Roaming About

A Life Less Ordinary

Tag: Belgium

Summer in Belgium – A Special Time

Where do I begin? This was the first time in 21 years that I returned to my home country for more than two weeks. It’s very different to “live” in Belgium instead of frantically seeing all my friends and relatives in a span of fourteen days every year or two. That method always felt like it was a dream; a whirlwind of activity that seemingly didn’t happen because it flew by so fast. I skipped last year.

Mark, Maya, and I made the decision to visit Belgium for two months straddling July, August, and September, to take an extensive break from our life on the road in South America and to enjoy quality time with my family and friends.

(As always, click on or hover over photos in galleries to read their captions.)

My parents let us use their small vacation house nearby, so we had the privacy and comfort of a real home, while being in driving, biking, or walking distance of everything we needed and everyone we wanted to see, including them. I also had first dibs on their only car. Life was easy!

The first two weeks, we got settled in “the little house” as we came to call it and worked a lot, while sprinkling in visits to family members and going for daily walks with Maya in the natural areas around us.

Being able to just walk outside and follow trails around the lake (Donk) any time we wanted was a big plus of this location!

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Monthly Expenses of a Nomad – August 2024 (Europe)

Expenses - image

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 and extensive care, we return to the US East Coast. Other health issues are resolved locally  and out of pocket where needed and possible.

While  our truck camper Thirsty Bella is stored in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Mark, Maya, and I are on a  summer break from the road. Or is it a winter break? Last month, we lived in Belgium and traveled to Germany and Liechtenstein with my cousin, Griet, and her husband, Wim. More about that in a future post.

Our August 2024 expense report is probably the most unusual one we’ve ever posted. Not because we didn’t spend any money – we just spent other people’s money! Kind of. My parents generously provided the funds for fuel and groceries in my home country, friends and family cooked meals when we visited, and I used Belgian savings for our ten-day European vacation.

To be transparent and give you an idea, that trip cost us 943 euros or 1,046 US dollars; €565/$627 for ten nights of lodging (seven in the Black Forest and three in Austria) and €378/$419 for excursions, transportation, and food.

Each day, we made our own lunches (sandwiches) and dinners were split 50/50 between eating out and cooking at our rented apartments.

As far as our own US money is concerned (which our bookkeeping resembles), we only spent $125. Most of that went to gifts ($108), $9 bought two beers in Liechtenstein for Mark and Wim, and the remaining $8 was claimed by Amazon for a new pair of discounted shorts for Mark. It is safe to say that we finally earned more money than we consumed in August. 😊

This month, life is turning back to normal. We are ordering more items online for our return to Argentina and will soon stop over in Massachusetts (USA) again for our final week away from the camper. Mark, Maya, and I are scheduled to be reunited with a totally empty Thirsty Bella on September 21st. That is exactly two weeks from today. Time flies!

August 2024 Overview:

Gifts:

Drinking out:

Clothing (shorts M):

 

TOTAL:

 

$108

$9

$8

———

$ 125

(It might be easier to read the table when turning your device in the horizontal position.)

Find all our expense reports here. To learn what other full-time nomads spend each month, check out the blogs of our vanlife friends Duwan and Greg at Make Like An Ape Man.

If you are enjoying these posts, please consider donating to Roaming About in support of our website and our lifestyle. A big thank you to all our readers who have helped out in the past!

Monthly Expenses of a Nomad – July 2024 (USA & Belgium)

Expenses - image

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 and extensive care, we return to the US East Coast. Other health issues are resolved locally  and out of pocket where needed and possible.

While  our truck camper Thirsty Bella is stored in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Mark, Maya, and I are on a  summer break. Or is it a winter break? The first week of July, we were still in Newburyport, Massachusetts, visiting friends and dentists, but the rest of the month, we lived comfortably in my home country of Belgium.

(As always, click on or hover over photos in galleries to read their captions.)

