Loki Travel Box

When the sky does a dance, so you do too. 🌞💃🪄

I had heard rumours about these immense Irish West Coast sunsets before we arrived, but after seeing some pretty impressive sky dances all over Europe and beyond the last year, I wondered if they would be THAT spectacular?
Well, they are. They really really are. They are breathtakingly magical. 🪄🥹

I am so grateful I get to experience moments like this and live my life on the road, and its these moments that remind me why I choose to live the way I do. 🫶

I have also heard that we will be treated to quite few more of these shows from Mother Nature as we roll into Autumn, also known as epic sunset season here. 🍁🙌

So tell me, are you being blessed with these incandescent skies where you are too? ✨🫶

📍Rossnowlagh Beach, Ireland.

The west coast of Ireland, it just hits different. 🌊✨🙌

Since being on this coastline, it’s definitely evoked something within me. Sparks of creativity have been reignited, a new found inner-belief, that I have been unknowingly searching for is being explored, and a connection to the landscape is developing that feels so homely. 🫶

Myself and my camera are very much feeling the vibe here, even with Autumn now letting its presence very much be known. 🌞🍁📷
This was most definitely the last day I ventured down to the water with no coat.🫣🥲

The joy of days filled with not much at all 🫶

On days like this, where we get to hang out by a lake with not much to do, we often look back on our previous “normal life" and how bizarre it all seems now. How busy we both were, and how little quality time we actually used to get together. 🙌

And although we are so glad to have checked out of the hustle, if we hadn’t endured it, we most likely wouldn’t have this life now, nor be able to appreciate it as much. Every journey is valuable. 🫶💫

What’s your favourite kind of slow day?

August Round up! 💫🫶

A little summary of how we spent August…In South Wales, dashing to the beach when the sun appeared, hanging out with friends and family, and working on some super fun and new creative projects that I am really proud of.
It has felt like a real win for me completing these AND acknowledging them.👯‍♀️🪄

This month, whilst working on new things and venturing into unfamiliar space, it has been important to remind myself that everyone is on a journey, and everyone has to start somewhere. You have to acknowledge the wins! 🤸🙌

So, on the final day of August, let’s all celebrate our wins! No matter what they are, give them recognition. 🫶🌞

What win are you celebrating for yourself? ✨💫

And just like that, we are hitting the road again. 🚐💫

We have spent the past 5 weeks staying in a beautiful house, taking care of two adorable pets. It’s been refreshing to pause for a moment and stay in one place. To not have to think about finding a park up, filling up with water, or navigating questionable narrow roads in our home on wheels.

It’s been great to revel in the luxury of walking to a local coffee shop and food store and not having to put my laptop away every time I use it.

It’s also been great to get out of the van for high summer, avoiding the heat and the crowds.

But the thing I have loved most about it, is the excitement it has given us to get back in the van and live small again!

These are just a random collection of memories and magical moments from the past year we spent on the road, here’s to the next chapter!

We are heading to an island we have both been wanting to visit for SO long, who knows where we’re heading? 👀💫

Why we chose a van rather than a motorhome. Read Below.👇

There are many pros and cons for both types of vehicles for full-time van life, but ultimately we ended up with an empty panel van we designed and fitted out ourselves, rather than a fully kitted out motorhome because;

➕We were both motivated and excited by the challenge of designing and building out a van from the wheels up.

➕Having the opportunity to tailor it to our exact needs was a huge plus.

➕We liked the idea of a vehicle that was not any larger than a commercial van.

➕We figured out we could probably build out a van in a fairly new vehicle for the same price as buying an aged motorhome at the time. (No idea if this is still the case!)

So, are we still content with this decision?

YES! We love our van, and apart from changing up some textiles, and a minor alteration made to the bench seat, we are super happy with our van and have no desire to change anything else.
🚐The only thing I don’t love, is that he’s just a big white box with little external character…but you can’t have it all!

👀It also doesn’t mean we both don’t loveeee the motorhomes we see on the road, and haven’t thought how great it would be to have a bed above the cab, or a big seating area AND a fixed bed…dreaaaamy!

