About Us
Mark and Liesbet
Liesbet was born in Belgium, but calls herself a world citizen. Traveling has been her lifelong passion, closely followed by writing. She has been intrigued by foreign lands, adventurous pursuits, captivating cultures, and a simple world map since she was a teenager. As an adult, her worldly explorations started in earnest. During her college years, she saved up money to travel as much as her vacations allowed. After graduating as a teacher in 1997, she set out on an intensive backpacking trip throughout Southeast Asia with friends. Two “normal” years at work followed. She never owned anything, journeyed abroad during school holidays, and saved her income for future adventures. The next break from a semi-settled life in Belgium was a one-year solo exploit to Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand, where all the extreme sports had to be sampled. She went back to her teaching job in Belgium for another two years, before (unintentionally) leaving permanently and becoming a nomad in the summer of 2003.
Mark is from the United States of America. He grew up in New England, but preferred living in California. He has a master’s degree in computer science and built a successful career for himself. Utilizing his knowledge, abilities and skills, he lived the “American dream” for ten years, before deciding that it was time for something else. His familiarity with comfort, convenience, and luxury was traded for an insurmountable hunger for adventure, freedom, and a more basic lifestyle in 2005.
Mark and Liesbet met in California in November 2004 and have been roaming as a team ever since. She was traveling throughout the US, Canada, and Alaska in a camper for a year and a half when they fell in love and immediately “moved in” together. When things settled down a bit, they decided to “unsettle” by buying a 36’ sailboat and relocating to a marina with Mark’s two gorgeous Australian Shepherd mixes Kali and Darwin. Mark’s belongings were sold and for seven months they fixed their 25-year-old monohull up and prepared her to sail south.
That plan didn’t work out so well – the dogs hated the constant slant of the boat in the ocean – and a year after they met, they found themselves traveling by truck camper throughout Mexico and Central America instead. Kali and Darwin (and Liesbet) loved this much better! When they returned to the States a year later, they downsized to a tent and a little Toyota pick-up truck to search for a suitable sailing catamaran along the East Coast. They succeeded in their two-month mission.
In 2007, they bought Irie and set off into the sunset once more, Kali and Darwin in tow. What followed was an eight year sailing adventure – with many ups and downs – that brought them from the Chesapeake Bay all the way to French Polynesia in the mighty Pacific Ocean. In August 2015 they sold their floating home in Tahiti and figured, again, that it was time for something different; something exciting in its own way… They decided to focus on their blossoming freelance careers without actually settling down.
Mark, running a successful long range WiFi and cell data business (The Wirie) from 2009 until 2018, and Liesbet, having an arsenal of ideas in her head and feeling inspired to write more articles, frequent blog posts, and even a book (Plunge, a travel memoir published by Roaming About Press in November 2020), enjoyed their new lifestyle. Abiding by their frugal habits and roaming spirits, combining their love of animals with their desire for temporary conveniences, they house and pet sat throughout the United States for three years, putting their sense of responsibility and their creative minds to good use.
In the summer of 2017, Mark and Liesbet bought a 19ft Mercedes Sprinter Westfalia camper van, called Zesty. After multiple exciting camping trips of days, weeks, and months at a time, they alternated house sitting with RV adventures in North America.
Their next change happened in June 2019, when they adopted Maya as an adult dog from Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Utah. Their companion is now seven years old and a mixed breed they call an “everything dog” after their favorite bagel.
Since then, the trio lives on the road fulltime in the Americas. They traveled throughout North America for two more years in Zesty and a year in a different, fancier Cirrus truck camper named T&T.
In the spring of 2022, they switched gears again. They kept their trusty truck, Thirsty, and purchased a fixer-upper of a Lance truck camper, Bella, which they modified and equipped for the next big adventure. Following months of work, effort, determination, set-backs, and patience, they began their multiple-year South American chapter in mid-December 2022, after shipping Thirsty Bella from Texas, USA to Cartagena, Colombia. One year later, in January 2024, they made it as far as Bolivia, before continuing south. Slow travel is the way to go! 🙂
To see photo galleries and captions of our travels before I started blogging (2004 – 2007), have a look here and check out the different folders.