This expense report is a bit unusual, since my parents are generously sponsoring us while we are “home.” This is mostly visible in the grocery, dog, and fuel categories!

Maya cost us the most for the second month in a row. We had to pay for overnight shipping of her health permit from the USDA, in order to receive it in time and take her with us to Belgium. We also ordered another annual dose of heartworm pills, while my parents paid for her salmon-based food.

The car came in second, but it wasn’t our truck. Storage fees for Thirsty Bella will appear once we return to Argentina. We used my mother-in-law’s car in Massachusetts, USA, to get around, so we filled it up again before we left. And, Mark ordered special grease for Thirsty.

Our wheels in Massachusetts

When Mark spots a deal for something we need, he snatches it up. This time, it was for an annual subscription (in 2025) of Quicken, the program we use for our bookkeeping and finances. Usually, this tool costs twice as much ($120).

Since I am having issues with my teeth and gums, we ordered more electric toothbrush heads and a water flosser. Has anyone ever used one? I’m hoping it’s a game changer regarding gum disease.

And, we keep ordering more items online for our camper: electrical wire, since Mark used our spare spools to install a Starlink unit in a friend’s camper, and new bed sheets and properly sized toilet bags.

The gifts from last month’s expense report have been delivered. 🙂

Groceries came in at only $5. Not realistic in the long run; we have to thank our parents for this nice financial break. I also bought Mark a t-shirt in a thrift store, but it doesn’t quite fit and he doesn’t like it, so we see those $4 as charity.  🙂

We’ve been cooking wholesome meals at home and I’ve been enjoying the Belgian food and treats tremendously. From money I have put away in Belgium (not part of our accounting), I bought an oven for the little house we are staying in and beer for Mark.

Our friends and family have been spoiling us as well with fantastic food and drinks!

Other than that, I bought an eBook about the writing craft (nope, I’m not working on another book, yet) and we went on a lot of walks with Maya. Low costs for entertainment in July. I also wanted to point out that we slept for free and paused our Starlink satellite internet subscription for the summer, which saves us $70 (usually split between business and personal expenses.)

It’s hard to believe that our total for last month amounted to under $400 and I sure wish we could keep that up! We thank my mom and dad for this “all inclusive” stay in Belgium.

July 2024 Overview:

Dog (permits: $80; meds: $50):

Car ( fuel: $61; maintenance: $2):

Computer hardware (Quicken 2025):

Health & Fitness (teeth hygiene):

Household (sheets & bags):

Camper (electrical wire):

Groceries:

Clothing:

Entertainment (eBook):

Accommodation:

Utilities:

 

TOTAL:

 

$130

$63

$62

$58

$44

$19

$5

$4

$2

$0

$0

———

$ 387

(It might be easier to read the table when turning your device in the horizontal position.)

Find all our expense reports here. To learn what other full-time nomads spend each month, check out the blogs of our vanlife friends Duwan and Greg at Make Like An Ape Man.

If you are enjoying these posts, please consider donating to Roaming About in support of our website and our lifestyle. A big thank you to all our readers who have helped out in the past!

Monthly Expenses of a Nomad – July 2022

Expenses - image

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 and extensive care, we return to the East Coast.

July was another unusual month. The first part, we both worked fulltime on camper projects in our friends Scott and Ellen’s yard, cooked most of our meals, listened to free live concerts on Thursdays, and “endured” Independence Day.

(As always, hover over or click on photos in galleries to read their captions.)

On July 4th, weeklong fireworks in the neighborhood reached their peak with the town’s display. Maya was in hell. All the other weeks (ten of them!), she really loved being at our friends’ place.

The second half of July, Mark and I lived apart in a reversed way than in June (he and Maya stayed in Oregon this time and I visited Belgium) and there were two super high expenses. I have to give up on my desire to stick to our $1,300 monthly average of previous years, what with living costs and fuel having risen hugely and preparations – for this camper and ourselves – regarding our upcoming multiple-year adventure in South America. And, we haven’t even gotten into the logistics of getting there yet! Luckily, our accommodation the last months has been free.

