Roaming About
A Life Less Ordinary
Category: Lifestyle (page 19 of 45)
Photo courtesy of Axel Busch
This is my photo contribution for #wordlesswednesday, Becky’s #kindasquare challenge, and Cee’s On the Hunt for Joy Challenge, as I combined wordless photos (“let the photos tell the story”) that are square and involve technology. 🙂
Have you ever been this close to a landing plane? Have you ever sailed in or visited St. Martin?
Every month, I post a report of our expenses to show that it is possible to live a comfortable, exciting, and adventurous life without breaking the bank. The less money you spend, the less you need to make. 🙂
This report includes ALL of our expenses, in US$, for two adults and one 60-pound dog (we adopted Maya on June 4th, 2019). Under groceries we incorporate food, produce, and non-alcoholic drinks predominantly bought in supermarkets. Toiletries belong in that category as well. Dining out means eating at a restaurant/event or purchasing take-out food. The health category covers non-prescription medicines and vitamins/supplements; medical contains prescription drugs and doctor’s visits. Because of our income level, Mark and I are eligible for free health care within the state of Massachusetts. For check-ups, we both return to the East Coast.
During the entire month of September, Mark, Maya, and I lived in our “room above the garage” in Newburyport, MA – no side-trips in Zesty. Mark had a job with the US Census bureau in August and September and I’m 100% focused on my upcoming travel memoir. He made good money at $27.50 an hour, especially when working overtime for1.5x that amount. During his week-long stint on Cape Cod, putting in 12-hour days, he sometimes made $500 a day! I generated zero income working on my memoir… Instead, I spent a bunch more on it and will keep doing so this month.
Sign for the parked car when Mark performed his Census job
My editor would have been the most expensive category last month (and for four months in a row), if it wasn’t for us buying tires. Zesty made it through the annual Massachusetts inspection with flying colors, but a new set of tires was recommended and – as a matter of fact – we had been planning to replace them before heading west. Mark’s careful research and patience paid off. We managed to upgrade our tires to all-terrain and bigger ones for less than $600. Not only will we be better equipped for dirt roads this winter, but our clearance is an inch or two higher; just what we needed!
New all-terrain tires
Zesty gained a couple of inches! Yay!
For my father-in-law’s 90th birthday, Mark, his brother, our sister-in-law, and I organized a socially distanced outdoor party, where the four of us cooked and provided food and drinks. Sixteen family members were present and we were grateful for the sunny weather and space on the patio of my in-laws. The second expense in the gift category went to a non-fiction book written by a friend.
Birthday party outdoors
The adorable twins in their play corner
The buffet table and cooking station
Happy 90th birthday, Stan!
Not quite ninety candles, but good enough – Stan has his own (favorite) pie: strawberry – rhubarb!
Modern-day kissing
Another perk of Mark’s temporary relocation to the Cape was a daily food stipend of $70, which he never used up. So, we managed to get a few take-out meals and even an outdoor restaurant dinner that didn’t cost us anything! Also, with the last of our credit card points being allocated to food, we actually spent $400 less than this report shows. But, Maya’s fish oil cost almost as much as a 28-pound bag of dog food last month!
Usually, we manage to buy Maya’s fish oil supplement for under $20, so the $30 expense for it last month was painful.
Does this mean Maya is ready to hit the road? Or, the opposite?
At $1,800, September was an above average month in which we spent much more than usual, but for good reasons! 🙂
To learn what other full-time nomads spend each month, check out the expense blogs of our vanlife friends Duwan and Greg at Make Like An Ape Man.
The setting
Sunrise on the open ocean
Sailing in big seas…
…and on calm waters.
Heading into a nasty squall with rain and heavy winds.
Chilly but relatively comfortable
Hitchhikers during the day and night
A swallow holding on in strong tailwinds
For the last seventeen years, I haven’t owned or rented a house or an apartment. While this doesn’t mean I was homeless, it does boil down to living alternatively, in a moving home on hulls or wheels or one that belongs to someone else. House and pet sitting gave Mark and me a welcome break from life on the road. And, when we were sailing (from 2007 to 2015), a multiple-week visit to family offered the same reprieve. I ALWAYS soaked up and enjoyed the luxuries found in a house, which are taken for granted by so many.
For example, we didn’t have to catch, collect, or grow some of our own food.
(Unlike my usual photos, these ones are flashes from the past, where modern convenience was lacking and “back to the basics” was favored. Click on or hover over them to read the captions.)
Fishing with a handline off the stern of our catamaran
Mahi mahi
Tuna
Wahoo
Lobster
“Wild” bananas
Avocado picking in nature – French Polynesia
Mangos are abundant in the tropics
Gardening aboard!!