To read about our eight years (2007 – 2015) on Irie, go to my sailing blog It’s Irie – Cruising the World, the Way It Is here.
To follow our more recent and current overland adventures, enjoy poking around this blog or follow us on Facebook!
July 5, 2017 at 18:15
Is this a new blog layout? It looks fantastic! This (dog)sitting profile is so good I can’t imagine you don’t have work lined up from now until eternity. I am SOOOO dumb, too, because we were looking for a 2+ week dog and house sitter in September and just before Lisa Dorenfest reminded me that you guys did this, I had booked someone else, and of course, it would not be nice to cancel her after I committed. (Now you are booked anyway.) The reason I’m so dumb is I READ all your blog posts and know perfectly well what you do, and yet I think I was thinking you are always in CA. Next time for sure – I would absolutely love for you to watch our dear, sweet dog.
July 6, 2017 at 12:03
Nope. Not a new page. I think I created it when I put this blog together in November 2015. Believe it or not, but we don’t get swamped with house sitting invitations, Lexie. I am not really advertising our services and my blog is not a house sitting blog, exclusively, so other “professional” house sitters are ahead of the game. Our life and blog is about so much more than house and pet sitting as well – too diverse. One needs to have a niche to stand out. 🙂 That being said, I do spend heaps of time going through notifications and applying to attractive sits, with personal letters and friendly communications.
I’m sorry you are feeling dumb. You aren’t!! And, I could totally see myself do this as well – following along with someone’s life, but in my head making a connection to the location they are in. Totally normal behavior! 🙂 We do house sit in most parts of the USA, but have been sticking in this area, because the drives are shorter and we prefer warmer climes (a bit disappointing in Oakland, by the way). That being said, for long-term opportunities in attractive locations (Houston counts), we are often happy to cover the distance. Stay tuned for our summer and fall plans!
February 10, 2018 at 17:44
Dear Liesbet, I have nominated you for The Entertainer Blogger Award. Please check it out when you have a moment. https://cookandenjoyrecipes.wordpress.com/2018/02/10/the-entertainer-blogger-award/ Thanks in advance
February 11, 2018 at 17:23
Wow, Esme! That is a nice and rewarding surprise! Thank you! I hope to work on the post soon!
February 11, 2018 at 17:48
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February 27, 2018 at 14:14
Great site and love your About page! As we said, we have many similarities. 🙂
February 28, 2018 at 08:08
Looking forward to getting to know you a bit better through our blog posts, Nilla!
April 15, 2018 at 04:17
I’m looking forward to reading more about your adventures on here, Liesbet. I also wish you great luck in writing your memoir (I’m also working on mine, plus have written an (unpublished) novel, and would like to start another one soon!) and other writing projects. I love your adventurous lifestyle. 🙂
April 16, 2018 at 08:00
Thanks, Cathy! For your visit, you encouragement and your comments. I’m always happy to “meet” other nomads and wanderers, and can’t wait to peruse your blog one of these days! And, I’m curious to learn more about your memoir as well. What is it about? How far have you gotten? How does the writing process feel?
April 16, 2018 at 08:12
You’re welcome, Liesbet. As for my memoir, it covers my whole life up until I left Korea and India in 2011. It’s getting a bit overwhelming. I don’t know why I didn’t break it down into smaller projects! Then I have a follow up book to write after that. Sadly, when I have to rely on memory, it’s very splotchy, and when I have journals, there are too many details. Like a kaleidoscope! Zooming in and out. I keep skipping around and writing parts I can remember or have journals for and then going back and forth – not linear at all. It will probably take me another year or more! How about you?
April 16, 2018 at 08:49
Fascinating! Your struggles sound very familiar, though. I’m trying to cover a ten-year period of my partner and I living on our sailboat in the Caribbean and Pacific and the RV trip leading up to that. Too much stuff, indeed! I started from memory (and I should have stopped there) and then, read all the blogs I wrote during our eight year sailing journey, incorporating bits and pieces I deemed important. The first draft ended up being over 160K words, twice as many as “needed”.