🫶I am also SO SO in love with Hymers (seen in the first photo), new and old. They are a thing of beauty, and if we were to do it all over again, would I try and convince Tay that we should get an old Hymer? Yes. Yes I would. But for now, we will be sticking with our van for the foreseeable.

Moments from the weekend, catching up with friends 🫶

Whilst we enjoy returning to where we are from and catching up with friends and family, we tend to leave feeling like we managed to only experience a little snippet of everyone, struggling to find time for real meaningful catch ups with friends and getting engaged in loved ones full-stories.
So when some of our friends decided to have a little holiday and visit us in Wales, we were SUPERRRR happy. Time spent together under the umbrella of a getaway is just different. It is quality time on a new level for sure. ✨🫶

We had such a beautiful few days, with quality time spent, great food eaten, lots of Friends and Gavin & Stacey quotes thrown around🤪 and a joyous day at the beach. So a huge thanks for visiting us, we loved it so much

Moments of slow, being in nature and how I miss it. 🫶

We have been back in the UK for a month now, 1 week of that spent house sitting, and although we’re glad for the space and the shelter whilst the classic British weather does it’s dance, giving us grey skies and drizzle as it’s version of summer, I have found myself reminiscing on times captured in these photos, the sanctuary of our tiny home and the closeness to nature it provides (and the ability to drive away from the grey skies when you have had enough…!)

This is why I love to get out of the van every so often and live encapsulated in the world of “normality”. It gives me renewed appreciation for living life on the road, as well as some down time and space to leave my “office” out….(if you live in a van, you know 😅)

I am also trying to alter my views on the wet weather and stop looking at it as “bad” weather….easier said than done!

Who else is trying to embrace the grey skies and “romanticise” the wet and winds?
And who knows when the sun will bless us with its beautiful presence?! Let me know. Please. Thaaanksss. 🫠😅✌️

Postcards from Pienza 🫶

This was a treasured spot on our meander through the Tuscany region l, as we headed through Italy with crossing back into the UK in our sights.
Pienza was the perfect combination of cute Italian town and endless rolling hill countryside; the landscape looked exactly how Tuscany did in my imagination.

📍Pienza, Tuscany

Slow mornings spent basking, in the warmth of the rising light 🌥

This beach was especially dreamy and desolate, so I took the opportunity to get to know my camera...and myself a little better. 📷🫶

I used to find taking self-portraits VERY uncomfortable, but it's actually turned out to be the best way for me to learn about photography and what style I like.

By doing this, it gives me time to slow down, and with no external pressures, play with my camera for as long as I like, to work out what kind of movement or positioning I am drawn to and how to work with the light.
This has led to me growing more confident when photographing others in natural moments that catch my eye, acting a little quicker each time.

Here's a few things I learnt from this particular morning:

💫 Be better at remembering to share the happiness I feel through my expressions. 😄
💫Be more aware of framing and cropping.
💫Photographing into the sun is realllyyyy hit and miss for me and takes me a lot of playing around to see what works.
💫It's also OK to still share what you capture, even if it's not perfect.
💫 Looking at yourself through your own lens can be a powerful way of getting to know yourself.

I would love to know which one of these is your fave! 🫶

A collection of memories from one of our favourite places, Greece. 🫶

Our expectations of what mainland Greece had to offer were non-existent before we visited, for no other reason we had done little to no research to form any, but over the past 11 months of our overseas explorations, 5 of those were spent in mainland Greece, and it really blew us away. 🙌

One of the reasons it seems to radiate such great energy, is that almost every edge of its coastline is stunning, housing beaches that, if were situated in a "popular" location would be named the "best" beach or a "must see", but, mainland Greece as a whole, is humble about the natural offerings that can be found. No one particular area seems to shout the loudest, nor compete with its neighbour. This equals a lot of untouched, undeveloped beauty to be explored. It also coaxes you into travelling slower and more relaxed, as there aren't necessarily those must-see way points, and you aren't rushing to the next place, but just appreciating that moment in time. Slowly slowly is the Greek way, after all.

We seemed to be able to park up with views of dreams almost everywhere, never paying for a camp site and usually stepping straight out onto the sand, paired with water taps and beach showers. Vanlife Bliss.

There is still way more for us to discover there, so we will be returning for sure.
Is Greece on your road trip list? If you have been, what was your experience?

