakfast sandwich ON POINT!

The Sally Shrigley sandwich is named after the co-founder of The Vegan Society. She's credited with coining the word vegan, back in 1944! 😱

The sammie is a pattie, vegan cheddar, and butter on a bagel. Of course I added a vegan sausage cuz why would you not?! It was the absolutely perfect classic breakfast sandwich 👌 It's super dangerous that now I know how good it is, since I pass the cafe every day on the way back from the gym 😂

is a super cool cafe and roastery located in a former funeral parlor (hence the name Undergrounds). Swipe right for a full photo of the skull and flowers mural! They also have lots of cool art by local artists on the wall for purchase and of course, great coffee. ☕⚰️ @ Undergrounds Coffee House and Roastery