Our back story
We first met during secondary school as friends and after a period apart when Jess moved away we later ended up together as a couple whilst at different colleges in 2006. We purchased our first home together at 19 and the rest, as they say, is history. After getting married in the Dominican Republic in 2014 we spent a few years doing long haul holidays to places like Indonesia, Mexico and the United States, but it was never quite enough.
In 2022 we sold our possessions and our home in South Wales to fulfill our longtime desire to live full time vanlife. Over four years later we're still on the road and have no plans to stop.
Life on the road
Since hitting the road we've travelled extensively across Europe, spent time in Turkiye, explored the Greek islands and mainland, and toured the Canary Islands for seven months. We spend most of our time off grid in remote park ups, living from our solar and batteries, and finding those quiet spots that make this whole lifestyle worthwhile.
One of the best parts has been the people. We've made genuine friendships with vanlifers from all over the world, and the community we've found on the road has become a huge part of our lives.
Making it work
We both work remotely to sustain our travels. Jess runs a successful VA (virtual assistant) business, working with her own client base and as an associate for other VA businesses. Marcus works primarily for a UX consultancy and also runs Drifter Digital, building websites and running audits for small businesses. We restructured everything back in 2022 to make full time travel sustainable, and it has worked out better than we could have hoped.
Travelling with dogs
We adopted Rory and Jeannie from Many Tears Rescue in South Wales (at different times) and they've been with us for every mile. Having the girls as part of the family pushes us to get outside and discover new places every single day, no matter the weather. They've both taken to van life brilliantly and love exploring new coastlines, forests and mountains as much as we do.
Meet the Spoons
I'm happiest when I'm out in nature discovering somewhere new, especially if good food is involved. Being vegan has pushed me to get creative in our tiny kitchen and I love finding local ingredients in markets wherever we are. After four years of cooking in the van I've got it down to an art. When I'm not exploring or working on my VA business you'll usually find me with a tea, a book and the girls at my feet.
Give me a beach, mountains or the woods over a city any day. I spend most of my free time hiking with the girls, kitesurfing, paragliding or out on the SUP. Living in the van full time has given me exactly what I was after. More time outside, new waves to surf and new places to photograph. I also build websites and run audits through Drifter Digital, so the van doubles as an office with a much better view.
Rory was around 10 months old when we adopted her from Many Tears Rescue. She was extremely nervous around new people and other dogs, but van life has been brilliant for her. She loves having her own small space in the van where she feels safe and secure, and over the years she's come out of her shell so much. She's made plenty of doggy friends along the way too.
Jeannie came into Many Tears Rescue with a litter of pups. The puppies were adopted straight away leaving Jeannie all alone, so we brought her home. Minutes after arriving she was doing laps of the garden and jumping between the sofas. She is totally bonkers. That energy hasn't changed one bit on the road. She lives for exploring new places and has never met a beach she didn't love.