We found our freedom through life on the road 🫶

I think the feeling of freedom that comes with this lifestyle of full-time travel and living life on the road might just be the best thing about it.

Things that make me feel free these days: 

○ Waking up naturally with no alarm, but by the gentle ease of the sun rising.

○ Not being tied into a "routine" and being able to drift through days with little plans made in advance.

○ Being able to go wherever we want, whenever (within reason..!) and chase the sun.

○ Having the time to discover new hobbies or reacquaint myself with old ones.

○ Owning very little and valuing the possessions you do have.

○ Basking in nature with nothing to do and being OK with doing nothing.

What is freedom to you?

The beauty within the everyday moments 🫶

One of the most treasured things about living on the road, is how the mundane of the everyday can become so beautiful and having time to appreciate that. Moments like these:

🧼Washing up with the sound of gentle waves as your playlist.

💆‍♀️Doing your skincare routine outside amongst the daisies, whilst looking in your wing mirror at the sunset reflection.

👞Dropping your doormat directly onto the sand, the beach becoming your garden.

🧹Cleaning your maxx air fan filter just as the sun begins to set with the sand beneath your toes (the moment captured here).

What moments have you seen in a different light since living on the road? 🫶🪄

Beach days and contemplation. 🫶

We are now officially heading in the direction of the UK after 11 months on the road, and with about a month to go before we reach "home" we have found ourselves contemplating our time.

We have pondered on how fast it's gone, but how long ago it seems that we first reached South Italy to kick off our travels.

Laughed at how "little" we have seen in comparison to how much we thought we would cram into a year. But how we have still seen so much, and so many beautiful places.

How we have continuously changed up our plans and how much more we enjoy the slow travel, making up where we're heading as we go along.

Laughed at how our clothing choices have become a little too similar (as seen here), but what can you do, we both love linen! 👀👏

How we have 100% accidentally become way more "hippy" than we ever thought possible (see hair for reference) but are loving our new luscious locks. 😅🫶

And how Tay has been converted from a snow lover to a sun lover (although we need to get him back to the slopes at some point). ❄️☀️

And lastly, how grateful we are for our discovery of house sitting, which breaks up our travels in such a beautiful way, and gives us the mix we feel will enable us to travel like this for way longer than we originally thought. 🫶

I can imagine there will be many more moments of contemplation on the last stint of our journey as we meander towards the UK.

💭 Dreamy scenes from our little lap of Chalkidiki.

⛱️We beach hopped our way around the Sithonia peninsula, stepping out from our tiny home directly onto dough-white sand at almost every stop. Our time there was filled with turquoise waters, breathtaking vistas, and days spent appreciating the little things in life.🫶

🚐 It was hard to narrow it down, as every single stop was almost as dazzling as the last, but I have listed our fave park ups from this region below, along with the code.

💫Save this post for that trip to Chalkidiki you will now be planning ✌️🙌

🌲Kardyi Beach
A cute woodland park up overlooking a piece of picturesque coastal paradise, made up of silver rocks, white sand, and still blue-green water. 💎
P4N code: #44093

🏖Stagira Akanthos
You can park directly on the sand whilst enjoying some shade from the pine trees. Or you can park overlooking the beach by the road, with the most magical sunrise views. To the right of the main beach, you can find a little cove that was our private sandy spot for the day.✌️
P4N code: #323094

🌊Eparchiaki Odos Nikitis-Sartis
This may be THE most accessible combined with serene beach park up we have ever found. The desolate road runs right alongside the sand, and you are just 10 steps from bathing in the ocean, where you can gaze out at through encapsulated bay. We even spotted dolphins here. 🐬 👀
P4N code: #96152

Talking Tiny Home Design ✏️🚐
If you're currently in the midst of planning, designing, or building your own campervan, then this post is for you. 🙌

Having lived on the road in our cosy hygge home for over a year now, we can safely say we are SO happy with our Design and Build. 🫶

We seem to talk about building our beloved tiny rolling homes over here in the camper community, but what doesn’t always get the airtime it deserves, is the time spent designing these divine motion-abodes we all love and live in.🚐

