147 - Free & Queer with Vegan Travel Writer Calen Otto

Episode • Oct 13, 2021 • 1h 6m

For someone who had no idea what to do with their life after graduating high school, 25-year-old Calen Otto has more purpose and passion than most people twice their age. What started out as a year in Chile as a foreign exchange student led to a ravenous travel bug. At 19, Calen crossed the US on a bike and supported themself by working as they went. They've been to 25 countries, mastered the art of vegan traveling on a budget, and do whatever they can to be an advocate for the animals—whether that’s rescuing pigs from abusive CAFOs to working for Mothers Against Dairy. In this episode, Calen elucidates on their adventures, explains what it means to be queer, and offers their perspective on what it means to be a person (animals included). We hope this conversation brightens your day as much as it did ours.

What we discuss in this episode:

- Catching the travel bug and making the leap

- Crossing the country on their bicycle

- The WWOOF program

- How to travel as a vegan on a budget

- Defining gender versus sex

- Calen’s The Unruly Traveler Podcast

- Calen's farm animal rescuing experiences and animal activism

- Calen’s travel guide, or DM her if you have an Indy bookstore

- Calen’s website, The Unruly Traveler

- Mothers Against Dairy

- Follow Calen on Instagram @unruly_traveller