So now, in the second draft, I’m trying to cut a lot out and attempting to make the chapters flow. Not easy at all. So far, all I cut out were those blog posts. 🙂 And, I never even touched at my diaries, since they are in Belgium, in my parents’ house. If you haven’t gotten too far yet, I would suggest cutting the whole project in three parts – basically cutting the part you’re working on in half, if possible. What you’re doing sounds more like an autobiography than memoir. Memoir is about a particular “slice” of your life, following a particular theme. Have fun!
April 16, 2018 at 09:48
Very interesting, Liesbet. That 10-year period you’re covering of living on the sailboat and the RV trip sound great. I’d love to know what took you to that place to begin with. I find it fascinating why people do the things they do.
You sound a bit like me as far as word count. I wrote a novel at one time that was originally 480 pages, and I cut it eventually to 359. I’m sure I could still cut more. I always err on the side of too many words rather than too little.
Your idea is a good one; maybe I will consider that. It’s just that the reasons I went to Korea in the first place and left my marriage, only to return to it after a 7 year hiatus, are all tied up in my childhood. They are certainly interconnected. I have been thinking about dividing the book up into different “slices of my life” but am just trying to get it all down first in rough form then I’ll determine how to organize the story. Thanks so much for your feedback. 🙂
April 16, 2018 at 11:26
That was exactly my thinking! It sounds like you have even more intriguing stories to share than me. The cutting will be hard… If you’re at a point where you’d like to exchange a chapter or so for feedback, let me know. I could use another pair of eyes one of these weeks! 🙂
April 16, 2018 at 13:43
I would be happy to do that as I progress further, Liesbet. At this moment, I’m trying to get certain things done on my blog before I take off for a 25-day road trip around Four Corners, so I’ll be swamped until June. But touch base with me then and we can discuss doing just that. I’d enjoy that. 🙂
April 18, 2018 at 08:08
Your road trip sounds amazing, Cathy! We’ll be following in your tracks the end of May. Blogs and books; they are hard to combine when one has so many ideas to write about. I’ll be in touch at some point in June (when I’ll be swamped with travel). Enjoy your explorations and blog planning!
April 18, 2018 at 16:34
I’m really excited to be on my way, although I’m not ready yet! You’ll be leaving just as I’m returning home. I should be around June, July and August. On September 1, I’m taking off for northern Spain to walk the Camino. So whatever works for you is fine. 🙂
April 20, 2018 at 12:00
Great! Enjoy the Four Corners. I’ve never been there, but hope to see some of the national parks and monuments (Aztec Ruins, Mesa Verde, …) around there in June.
April 20, 2018 at 14:27
Wow, you’ll be in some of the same places I’ll be, but I’ll be there the end of May. We’ll almost intersect. You have fun too! 🙂
December 20, 2018 at 18:21
Hi Liesbet, I was browsing comments on “Put your gratitude in writing” and I came across your fun, informative, intriguing site. I look forward to reading about your adventures….past and future. Erica
December 21, 2018 at 18:09
Hello Erica! Thank you for swinging by and leaving a comment. It’s nice to meet you! I’m glad you enjoy the look and concept of my blog and that you are interested in the life we are currently living. Let’s congregate and inspire! 🙂
December 30, 2018 at 16:30
Wow, you live a fascinating life! I’m a homebody and a gardener so being permanently on the road would be a horrible life choice for me, but it’s fun to see other people doing it (as long as they’re happy). It sounds as though it’s a perfect fit for you two! 🙂
December 30, 2018 at 23:04
Hi Diane and nice to meet you! I have a lot of respect for gardeners – so much beauty that is created and maintained and so much peace to be had. I’ve always thought gardening is meditative and I love being outside, but, as you can guess, no gardens for us. That being said, we successfully grew spinach, basil and mint on our sailboat for eight years. 🙂 And, we happily take advantage of the bountiful vegetable gardens of some of the houses we take care of. There’s nothing like homegrown lettuce and tomatoes. 🙂
July 24, 2019 at 12:02
Hi Liesbet,
For the past couple of weeks we’ve been writing about how we’re simplifying our life – and we invited you to share your thoughts on the subject. The response was wonderful! Thanks so much.
