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The month of December is over, all friends and family have been visited and the chores on Globus 2 have been done. We are ready for a new adventure. And that new adventure starts right away in the cold. A new start First of all, of course, everyone a very happy 2025 with, as we say, many safe kilometers. A new year, a new start. We left the Netherlands again on January 2. The main travel destination for the coming months is Morocco. After Morocco we want to take plenty of time for the east coast of Spain and then be back in the Netherlands around April for the necessary social contacts. Administration In addition to all the jobs we have done on Globus 2 we also adjusted some administrative things. Because many of our readers are also nomads or maybe want to become nomads, we share them in this blog. Camper insurance On our blog about " What does it cost to be a nomad " we received a lot of responses, some of the responses were about the camper insurance. I was insured with the NKC where you are allowed to travel 365 days a year but not to live in your camper. Since we do this, I delved into the insurance world again and switched to Aveco . Here you can expand your insurance with "travel, live and work in your self-built camper". Exactly what we do. Post We are still registered at a Dutch address. As long as we make sure to be in the Netherlands for at least four months a year, this is no problem. The only problem is the mail. When it is delivered, we only read it when we are back in the Netherlands. Sometimes that is just too late with bills. Of course we do as much as possible digitally, but some agencies are still not that far. We have now taken a service from PriPost . Here you get a kind of post box. All mail that is sent there is scanned and emailed to your email address. If there is mail with value, such as a new PIN card or a certificate, they forward the mail to a forwarding address of your choice. A family member, for example. We are curious to see how we will like this. Advertisement: The proceeds will go towards financing this website Rental property I have written before that I have decided to sell my house. However, this decision gave me a stomach ache for quite some time. I then 'sat down' with it again during a long meditation and finally decided to continue renting out my house. Despite the fact that temporary rental contracts may no longer be concluded. Now I have to wait for a new tenant. Fortunately, the rental agent takes care of the selection and formal matters. "Happiness does not consist in the absence of problems, but in the ability to deal with them" Startup problems Our journey started with some inconveniences. We were supposed to leave on December 31st, but we both got sick and decided to recover a bit first. With colds and little energy we finally left on January 2nd. Just before Luxembourg we stopped for a place to stay. Kelly wanted to start cooking, but unfortunately no gas.... Could I have done something wrong when installing the second gas tank? After some searching and half an hour later I turned out not to have pressed the button of the HD gas hose for the monocontrol . So panic for nothing. Frozen water pipes The second night we were a bit before Dijon in France. It was chilly. About 5 °C below zero. In the evening we had turned on the parking heater, but we always turn it off when we go to sleep. The nice thick blankets keep us warm and otherwise we always have each other. When we woke up in the morning there was no water coming out of the tap, the water pipes were frozen. I tried for a while with the electric heater, but without result. I was afraid that the water pump had frozen. For the time being that means living with water from a jerry can. Hours later the tap suddenly worked again. So those pipes had frozen well. From now on we will leave a heater on in temperatures below zero. All in all, we have to get back into it again. Where are we? So we're off again and a little over 1,000 km since our departure. After some start-up problems we're already in the South of France and we hope to drive into Spain tomorrow. Let's see what the temperature is like there. After all the grey December days in the Netherlands and the cold of last night we're longing for some sun. Don't want to miss a blog? Fill in your e-mail address at the bottom of this page and you will receive, maximum 1x per week, an e-mail when we have placed a new blog. If you want to support us financially so that we can keep this website online, donate an amount via this link .