Growing our own mint, basil, and spinach
These “luxuries” were so profound to me that I touched on them in my upcoming travel memoir. Twice. But, once seemed enough, so I deleted the second mention. This is what I wrote in chapter eight, Hurricane Force, which is set in the Dominican Republic:
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From the Virgin Islands to Grenada…
… sunsets over the water are spectacular.
Especially with boats around, …
Every month, I post a report of our expenses to show that it is possible to live a comfortable, exciting, and adventurous life without breaking the bank. The less money you spend, the less you need to make. 🙂
This report includes ALL of our expenses, in US$, for two adults and one 60-pound dog (we adopted Maya on June 4th, 2019). Under groceries we incorporate food, produce, and non-alcoholic drinks predominantly bought in supermarkets. Toiletries belong in that category as well. Dining out means eating at a restaurant/event or purchasing take-out food. The health category covers non-prescription medicines and vitamins/supplements; medical contains prescription drugs and doctor’s visits. Because of our income level, Mark and I are eligible for free health care within the state of Massachusetts. For check-ups, we both return to the East Coast.
During the entire month of August, Mark, Maya, and I lived in our “room above the garage” in Newburyport, MA – no side-trips in Zesty. As I mentioned before, he has a job with the US Census bureau for two months and I’m 100% focused on my upcoming travel memoir. Other than a neighbor I’ve gotten friendly with, we are not seeing friends or eating out, which is reflected in our expenses. I did finally buy some shorts online, because clothing shops and thrift stores don’t let you try anything on yet; fitting rooms remain closed in Massachusetts.
Mark is ready for another day at work. Maya is not happy.
Weekend walk along the waterfront
My neighbor/new friend likes to forage, which is even possible in this city. (She received permission to pick the pumpkins.)
Maya and I met Mark after work for drinks at a brewery – with picnic tables outside – once, I treated my new friend for ice cream (that’s the eating out category – yep, $5 a scoop in this touristy town!), and we cooked all our meals at home last month.
Picking the steamed lobsters apart…
… for lobster rolls! Served with homemade fries in the oven.
We finally made a special dinner again for Mark’s parents.
Our twin nieces celebrated their seventh birthday at a socially distanced family party, which called for a few gifts. Groceries is on par with a “normal” month and my editor is, once again, our biggest expense in this report. In general, August was a decent spending month, all things considered.
Games at the birthday party
Socially distanced tables for each group of the family.
Cera and Lily turned seven in August.
Gifts!
The main birthday gift: new bikes!
To learn what other full-time nomads spend each month, check out the expense blogs of our vanlife friends Duwan and Greg at Make Like An Ape Man.
Coralie of the inspiring travel blog Grey Globetrotters interviewed me for her insightful “travel chat” series.
Travel Chat With Liesbet from Roaming About
In today’s travel chat with Liesbet from Roaming About, mature full-time nomad Liesbet Collaert shares how she has been travelling for a lifetime and blogging about her travels for thirteen years.
Her travel stories are rich, detailed and always leave me wanting to read more, so I was excited to interview her and get to know more about the woman behind the blog!
Hi, I’m Liesbet, I’ve been a full-time nomad since 2003!
I’ve been blogging about my travels for thirteen years – eight years on my sailing blog It’s Irie – Cruising the World, the Way It Is and the last five years on Roaming About – A Life Less Ordinary
As a nomad, originally from Belgium, I document our life and travels on the road (currently in a 19ft camper van in the US), my writing journey, and random thoughts and photos to inspire readers.
Q1. When did you start travelling?
As a child and teenager growing up in Belgium, I joined family vacations to France, Spain, Italy, and Norway and a school trip to Morocco.
Q2. Where did you go on your first trip, and why?
My first two trips without adults happened in the same year – the summer of 1993 – at age seventeen. One was by ferry and bus for a weekend in London, UK, with a friend. The other was a multiple-week hitchhiking adventure, with a different friend, to and in Italy.
Why? Adventure, freedom, and independence lured.
Liesbet at The Wave, Vermilion Cliffs, Utah, USA
Q3. How would you describe your travel style?
Low-budget, impulsive, 100% independent, flexible, adventurous. I’m curious about cultures, languages, and sights – architectural as well as natural. In general, light on luggage, but that doesn’t quite fit the bill when travelling with your own house (campers, sailboats, cars), which I have been doing now for seventeen years.
Q4. What do you love most about travelling? And what drives you crazy?
Being in nature with its peace and beauty, especially interacting with or observing wildlife, and being immersed in different cultures while meeting fascinating people are my favourites.