We loved reading your real-life experiences and have included them in our next post with a shout out to you and link to your blog. It will be published next Monday, July 29.
Thanks again. You made our day!
Terri & James @ gallivance.net
July 29, 2019 at 06:41
Thank you, Terri and James! I sent you a reply back a few days ago and another note yesterday. I hope you received them, as I’m not familiar with replying to the contact form directly via email. But, since it showed your email address, I thought the chances were good it would work! Have a nice and simplified week!
August 4, 2019 at 11:16
Great post! Well written. Will follow. Perhaps a house sit here in Colombia for you in 2020/21?
Cheers,
John and Susan
Medellin, Colombia
August 5, 2019 at 08:08
Hello John and Susan! Welcome and thanks for swinging by Roaming About, checking out some posts, and leaving a note. Who knows, Medellin in 2020 or 2021 might not be too far fetched, as we play with the idea of an RV trip in South America then. We do have a dog of our own now, though… Yes, I ought to update our house sitting profile. 🙂
January 13, 2020 at 16:58
That would be great!
March 9, 2020 at 16:34
Hi Liesbet, so wonderful to read a bit more about you here and to meet such a free spirited and like minded traveller. I absolutely love your zest for life and the lifestyle you lead. I share so many of your dreams. Wishing you all the success in the world with your writing and combining all the things you love the most in life. Cheers from down under. xx
March 11, 2020 at 12:48
Hi Miriam!
Thank you so much for swinging by here and all the good wishes and thoughts. I’m looking forward to following you and staying connected! And, I like your phrase about my “zest for life”, as our camper van is named Zesty. 🙂
As you know, combining many things in life can be quite challenging, but we are trying! I’m wishing you all the fun, explorations, and writing accomplishments you desire down under as well!!
April 27, 2020 at 17:43
What an interesting and fascinating life you’ve led! I’m so glad to have found you and look forward to reading more of your adventures ~💚
April 28, 2020 at 12:45
Hi Karla! Thank you for finding me and leaving a comment. It’s a pleasure to meet a like-minded soul and fellow nature, animal, and simplicity lover. 🙂 Those adventures might have to pause for a bit under the recent circumstanced, but, our itchy feet rarely remain unscratched for very long!!
June 21, 2020 at 09:33
Hi Liesbet and Mark, We hope you’re having a great summer. We just published a post about “Blogs We Love” … and yours is one of them! We wanted to thank you for all the joy you bing to our blogging community. All the best, Terri & James @gallivance.net
June 22, 2020 at 09:29
Hello Terri and James,
Thank you so much for including us in that “bloggers” post. We are honored!
I’m so glad we found each other’s blogs, as it’s always special to connect with like-minded people who at the same time love travel, nature, minimalism, different cultures, international connections, and exciting foods. I hope we will get to meet in person one day. In the meantime, enjoy your summer and stay healthy!
June 22, 2020 at 09:36
It was our pleasure, Liesbet. We think that you set the bar high for all bloggers. Thanks again for all you do.
So do you have a post hidden in your archives that you would like for people to read? Hugs ❤ Terri
June 24, 2020 at 20:00
I’ll get back to you about the archives post before the weekend! 🙂
August 24, 2020 at 23:32
What a neat life you’re living. Is the “Best Friends” in Utah the one near Kanab? Utah is an incredible place–I lived in SW Utah for ten years filled with a lot of canyon hiking and there were still more to do!
http://www.thepulpitandthepen.com
August 27, 2020 at 16:07
Hi Jeff!