Our truck in front of Washington’s state capitol

The annual car insurance for our 2016 Ford F-350 pick-up truck was due and this took a fat chunk out of our bank account at almost $1,000. Once we leave the country towards the end of the year, we will get some of this reimbursed, just like when we drove to the Baja peninsula (Mexico) for a few months in January. In the state of Massachusetts, there are minimum insurance levels you need to have, even when not in the US, which basically comes down to liability insurance. We are researching ways to get around this useless fee.

Mark had to escape a terrible weeklong heatwave in the Portland area, since our camper does not have AC and our parking spot there was in the blazing sun. So, he drove to the property of other friends who are renovating a house along the coast of Oregon. The difference in temperature? Thirty degrees Fahrenheit (17 degrees Celsius)! While it was in the upper nineties in St. Helens, on the coast, a 2.5-hour drive west, the high was upper sixties.

That trip, going to look at another Lance 830 camper in Tacoma, Washington (which we passed on), our five-day “test drive” in Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, and a couple of rides to PDX (Portland airport) back and forth is where the high fuel cost comes from. Mark also bought an OBD reader for the truck to diagnose faults and car issues. We had this for Zesty as well, which came in handy.

The other high expense was for Mark’s new computer/tablet hybrid, a Surface Pro 7+. He had been on the lookout for this particular device (and returned a similar one already) for many months, patiently waiting for a deal. The $480 price includes a keyboard. A card with extra memory to improve the tablet’s performance was purchased the previous month.

I renewed my Belgian passport in my parents’ town – a story in itself – which, luckily, arrived before I left again, despite our national holiday (July 21st) being smack in the middle of my two-week stay. We bought another bag of dogfood for Maya and heartworm medicine for a year. Stocking up on drugs and essentials for her will add hundreds of dollars to our expenses the coming months.

The other categories for July were quite normal. Groceries were relatively low (because my parents took good care of me in Belgium), as well as alcohol (we barely drank booze). The $7 entertainment amount went to our cave visit in the National Monument. Mark bought a $2 lottery ticket since he coincidentally found himself at a local bar with our coastal friends the day the Mega Millions pot was at an all-time high. Not that it mattered. He mistakenly bought a ticket for a different lottery. His numbers wouldn’t have made a difference either way…

Mount St. Helens before the heatwaves hit…

(PS: We did have $1,040 of Lance camper expenses in July as well, but since we budgeted for that (so far), it becomes part of our purchase price. I plan to write a separate post about those projects and costs in the future.)

July 2022 Overview:

Car (ins.: $952; fuel: $295; parts: $28):

Computer (new Surface Pro 7+ Mark):

Groceries:

Customs & Immigration (new Belgian passport Liesbet):

Dog (food: $32; meds: $36):

Dining out:

Utilities (internet: $35; Skype: $5):

Drinking out:

Household:

Clothing:

Alcohol:

Entertainment (NM):

Postage:

Miscellaneous (lottery):

Accommodation:

 

TOTAL:

 

$1,275

$480

$232

$72

$68

$41

$40

$16

$13

$11

$9

$7

$5

$2

$0

———

$ 2,271

Find all our expense reports here. To learn what other full-time nomads spend each month, check out the blogs of our vanlife friends Duwan and Greg at Make Like An Ape Man.

Donate to Roaming About to help maintain this website.

Three-week Stint Away from My Camper and Lifestyle – Where is Home?

“Where do you live?” someone would ask.

“In this camper,” I would say, pointing at our most recent house on wheels.

“Where’s home?” someone else would ask.

“Wherever our camper is parked,” I would say. (Or “Wherever our boat is anchored,” in the previous decade.)

“Where are you from?” yet another would ask, undoubtedly noticing an accent.