The three months that Kelly and I have been on the road together have placed different demands on Globus 2 than the two years that I lived in the bus before that. In this blog all the adjustments that we were able to make in December. Gas for cooking During the last trip we quickly discovered that one gas tank was not enough to cook for 3 to 6 months. Since it is difficult to get your bottle filled abroad, a solution had to be found. We considered an LPG tank under Globus 2 but that may not be the best solution in cold areas. Butane does not evaporate in cold weather and LPG is a mixture of Propane and Butane. We prefer to have the bottle in the bus. In the end we decided to simply place a second gas tank. That did mean that the 'old' gas bun had to be replaced by a new larger one. The wooden box that we made for that is completely glued and later sealed, so that no gas can escape. At the bottom of the gas bun there is a hole to the outside so that the gas, which is heavier than air, can escape to the outside. Now all that is left is to place an elbow on the gas pipe and a shorter gas hose, so that there is no tension on it. Grey water tank As I wrote in this blog we didn't have a waste water tank in Globus 2. We used a separate tank on wheels that was in the garage while driving. When you're somewhere for a longer period of time that's quite handy, but we soon found out that it wasn't always optimal. So we decided that there had to be a permanent grey water tank under the bus. It was not easy to find a suitable model tank. The tank has to be placed near where the waste pipes (kitchen and toilet) come through the bottom of the bus and there is limited space. After a lot of headaches we finally decided to use a standard drain pipe of 110mm diameter and a little over a meter long as a storage tank. This gives a capacity of more than 10 liters which seems more than enough to us. Placing the 'tank' might have been more of a summer job. Man, it was cold, wet and windy under the cramped space under the bus. But we did it. Now let's see how we like it. Advertisement: The proceeds will go towards financing this website Various small jobs In addition to these two larger jobs, a lot of small jobs were also carried out, such as: The LED strip under the kitchen cabinets has been replaced with a dimmable version that can also be operated by telephone The bedside lamps are turned a quarter turn so that they do not fall down while driving Sealing edge of countertop/stove redone. The epoxy layer we applied to the countertop had a chemical reaction with the sealing edge, making it very sticky and not hard. Crumbs stuck in it. Very dirty. Now a new piece of epoxy has been applied, making it look neat and fresh again. Because the gas bun had to be replaced, the shower connection that was attached to it also had to be remade Made a lock on the large drawer under the table so that it does not open during heavy braking A water filter placed on the filling hose, so that we can always fill up with drinking water A curtain spiral that keeps the curtains in the bedroom secure Torn shelf in the refrigerator repaired Second Mopeka gas meter placed under the new tank and connected to the Victron Cerbo installation Kitchen roll holder placed under the top cabinets The brackets in the garage where the awning and groundsheet were located have been replaced with a plank on which everything can now lie. We have also installed various fun camper gadgets from the E-trailer company. In the coming period we will test these extensively and then we will write an extensive blog about it. "Hold it between the lines with the shiny side up" Regular maintenance Finally, we replaced a number of things, such as the water filling hose. We always consciously use a transparent hose and after a year you can really see some mold forming in it. I often see campers being filled with an opaque hose and then I don't really want to know how long that hose has been in use. The fire extinguisher and the gas hose have also been replaced periodically. Finally, the distribution belt has been replaced, but of course I didn't do that myself. So, as my regular garage owner Stout in Rotterdam always says: The bus is completely fine again, keep it between the lines with the shiny side up. Where are we? We are currently commuting a bit between the west and the east of the Netherlands to meet up with our family and friends. It is wonderful to be in familiar surroundings for a while, but four weeks is long enough. We are itching to get going again. Don't want to miss a blog? Fill in your e-mail address at the bottom of this page and you will receive, maximum 1x per week, an e-mail when we have placed a new blog. If you want to support us financially so that we can keep this website online, donate an amount via this link .

