Not many things compare to the feeling of cruising down the open road on a hot summer day. Dark pavement glistening with heat mirages stretching out in front of you indefinitely. Soft white clouds rolling across the land. Windows down and sweet country air blowing across your sweaty back as Tom Petty blasts from the speakers. This is what summer dreams are made of friends. Pin this post for later > Road trips make for some of the best vacations….
It’s no secret that we walk…a lot. We hike all around the national parks in the US—sometimes against our better judgement. Many of the free things that we did in Paris revolved around walking. As travelers, what better way to put yourself in someone else’s shoes, than to literally trek around the land? We thought it fitting that our second to last France post includes a walking tour of Marseille. Pin this post for later > A lot of people…
Being surrounded by all this art, history, culture, and of course, food has inspired us! We’re trying something new this week friends (don’t worry, this time it doesn’t involve stinky cheese). We excited to share our first real vlog with you today!!! Yes, lots of exclamation marks. We’re just a bit excited! This vlog is a budget travel guide to Avignon, France located in the lush Provence region. Pin this post for later > France may not be the first…
We’re taking a little break from European posts this week to talk about something really important—how to get away from people. I don’t mean you should become a hermit and live in a van down by the river…oh wait…maybe I do? Kidding aside, if you’re planning to explore the national parks this summer, you likely don’t want to spend your vacation shuffling through a mob of sweaty visitors. Instead you’ll want to find solitude in the expansive vistas, quiet trails,…
As quickly as we were disoriented and even a bit intimidated by the fast-paced Paris, we felt at ease in Lyon. It’s my favorite city that we visited in all of France. Despite being the country’s third largest city, Lyon has a relaxed, welcoming atmosphere. You’ll see locals picnicking in the many parks and squares or taking an afternoon stroll along the river, some will even give a friendly nod as you pass by them. It has the unhurried feel…
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…
I didn’t initially love Paris. There, I said it. As wildly unpopular as this opinion is likely to be, it’s the honest truth. In all fairness to the City of Light, my experiences in the first few days were hampered by enormous jet lag (seriously felt like the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man) and a severe case of culture shock. Oddly enough, the culture shock wasn’t so much the foreign location, as it was the lightning fast pace of a big…
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…