Like most people, we have always loved to travel & explore the world. Starting our careers in the travel & tourism industry, working for some of the top hotel brands in the UK, we have been very lucky to experience some of Europe’s most beautiful destinations.
Priding ourselves on our organisation, our yearly travel destinations were always meticulously planned & booked well in advance. Until 2015, that is, when Irina discovered she was pregnant with our now 4 year old daughter. Our 2 week trip to Spain was on the verge of being cancelled, as we did not feel comfortable flying during the stage of pregnancy our flights were booked for.Â
A change of plan changed everything, forever
Rather than cancel what would turn out to be our last trip abroad, we decided to drive. Our journey took us through France and Spain to our original destination:Â our family apartment in Almeria. Stopping in Rouen, Zaragoza, Valencia, San Sebastian and La Rochelle, we were captivated by the ever-changing scenery, culture, architecture and cuisine that a touring holiday offers.
We simply fell in love with the freedom of the open road and the romance of passing through little villages that you could never have discovered from 40,000 ft in the air. Eating escargot and drinking burgundy one night then enjoying paella, tapas and sangria the next, sampling the pintxos of San Sebastian whilst admiring the architecture, what's not to love?
Rediscovering the joys of Britain
With the birth of our daughter, came the sacrifice of travel abroad and we looked at what our doorstep had to offer. Yet with the seasonal price increases of holiday lets in the UK, even our summer trips to Cornwall became out of reach.
Two and a half years on and we had enough of spending holidays at home. Kent has amazing things to offer, but we yearned to see and experience something new.Â
So how could we tour the UK without compromising on the luxury and comfort of hotels? Vanlife seemed to be the perfect answer, but would we like it? Would it be comfortable? Would it really give us the freedom to travel how we wanted? Well, there was only one way to find out. We hired Genie, a converted Renault Trafic, planned our trip, chose our destinations, sought out amazing and surprising spots to stay and hit the road to North Wales.
Wonderful Wales and the dawn of a new era - at the foot of a mountain
Our first stop was the beautiful lake Llyn Mwyngi, with a camper friendly hotel Tyn Y Cornel. If you buy a meal there, they will let you use their back car park to stay the night. We woke to majestic mountains behind us and the sun rising across the lake. A feeling like no other, it was atmospheric and romantic. As we looked over that lake, we knew that we had to make this happen for others. Like a seed, the thought was planted in our minds. That initial inkling of an idea eventually flourished into Vanlife Explorers UK and started to take root.
Please watch this space for more blogs and to follow our journey into Vanlife.
If you feel inspired to get adventuring and learn more about Vanlife then get in touch - you’ll never know what adventure might be available until you chat with us.