“From here, at the moment,” I would answer. Easy does it and simple is what I like.

Our current truck camper and home

Of course, the reality is a bit more complicated. I was born and raised and worked and lived in Belgium until the summer of 2003 arrived and a plane to the US was boarded and I “never looked back.” The harsh truth of this decision on a social, emotional, relational, and roots level only dawns on others when I mention that all my longtime friends and all my family members still live in Belgium. This nomadic lifestyle is not for anyone with homesickness or tight-knit family needs.

(As always, click on or hover over photos in galleries to see their captions.)

Ever since I met Mark, the end of 2004, my (second) residency address is in Newburyport, Massachusetts. While we never actually lived there other than short visits back from further afield and those two Covid springs and summers, I am extremely familiar with this town, our room above the garage, friends, acquaintances, and Mark’s family.

The waterfront in Newburyport

And then there’s our actual home. No matter in what form it comes, floating, driving, or being carried by a truck, it’s where I live fulltime and where my companions wait for me – whether this is in the United States or another country. It’s where my heart sings, what my soul craves, where my body relaxes, and where life makes sense. It’s my chosen lifestyle; it’s where I belong.

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Three-week Visit to Belgium – Vacation or Not?

What is considered a vacation? Getting on a plane? Traveling to a tropical destination? Crossing the border? Visiting friends and family? Taking a road trip to the other side of the country? Staying at a hotel?

I have done all these things and I can guarantee that none of them resulted in a vacation. Mark and I have been together since December of 2004; that’s almost seventeen years. Even though we have lived a life less ordinary, in many different countries, the two of us have NEVER been on a typical vacation together (or apart) since we met. I know this is hard to believe and/or grasp by people who don’t know us well…

My plane from Boston to Reykjavik

The closest we have come to anything like a medley of peace, exploration, and relaxation without worries is a three-day city trip to Budapest in 2017 and two months of “living off the grid” in Baja last winter (this one still involved work, book promo, and the necessary stress that we seem to incur).

Based on all that, I have decided that the best way for me to describe “a vacation” is when I am able to leave my computer behind. Yep, that’s right. Not take my computer on a trip. How is that possible? I have a monthly editing job, receive occasional translation assignments, need to promote Plunge, write blogs on my laptop, save photos in folders on my computer, and have my important information (including passwords which I could never remember) stored on its hard drive. I actually considered this drastic act for my recent three-week visit to Belgium. (I really craved a vacation.) And … decided against it. That’s just too long without my most important electronic buddy.

(As always, hover over or click on the photos to read the captions.)

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Wordless Wednesday – Frame

I have decided to post photos of past travels in general and our eight year sailing adventure on SV Irie in particular for Wordless Wednesdays. I hope you enjoy them. Also, I can’t manage completely “wordless”, but I try my best at “almost wordless”. 🙂

Since I have archived thousands of photos over the years and can’t easily pick what to post, I use the weekly prompt of the Daily Post to inspire my Wordless Wednesdays. This week’s Daily Post photography theme is “frame“.  And, no, I couldn’t just pick one photo! 🙂

Framed in Shakespear Regional Park, Gulf Harbor, North Island, New Zealand

Framed in Shakespear Regional Park, Gulf Harbor, North Island, New Zealand

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Spring Break in Belgium

To many it came as a surprise that, all of a sudden, I showed up in Belgium. It was only May, and I had “just” been there, eight months prior. At times, it even felt as if I never left. Usually, I visit my home country once a year, or every other year, based on my current location. Why was I going back so soon? Because I craved spring and it refused to arrive in Heath, MA! 🙂

In the past, visiting Belgium had multiple purposes, ranging from special events (like weddings and birthdays) to medical reasons to having been away too long already, in combination with needing a break from the challenging boat life. And, I always preferred to go to Europe during the summer for the nicer weather and delightful atmosphere of high-spirited people, fun festivals and sunny café patios. Continue reading

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