Traveling without end time brings us into contact with people of different cultures, languages and beliefs. These encounters allow us to experience different forms of hospitality. While traveling, we are partly dependent on the kindness of strangers. It invites us to let go of our judgment and seek connection, even when we do not fully understand the other. Wild camping Portugal Wild camping has been allowed in certain places in Portugal since 2021. You must comply with certain rules such as not staying in the same place for more than 48 hours, not dumping waste or grey water doh!, not exhibiting camping behavior, etc. It is also not allowed in the Natura 2000 reserves . For Portugal, this means a very large part of the coastal area. Camping behavior We usually avoid campsites, but at the same time we do want to sit in the sun in front of the bus every now and then. Richard therefore posted a message on Facebook asking where you can go wild camping in Portugal with camping behavior. Nice with the chairs outside, without having to worry about being sent away or even worse, getting a fine. Call on Facebook Klusjes doen op de camping Soon dozens of messages came in with tips where this is possible. We also received invitations from locals and people who have emigrated to Portugal. A Dutch campsite owner also responded. He invited us to stay at his campsite in exchange for some chores. The chores mainly consisted of chopping wood. That wood could be used to heat the sauna and the hot tub. We were also allowed to use it ourselves. One evening we were in the sauna and the next evening we were in the hot tub under the full moon. It was as if we had booked a wellness! As a thank you, we baked an apple pie in our Omnia oven. On a mountain in the mud We also received an invitation from a German couple to come and stand on their terrain. The terrain was in full development and everywhere there was a big mud pool, but that did not spoil the fun. Globus 2 could stand on a mountain, the chairs could be put outside and we had a beautiful view over a beautiful valley. We were spontaneously invited for pumpkin soup with delicious soft home-made yoghurt bread. As I write this, my mouth is watering again. Germans and baking bread, it remains a golden combination. Madrid On the way back we decided to visit our Weleda colleague David. He invited us to eat together with his family. We had already figured out that the Spanish do not sit at the table at 18:00. We had therefore already had some sweets to satisfy our initial hunger. Around 20:30 his wife was not home yet, nor were the children. David himself did not make any moves to start cooking. When he asked us what time we normally eat, he was shocked by the answer. He quickly called his wife and an hour later we were sitting at the table with delicious tapas dishes. We also received a large bag of Spanish (Christmas) sweets to share with our family in the Netherlands. Warm feeling Hospitality is more than opening a door and offering a cup of coffee. It is also about conveying a feeling, a warmth that lingers long after you have left as a guest. Hospitality is not what you do, but how you make people feel” This quote captures the essence of hospitality. It’s not about grand gestures or perfect etiquette, but about the art of genuine welcome. A friendly smile, a listening ear, or offering a favorite snack; these simple things have the power to make someone feel warm. Advertisement: The proceeds will go towards financing this website Social Media We are sometimes surprised by the reactions that people leave on our messages. Especially on Facebook, for example. Most reactions are extremely nice and encouraging, but there are also quite venomous ones. Why do people do that? It provokes us to react negatively and defensively, but who does that do any good? We can really appreciate the encouraging, complementary and friendly reactions. This is also a form of hospitality that gives us a warm feeling. Where are we? It is already mid-December and we are busy with all kinds of chores on Globus 2 and with meeting up with friends and family. In addition, we are fully engaged in preparing for our next trip. Morocco and Eastern Spain. Blogs and vlogs from others are really a very useful tool. As usual, the festive month flies by, before you know it we are on a camel in Morocco. If you like to follow our experiences, sign up at the bottom of this page if you haven't already done so and you will receive, maximum 1x per week, an email when we have posted a new blog. Your email address will not be used for anything else! If you want to support us financially so that we can keep this website online, donate an amount via this link .

