VanLife Europe Part 2: Where in the world did we go this time and WHAT'S NEXT?!

mr and mrs adventure, travel europe campervan, dreamland couple

9,000 miles • 110 days • 8 countries • 9 ferry crossings • 36 (mega) hikes + countless views, kisses, memories, moments of bliss/challenge and endless “things” to be grateful for, VanLife Europe Part 2 looked a little something like this:

vanlife europe, europe road trip, norway roadtrip

And just as a refresher, VanLife Europe Part 1 looked a little something like this squiggly (+ add in the adventure of finding and purchasing our van!):

vanlife europe, europe road trip, vanlife europe part 1

This chapter of VanLife Europe was so different from the first (YouTube Playlist from VanLife Europe Part 1). While it was much shorter (4 months vs. 11!), it felt much longer, which we credit to the fact that we were feeling a greater degree of FOMO (“Fear Of Missing Out”), mixed with a need for warmer temperatures this time around… but don’t let that fool you, we wouldn’t have traded our time north of the Arctic Circle for ANYTHING:

lofoten norway, norway camper van, vanlife norway

We even saw the Pre-Historic Musk Ox in Norway’s Doverfjell National Park!

muskox, dovrefjell norway, prehistoric buffalo

+ The Jostedalsbreen Glacier, the largest glacier in Europe!

jostedalsbreen glacier, largest glacier in europe, mr and mrs adventure

+ Swam/bathed in Norway’s (stunning) glacial waters:

And called some of the most beautiful places we have EVER been, home:

lofoten norway, norway camper van, vanlife norway, reinebringen

PLUS we had the chance to return to some of our favorite places, like the beaches of Quiberon (where we were happily stranded because of #vanproblems… video here):

Last night's sunset on the coast of Brittany, France 🙌🏼This is where my dad's family is from and the place after which I am named... no wonder I feel so at home here! ✨ *** The second we arrived to Quiberon we threw on our bathing suits and jumped into the sea, swimming and laughing like 2 kids. So happy and so free...❤️ *** With not a soul around, we made dinner on the beach and watched this incredible sunset (at 10:30pm) from the sky. Shades of purple and pink lit up the night until nearly midnight, when a thick blanket of stars finally took over. *** We spent 2 weeks here last year and loved every moment, I have a feeling this time won't be any different.

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And the mysteriously-romantic, winding alleyways + canals of Amsterdam:

amsterdam canals, amsterdam at night, beautiful amsterdam

The more we travel and see, the more awakened we have become to our values, our purpose, our spirits, our connection to the earth and thus, the more ready we feel we are to dig in and start building a life in our home country, but we can’t just yet. There is still a bit more of Europe that we are drawn to explore and absorb while we have the wheels to do so. As long as we call the Howlin’ Yoweller home, everything we build needs to be able to fit into our carry-on luggage… which, as you know, is a very limited amount of space!

#thirsty 🌱

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SO, why did we come back to the US if we’re still not done exploring overseas yet? Well, if you’ve been following us for a while then you already know this, but as Americans we are limited to 90 days in the Schengen countries in a 180-day period (see our video on How we lived 89 days in Croatia). So, having exhausted our Visa days exploring Scandinavia, we had to book a ferry ticket from Calais back to England, where, as Americans, we are allowed 180 days in a 360-day period. Pro-Tip: Book your ferries in time to enjoy a sunset cruise!

calais port, ferry from calais to dover, sunset cruise calais france

One thing to note about Calais, which has been the principal port city between France and England since the middle ages, is that starting in 1999 the began experiencing a severe refugee crisis. When we arrived to make our journey across the English Channel, it was shocking to see more security and barbed wire than you’d imagine seeing at most jails. They even searched the Howlin’ Yoweller 3 times to make sure we weren’t carrying any stowaways! Here’s us excited to be entering England for the 1st time since we began our extended honeymoon on wheels more than a year and a half ago:

mr and mrs adventure, vanlife europe, americans travel europe in camper van

Once we made it to the (surprisingly sunny) UK coast, we renewed our MOT (after spending 3 days at the mechanic) + reconnected with old friends at Camp Quirky, realizing that each time we return, England feels more and more like our home away from home…

vanlife view, mr and mrs adventure, couple lives in van

Views like this and hugs from him 🌊❤️ #theseareafewofmyfavoritethings

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As much as we were enjoying our time in ole Blighty, our Floridian/Californian selves are not down with weathering an English Winter in our van (that has NO HEATING), so as we await the renewal of our Schengen days, we have decided to return to the US to soak up the Florida sun + celebrate the holidays with friends and family! Here’s a video we made during our last week in England that sums it all up:

SO WHAT WILL WE DO / WHERE WILL WE LIVE IN FL?? We’re excited to say that we’ll be living in luxury in our American camper van! In addition to spending time with friends and family + volunteering with Hurricane relief in The Keys (where we got married), we’ll be attending the Florida Surf Film Fest in New Smyrna + editing all the footage and blog post material we built up while traveling the wild European roads and trails! We’ll be releasing episodes in the order in which they occurred, so get ready for a solid season of VanLife Europe Part 2 with Mr and Mrs Adventure!!

vanlife youtube couple, mr and mrs adventure

Quite possibly our favorite hike in Norway (so far) 🙌🏼 The #Besseggen Ridge Trail, also named by @natgeo as one of the top 101 hikes in the world, and now we know why. From rainbows, sparkling glaciers and electric blue fjords, to craggy cliff edges, lunar landscapes and rolling hills covered in magical, bright-green moss, there were treasures hiding around every corner and over every ridge. Norway, you keep leaving us full of wonder and yet hungry for more adventures... can someone please send us another pair of legs 🤣 #mountainmonday

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THEN, just before the New Year, we’ll be flying back to the Howlin’ Yoweller and it’s HELLO VANLIFE EUROPE PART 3! Our rough draft looks a little something like this (give or take a few more squiggles):

Hopefully that helps explain a bit about where we’ve been and where we’re going. We tend to leap before knowing all the answers – living this way always seems to bless, challenge and move us in all the right ways. We feel so grateful to share our life adventures with you, be sure to subscribe to our newsletter + follow our Insta + join our YouTube tribe if you haven’t already + become a Patron if you love us! Where there is wonder we will wander, and lucky you will get to join in too.