Vanlife Diaries
Stoked that Vanlife Diaries published my little blurb about our version of van life. Want the Coles Notes of our trip, family, and values? Have a read: The Long and Winding Road
Stoked that Vanlife Diaries published my little blurb about our version of van life. Want the Coles Notes of our trip, family, and values? Have a read: The Long and Winding Road
We are close (closer). It was apparent early on that a lot of lifestyle shifts would be necessary in order to bankroll this kind of a trip, and our friends at Drive Nacho Drive helped set the wheels in motion for us. This paragraph from them rings as true today as it did almost two years … More cashing in & checking out (not the definitive how-to)
While there are varying visa restrictions throughout the continent for long and short-term stays, the majority of movement throughout the EU’s internal borders is protected by the Schengen Visa, a rule that governs 26 countries in Europe. The Schengen Area is a delightful (sarcasm) little area that consists of all the EU countries excluding Ireland … More Part I: how the Schengen Zone made me her bitch.
The end of November marked one year of van ownership. I so clearly remember the moment we stepped out of the insurance office, transformed into the trepidatious new owners of a 40-year-old vehicle upon which rested my expectations of unfiltered joy and adventure. The weight of that first step-the foundation upon which we were building … More the van-a TSN turning point
I love this photo of our little family in our big van. There is something resolutely unnerving about sharing such a plan with the masses. This blog doesn’t necessarily count, as with my obsessive tracking of stats I am able to surmise that even if every single one of you think we are insane or … More Immortalized in Print
Camping Hacks A few of these have the potential to revolutionize van life. . . specifically, #9 & #33. The fact that they are food related is of no surprise to me.
I was served up some heaping portions of perspective this week. Our hometown of Squamish, BC is many things: a place that celebrates the only true measure of man’s worth (lumberjack competitions), host to a great excuse to call in the grandparents for three days of non-parenting (music festivals), and home to a plethora of … More Squampton
I am certain that my husband was under the impression that the purchase of Storm-the most crucial of all purchases in our (conceived mostly by me) future life of caution-to-the-wind adventure-would abate my constant need to stoke the fire of life. It has, of course, accomplished what I can only imagine is the opposite of … More
This is an investment in memory making. Our new home-away-from-home: the ’87 Syncro Westfalia, Storm. Freckles and all, she is a beauty, and she comes with more bells and whistles than you could shake a stick at. This is the kind of grand gesture (or risk) that is required to make such a grand gesture … More This Beauty is a Beast
A year overlanding Europe. Even to me, someone with an uncanny ability to round-down any purchase price, this sounds expensive. Ours is a lofty goal. Optimism has now taken up residence of a good portion of my being; sarcasm and a deep-seeded love of puns of course remaining as my most cherished traits. Ageless cynicism … More sacrifice
I think it’s common to be met with a fairly large dose of scepticism whenever sharing details of a grandiose life scheme. Let it be made perfectly clear that this is a long-term goal with long-term planning (and penny-pinching) required to come to fruition. Much to my chagrin we as of yet have not won … More yes.
Fuelled by the stuff that makes dreams seem so much more attainable (beer), the decision to travel was casually agreed upon by my husband, who I’m not sure at the time thought he was doing anything but appeasing yet another of my grand life plans. With only mild concern he noted my seriousness when within … More live simply
“It is a paradoxical but profoundly true and important principle of life that the most likely way to reach a goal is to be aiming not at that goal itself but at some more ambitious goal beyond it.” – Arnold Toynbee “A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.”– Lao Tzu … More stop wishing, start doing