VANLIFE travel blogs: Lisa & Daniel

Lisa, Daniel, Bonnie and have been living the van life van since late summer 2020. For a long time they wished to be able to travel every day, and during the restrictions of the Coronavirus lockdown earlier in the year, they decided to make their dreams become a reality.

Enjoying the simple life in Greece

@likebonnieandclyde

It all went pretty quickly in the end. We did a lot of research and in June we finally found our van, then put some work into the renovation and installing technical equipment which would make things comfortable for us. We set off in July and immediately drove south to the Italian boot. This was our first van life experience and it was really good for us!

Our day always starts with a look out of bed through the rear window of our camper, and each time we enjoy our ever-changing garden that surrounds us. There is something really unique about the feeling of not really knowing where you had ended up parking the night before. Then there is handmade coffee, which we celebrate like it’s something new every day, like a ritual! After coffee the day then starts for our dog, Bonnie, by the opening of the van door. We feel like we live true to the motto:

"GET OUT OF BED - INTO PLEASURE"

Vanlifing in Greece

@likebonnieandclyde

Their van DIY interior

@likebonnieandclyde

The rest of the day is spent pretty dependent on the weather. Sometimes sunbathing and swimming is about all we do. Sometimes we have to work. But luckily we have jobs that work well from anywhere. It’s a pleasure to find a coffee shop with some WIFI to check the emails. We support founders of companies and people who want to build their own foothold, both online and offline. We like to inspire a free life, just like the one we chose to pursue.

When asked where we are going to be next, we always answer that we don’t know. This is what we loved about the prospect of vanlife, that we would be so free and can always go somewhere else if we feel like it, or not. We wanted to get close to nature, as close as we could, and spend time together and with our dog. Now in the van, we spend almost the whole day in the fresh air and it makes us happy to feel so free each and every day. But of course, there are some things that you do end up wishing for. Be it more space, warm water or not having to worry about electricity all of the time. But really, this is the type of experience we wanted to get out of vanlife. We wanted to become the type of people who perceive life much more consciously and to take nothing for granted such as we did back at home.

Bonnie enjoys life on the road too

@likebonnieandclyde

Food is very important to us and a point where we try not to compromise compared to a normal life in a house. For us, good food is more important than anything and every day we are amazed at the delicacies that can be made on the go. We like the food in Greece very much because it has that Mediterranean touch which we do enjoy. In the van we make a lot of (and very typical to the area we are currently exploring) grilled vegetables with feta, which we rarely ate in Austria if not at all!

For us, vanlife means to have the freedom to have our bed in (almost) any place in the world and to wake up every morning from natural light and because of an alarm clock. Our trip started in Salzburg Austria and we drove straight to Ancona in Italy to catch the ferry to Greece. In Greece, we have travelled to Patras, Lefkada, Athens, Crete and now Peloponnes. The vanlifers paradise.

For us, that's exactly what vanlife is: short term living in various parking spaces, all with their advantages and disadvantages. We like to stay longer in one place, but then after a week at the latest we are always ready to change.

Follow Lisa, Daniel and Bonnie on IG @likebonnieandclyde