Designing our van was a far longer process than building it, and IMO, the best part! Figuring out our layout, optimizing the tiny floor-space and picking all the finishes was waaaaaay more fun than the actual build (Tay might be on the fence with this statement, just so you know.)✏️

So, because I love talking about the design process so much, I've written a blog about the FULL process of designing our campervan, from start to finish.  This blog post includes how to find the perfect interior style for your tiny home, identifying your living priorities, optimizing your space within your layout and making sure you have thought of EVERYTHING you need to before you even pick up a screwdriver.🛠

❕️Head over to the link in our bio to read the full blog post for all the creative inspo and design guidance needed for your van design and build project..❕️

❔️I would love to know what else you want to see in this design series, I am thinking storage hacks next? And how to change up your tiny interior with a Textile refresh. (on my agenda for this summer…!)
Let me know in the comments.🫶


 

Dreamy Mornings that felt like a Movie 🎬🎈

Here's what you need to know when seeking the magic of waking up to hot air balloons in Cappadocia:

1. Depending on what time of year you are visiting, you will want to allow enough days to make sure you don't miss the balloons. We were in Cappadocia 12 days in total Mid-April, and the balloons went up 4 times, so it's not every day as it's weather dependent. Give yourself enough time if you can! 👌

2. Parking above Red & Rose Valley IMO is the nicest place for this experience (where these photos were taken). It is a lot more peaceful over this side, as opposed to Love Valley, as there aren't any photoshoots that happen here (generally, there might be some). You are probably the furthest away from the balloons, but that's also weather dependant, as one morning, they took off from the field behind us, so we're a lot closer. 🙋‍♀️

3. There is a website you can check to see if balloons will fly, with a Red, Amber, Green flag system, so if your alarm goes off at 5.30am and its a red flag, you can go back to sleep! 💤

4. If you want to submerge into the red dress and classic car photoshoot madness, you're going to want to park above Love Valley. This is where all the action goes down. When we were there, you were no longer allowed to park at the "main" park up, but there were others where you could still experience the fun. 💃

5. The balloons fly real low and close to your van. You can 100% have a chat with the passengers and shout good morning. Open your back doors and give everyone a wave, the balloon riders love it 😄🙌we spent most of our mornings doing this whilst having our coffee. ☕️

🚐 P4N Code for our fave park up spot: 87369

💫Save this post for later when you visit!

📍Red & Rose Valley, Cappadocia

Friday Feels on the Sand. 🫶
& a little update on creativity....

📸 I had become a little lost and frustrated with my camera and creative journey a few weeks back. We were in places that are known "insta perfect" photography locations. It was fast-paced, and I struggled to find my vibe.
But since being back at the beach and living that slow life, I have rediscovered my rhythm, and it feels great. 

I am still finding out what feels natural to me, and setting up the camera to take some self portraits when I have all the time in the world really helps with this, it gives me the time to figure out movement and assess what is working and what I like without any external pressures.

🧘‍♀️After this week, I have learnt that I definitely prefer to create in a slow paced, calm environment and capture subtle moments... which is probably why I feel at home taking photos at the beach 🫶

Anyway, what I am trying to get at is, it feels great to be at the beach, and Happy Friday 😄🫶

❔️Let me know if you like these kinda photos, or prefer the travel updates only 👀

Our days have felt incredibly fulfilling lately, which is odd, as they haven't actually been filled with much at all.

After an explorative whirlwind lap of Türkiye, we felt as though we needed some downtime and to just "be" for a little while. So, when we crossed the border back into our homeland away from home (Greece), we found ourselves a beautiful white sandy beach, parked up the van, pumped up the paddle boards and just hung out for 10 days.

We are now back on the move, but this downtime really got us thinking about how sustainable this life will be for us long term, if we remain on a constant dopamine filled, view seeking, explorative adventure. It's been absolutely incredible so far, but is it really sustainable to "adventure" full-time for a long time?

So, we are heading into the last part of our journey before spending the summer in the UK, with a lot more of a relaxed view, not too concerned about hitting all those blue pins on our map, but just enjoying the journey, and if there's some flurries of adventure and sight seeing along the way, great! But that no longer feels like the goal.

I would love to know if anyone else can relate. Let me know in the comments 🫶

📍Keramoti, Greece