Since we already thoroughly embarrassed ourselves by sharing our blunders in the City of Light, we’ve created something more useful this week—a list of free things to do in Paris. It’s one of the most visited places in the world. People flock from all corners of the earth to see its sights, eat its food, and soak up the Parisian culture. There’s so much to do and see that even with a week to explore, you’ll only begin to scratch…
15 of Our Favorite Things for Outdoor Adventure Since it’s time to start planning those summer adventures, an update to our outdoor gear list is in order. We also added some goodies to our van life gear recommendations and our road trip essentials guide. While a list of stuff is pretty contrary to all our talk about minimalism and letting go of things, even a minimalist needs some things. Plus we’re big proponents of thoughtful purchasing. We research the crap out…
If you’re having déjà vu, (look we already picked up some French😉) you’re not alone. This two week Utah road trip itinerary is a combination of our one week eastern and western national park itineraries. We thought it’d be helpful to have all the details in one place and timeline recommendations for each destination. Plus, we’ve added more awesome things to do in each national park and new photos. If you have 2 weeks to travel around the stunning state…
It’s hard to believe that a year has passed since we packed up the few remaining things we own and left our beloved Portland for the open road. This has undoubtedly been the biggest year of travel and change in our lives. With our one-year travel anniversary (or should I say vanniversary?) upon us, we’ve been thinking a lot about what we’ve learned and what’s different than a year ago. Our goal on this blog is not only to share…
5 years ago, if you told me that today I’d be a minimalist living in a van, I would’ve laughed my ass off and said, “No way!” Living in van? Maybe—at least temporarily. But Minimalism? Isn’t that for people who like modern furniture and dress all in black and white? That’s definitely not me. For years Tom talked about living in a tiny home. I was adamant that we couldn’t live that way. We needed space, and a giant dining…
A couple of weeks ago we hit the road again with Stan the Tan Van. Our destination? The sunny Florida Everglades. We had high hopes of replenishing our vitamin D and diminishing our resemblance to a couple of pasty vampires. Even though on our first night, I came down with my second bought of flu this season (looks like there’s a flu shot in my future from now on), it felt so good to be back on the road again….
We already posted an update about our time in Wisconsin, but there’s one more outing that didn’t make it onto that list—a day-trip to Door County. This place is truly lovely any time of year and there’s so much to do that it deserves its own post. If you’re not from the Midwest and you ask a Wisconsinite where specifically they’re from, they might hold up their hand (in that retro “talk-to-the-hand” kind of way) and point to it. They’re…
We promised more itineraries this year so we’re really excited to share this post all about Arches and Canyonlands National Parks with you! It’s the first in a series of Utah road trip itineraries focused on the National Parks. We’ve written a lot about Utah already but it’s such a remarkable place that we think everyone should visit at least once. There are glittering rivers edged with lush green trees cutting through vibrant multi-colored monoliths of rock. There are cool…
We’re so excited to be back on the road again in Stan the Tan Van. We’ve missed his rumbles and creaks—here’s hoping that three times a charm with radiators. Currently we’re en route to the sunshine state for some vitamin D replenishment. You may have noticed that we’ve been stationary for a while, spending the last few months in Wisconsin. Before you think we’ve gone completely mad by choosing to winter in Wisconsin, the truth is we didn’t plan to…
This week’s post is a throwback. It’s not Thursday so let’s say it’s a Memory Monday post. That’s a thing, right? Orcas Island is part of the San Juan Islands off the coast of Washington state. Visiting this region was on our PNW bucket list for years. We finally got around to it shortly before leaving on our long-term travels. We spent Christmas on Orcas Island last year and it was exactly the relaxation we needed after the busy holidays….