While I’m generally a flexible person, if nothing works out, consistently, and Murphy’s Law keeps following me, that drives me crazy! Also, not being able to get comfortable (or sleep) for days or feeling disrespected or taken advantage of diminishes my spirits.
Q5. How do you most like to travel? (mode of transport)
This really depends. While I like to say a small RV because that’s our current mode of travel and transportation, there are times I preferred our catamaran, and we both look forward to “no responsibility” travel in the future, as “backpackers” with just carry-on luggage.
Q6. Are you a planner or a last-minute traveller?
Last-minute traveller. We are quite impulsive and flexible and hate for anticipation to turn into disappointment. It’s better to have no or few expectations – pleasant surprises will await!
Liesbet & Maya – Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP, Colorado, USA
Q7. Are you a full-time or part-time traveller?
Full-time since 2003. Before that, two stints of a year at a time, and part-time.
Q8. Do you travel differently today to how you did in your 20s and 30s? What’s changed, and why?
Yes and no.
- As a 20-something, I mostly backpacked on an even tighter budget than now and I explored the US and Canada in a small RV.
- In my 30s, it was a slightly bigger truck camper and two smallish sailboats.
- Now, in my 40s, it’s a 19ft campervan. It’s shorter than our last RV, but, in a way, more liveable and “roomy”.
With age comes the desire for comfort (I won’t call it luxury). The solution for me – and my past and present partner – was to travel with our own home, on the oceans and overland. We always knew we’d have a place to sleep at night (our own bed) and food to cook and eat (in our own kitchen).
And, we figured out a way to always carry enough water for showers and create our own electricity.
Q9. Has Coronavirus made you think differently about your future travels?
That’s a resounding yes, as travel is our life. The biggest impact for me is not being able to see my friends and family in my home country. It had already been two years since my last visit to Belgium and this year, that trip won’t happen either.
Here in the US, it affected us back in March and it will do so in the future. We will still be able to roam about, but facilities might be hard to come by, national parks entries might be restricted, and certain attractions will remain closed.
We usually boondock (camp for free) in nature and away from other people. But we still need access to dump stations to empty our tanks and fill with fresh water. If those facilities close (again), we are in trouble.
Q10. Tell us about the most memorable place you’ve visited so far.
There are many memorable places; their influence depends on personal interests.
In the last decade:
- Wildlife – Galapagos Islands and French Polynesia;
- Culture – Guatemala, San Blas Islands in Panama and French Polynesia
- Happy Hours & Socializing – Eastern Caribbean; Beaches – Barbuda and the Tuamotu Archipelago
- Snorkelling – Bonaire, the Gambier Islands, and the Society Archipelago.
Sailing on Irie in the Caribbean
Q11. Is there anywhere you wouldn’t go, or a type of travel/experience you wouldn’t be comfortable with?
I’m open to pretty much any experience as long as it doesn’t affect the environment or local people in a negative way. Hey, I went sailing for eight years while being prone to seasickness.
Q12. If you could live in one other country, where would you choose, and why?
Very difficult question and one my husband and I have been debating for fifteen years. If there was a perfect country, everyone would live there, right?
We contemplated living in Belize, thirteen years ago, but changed our mind. At the moment, while being mobile, we kind of live in the United States, but we are ready to take our travels and lives abroad again. More tropical locales await.
We do think becoming expats in a place like Mexico, Grenada or Bali might be in our (distant) future.
Q13. What’s the worst travel mistake/regret you’ll admit to?
Being too frugal when it comes to splurging on a meal or visiting a site. Yep, I’ve skipped many an attraction, encounter, experience, and activity for this reason.
Q14. What do you do first when you arrive somewhere new?
Check whether there is WiFi. I sure hope this will change in the near future. Maybe whenever we retire… In our camper, we actually check if we are level first (or make that happen as best as possible) and on the boat, it was making sure the anchor was set. Safety and comfort are still more important than internet availability.
Q15. How do you stay healthy when travelling?
We walk most anywhere, go on hikes in nature, and eat a plant-based diet. Most importantly, we now have a dog that needs exercise, so taking her for a few walks a day is part of our daily routine.
Q16. What wouldn’t you leave home without in your cabin bag?
My diary (now on my tablet), my camera, my laptop.
Q17. Which movie(s) or book(s) have inspired your travels?
None. As a (young) adult, I travelled before I read books or watched movies. If I have to answer something, I guess it would be guidebooks and documentaries.
Q18. What are the best and the worst things you’ve eaten on your travels?