Thanks for swinging by and leaving a comment. Yes, Best Friends Animal Sanctuary is located about ten minutes north of Kanab – an amazing and beautiful place in Angel canyon. I envy you for having lived in Southern Utah for that long. The area is awe-inspiring, with so much to do and see in nature. We even managed to hike The Wave. 🙂
We’re looking forward to return, but don’t think we will ever live there permanently (although we have looked at property in Kanab), because the temperatures are too extreme (for us) in the summer and the winter.
August 27, 2020 at 21:29
Cedar City, which is at 5800 feet, is actually quite nice. A lot of people retire there as you can ski at BrianHead (35 miles away) one day and golf in St. George (50 miles away) the next. The Wave is really neat. If you get back, you’ll have to do Buckskin Gulch–one of the most amazing slot canyons. It starts at the same trailhead as “The Wave” and runs into the Paria River.
August 28, 2020 at 12:08
Hi Jeff! I’m familiar with Cedar City. A good friend of mine lives there with his family. What a coincidence.
And, guess what? My husband and I actually hiked Buckskin Gulch before and really enjoyed it: https://www.roamingabout.com/where-utah-and-arizona-meet/. We sure hope to be back in the Vermilion Cliffs soon. 🙂
June 23, 2021 at 18:32
After traveling for so many years, are you able to settle down in one place and stay for a few years? That must be such an adjustment:) Jeshie2
June 23, 2021 at 19:48
Hi Jeshie! Thanks for swinging by and leaving a comment. We have not settled down (yet) and are not really planning to. After being a nomad for eighteen year, it would be impossible to adjust to a “normal” life. I’m not sure if that will ever happen anymore at this point…
July 21, 2023 at 08:36
Congratulations on your cnn article today! How exciting to bring you to international attention. All the best. Abby in Canada.
July 21, 2023 at 11:47
Hi Abby!
Thank you for swinging by and leaving a comment. I hope you’ll keep enjoying our journey. I appreciate the nice sentiments and wishes. Have a wonderful weekend!!!
July 22, 2023 at 11:31
I love your story❤️
July 22, 2023 at 15:56
Thanks a lot, Mercy! I hope you will keep following along. 🙂
July 24, 2023 at 12:16
So nice to read about you in CNN, and what a great story. I’m considering my future, being close to retirement age and wondered how you finance your lifestyle. I did not see any expense for insurance, so how are you handling that? What are your expectations around getting older and potentially not being as mobile?
July 24, 2023 at 12:56
Hi Mike,
Thanks for reading our story and reaching out.
Since Mark and I are not retired (and who knows if we ever will be), we work from the road, online, as freelancers. Our biggest trick to save money is to spend as little as possible. Our motto is: the less you buy, the less you have to make. 🙂 We also have savings and some investments and keep putting money into our retirement accounts.
If you’re interested in real numbers, I post an expense report every month and every year. You might have seen those already, but if not, you can find them all here: https://www.roamingabout.com/category/expense-report/
Insurance is the tricky part. We are residents of and have our health care in Massachusetts, which is free for us as we make less than minimum wage. The downside is that we have to fly back to MA for check-ups and serious issues. Other than that, we go to local doctors, pharmacies, and dentists as needed. A lot of countries provide excellent care (often with medical staff trained in the US) at affordable rates.
Regarding car insurance, most countries in South America require liability insurance, which you can arrange at the border or online. The upcoming July expense report will have that fee mentioned. We didn’t want to bring an expensive rig down here. It will get scratched up and damaged along the way; that’s life.
Regarding getting older: we are saving the “easy RV destinations,” like Europe and parts of Canada and the US until later, when we get older. Or we might do cruises then. Also, we are glad we did the sailing adventure already, because we can’t see us return to that challenging lifestyle when we are in our seventies. Lots of retirees still manage to sail, though.
At some point, we will settle down somewhere as expats and might take the local healthcare system into account. The only really issue we might face right now is if we are too immobilized to fly back to the US on our own, due to an illness or disease. If we need to be repatriated, that might mean the end of our savings and our travels. We have looked into insurance for that purpose, but haven’t bought any yet.
I hope this info helps and answers your questions…