Eating fish tacos in Mexico
I like to try new foods and love rice and noodle dishes with loads of vegetables and non-bony seafood. I’ve also come to like spicy food as I started traveling. Mexican fish tacos along the street are cheap and to die for and you can order me anything in a restaurant in Thailand…
The worst? Probably Chinese street food (very different than what you eat in Westernized Chinese restaurants, as I’ve never seen fish eyes and chicken feet on the menu there) and fried insects.
Q19. When choosing somewhere to visit, what’s most important to you?
That it’s affordable, attractive, and a new experience, and that I can stay a while.
Q20. Tell us about three midlife bloggers you follow, and why their blogs inspire you
While I read (too) many, I’ll stick to three travel bloggers I follow for different reasons:
- Lisa Dorenfest from One Ocean at a Time – not only is she a positive, supportive, inspiring, kind, and strong real-life friend, adventurer, and sailor, she is also an amazing storyteller and photographer.
- Laura and Kevin of Chapter 3 Travels – I only recently discovered this blog through a mutual nomadic blogging friend, Peta from Green Global Trek, and like following along because they also travel full-time in a camper, love dogs and have one aboard, take amazing photos, and produce engaging (sarcastic and truthful) travel accounts.
- Duwan and Greg of Make Like An Ape Man – This adventurous nomadic couple has a lot in common with us. They owned a sailboat, did house and petting gigs, live frugally, and they currently travel in a camper van. We hung out with them in person a couple of times and hope to meet up again soon. I enjoy following their blog as it contains great shots and practical information that might come in handy.
Q21. What’s #1 on your travel bucket list and why?
I don’t believe in bucket lists. I think it’s an over-used word that has lost its original purpose and meaning. That being said, I want to travel to so many places still, with South Africa, Patagonia, and Antarctica high on “the list”.
Q22. Where are you planning to visit next?
We are driving back to the visually stunning American Southwest and hopefully hop over the border into Mexico again this fall and winter. Our short-term goal is to find a way (meaning a suitable camper) to explore the South American continent.
A Little More Travel Chat with Liesbet from Roaming About
Liesbet, Mark, Kali, and Darwin – Samara, Costa Rica
Liesbet’s Top 3 Travel Tips:
Top Packing Tip
Only pack what you need on a daily basis, nothing you rarely use. Comfortable clothes and shoes. Anything to collect memories and retain them.
How to Survive Long-haul Flying
With plenty of water and a book or tablet.
How to Stay Safe When Travelling
- Be aware.
- Remain vigilant, kind, and open-minded.
- Learn a few words in the local language.
- Trust your gut.
Liesbet & Mark, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
Final Quick Words for this Travel Chat with Liesbet from Roaming About
- Self-guided travel or join a tour? Self-guided travel
- Window seat or aisle? Window seat
- Favourite thing to wear for travelling? Comfortable shoes. Shorts with deep pockets
- Favourite Country? Australia
- Checked bags or carry on only? Carry-on only
- Book or Kindle? Tablet which has Kindle
- Best travel resource? Other travellers
I hope you’ve enjoyed this travel chat with Liesbet from Roaming About! Don’t forget to check out her travel stories on Roaming About and do follow her on social media Facebook and Twitter.
Lately, Massachusetts has not been one of the “bad” Coronavirus states in this tumultuous country. The guidelines have been pretty strict since the beginning of the pandemic (according to US-norms), the Governor (Charlie Baker) has handled the situation well, and most residents have been compliant.
(Hover over the photos for captions and click to enlarge.)
Boardwalk to the dog park
View over one of Newburyport’s marinas
A little oasis – and multi-use, off-leash area – along one of the rail trails
In my home country, Belgium, the reactions to this virus – real “lockdown”, strict rules, and fines instead of self-imposed quarantine, “guidelines”, and raised eyebrows – have had a drastically better impact. As a result, their Summer of Covid was more “benign” than ours. Restaurants, bars, theaters, pools, hairdressers, zoos, … have been reopened for many weeks. Kids went on summer camps and most schools (especially kindergarten and the lower grades) will start “as usual” on September 1st.
Historic buildings in downtown
Plaza and pedestrian-only area
How is the situation in Newburyport, where Mark, Maya, and I have been “hunkered down” since mid-April of this year (apart from a multiple-week trip to Maine and Vermont in June and one week in the White Mountains of New Hampshire in July)?
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Raiatea – Huahine
Bahamas
Martinique
Bora Bora
San Blas Islands
Barbuda
Puerto Rico
Caribbean
Fatu Hiva
Bahamas
Barbuda
San Blas Islands
Bahamas
Grenada
Grenada
Galapagos Islands
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