We are back in the Netherlands. The first three months of our 'travels without end time' are already over. Time for reflection! How did living together and traveling in a van work out and what did we find really great and what was a disappointment. Are we going on the road again? In this blog we look back and look ahead. Nationaal park Serra da Estrela Conclusion Let's get straight to the point, we loved travelling with Globus2. We got to see so much of Spain and especially Portugal and it was all very worthwhile. The past three months have really flown by. So yes, we are already planning our next trip. In January we hope to leave for the east coast of Spain and then make the crossing to Morocco. Was travelling all one big party? No of course not! Let's start with the disappointments or what we encountered. Lowlights In random order and criss-cross: We had more rain than we thought. Maybe we should have left a month earlier for the weather. You keep cleaning. Especially when the weather is not so nice, you keep bringing all the dirt inside. Of course, we don't have a hallway where you can take off your shoes and coat. So sweep, sweep and sweep again every day. There are plenty of camper places in Spain and Portugal. However, if you want to be somewhere nice and preferably with a view of the sea or a valley, you have to search quite a bit and spend a lot of P4N * hours. We spent an hour to an hour and a half there every day. While we're on the subject of camper spots. We thought we could stay for a week or two at some spots with the awning out and the chairs outside. Of course, that's no problem at a campsite, but we don't want that in principle. For wild camping in these countries, the chairs could have stayed at home. Perhaps we were too good... Finding free camper spots in big cities was also difficult. Especially because after finding a place to stay we read a lot of negative reviews about burglaries. We preferred to pay for a safe place to stay. Globus 2 is equipped with a dry toilet. Perfect! Number 1 disappears into the grey water tank. But what to do with message number 2 if there is no bin nearby? We are stuck with that bag, until we do find a bin. Awkward! A bit uncomfortable, but that is also part of vanlife. Kelly and I have known each other for over 1.5 years now. That is still relatively short and we also lived on opposite sides of the country, so we only saw each other on weekends. So it was quite a big, exciting step to move in together in Globus 2 of 8m2. Besides the fact that we had a fantastic time together, we also experienced some less pleasant moments. Globus 2 then has no place to retreat to. Taking a long lonely walk is then the only option. Fortunately, we always managed to find each other again to reconnect. The gas tank emptied much faster than we had anticipated, so Kelly had to go on a kind of cooking ration. Globus 2 has a separate grey water tank. This fits exactly (if the tires are properly inflated) under the bus. A small bump in the road meant that the tank no longer fitted and we had to put a bucket under it. A tank under the bus also feels while you are standing in a parking lot at a large supermarket a bit crazy. *P4N= Park For Night, an app that allows you to find both free and paid overnight accommodations. Advertisement: The proceeds will go towards financing this website Highlights Let's start with the places we've been to that we really loved. If you have the chance, the following places are definitely worth a visit. Picos de Europa Beautiful mountain area. Especially the enchanting walk Ruta del Cares (SP) was a highlight here. You have to walk this once in our opinion. Can you add that one highway from northern Spain. Went all the way along the coast. National Park de Somiedo (SP) Great natural area for walking with many blue lakes and beautiful valleys. Santiago de Compostela (SP) In Northern Spain we have walked parts of the Camino del Norte several times. Who knows, we might walk this route in its entirety again. The atmosphere on the square where the end point is and the famous cathedral gives us goose bumps. There is a special energy here. National Park Park Peneda-Gerés (P) Especially the fairytale forests on the north side of the nature reserve enchanted us. Unfortunately we did not walk here. The village of Podence (P) See blog The most dangerous roads National Park da Sierra da Estrela (P) Highest point in Portugal with breathtaking views. Douro Valley (P) Great route to drive through with a camper. Porto (P) Nice, relaxed city. Cool sights and of course delicious port tastings everywhere. Algarve (P) A real holiday destination; beautiful beaches, azure water, rugged cliffs. The icing on the cake was the seven hanging valleys trail walk. Gibraltar (UK) Peninsula with the famous rock where hundreds of wild monkeys live. By the way, to reach Gibraltar on foot you have to walk over a runway! Also the cave of st. Michael is well worth a visit. Seville Vibrant city, you will be taken into the Spanish temperament. Caminito del Rey (SP) Once described as the most dangerous path in the world. The “King’s Path” has fortunately been completely renovated and is safe for walkers. The path is absolutely spectacular. (Link) Living together Living together in a small van went really well. We never get in each other's way (it's simply too small for that 😜) or disagree about what we're going to do or anything. We love driving, we laugh a lot and can enjoy the walks we take together so much. We also each took on our own tasks. That happened very organically. For example, Kelly always cooks and Richard does the dishes. Richard drives and Kelly checks before leaving whether all the windows are closed, magnets are on them and the steps inside are in place, etc. Kelly sweeps, Richard fills the water. That way we form a real team. And yes, such a small space also means that we can trigger each other quite a bit. Then we lose connection and sometimes it feels like we have to end the trip prematurely. Fortunately, we have always found each other again. After all, your partner is the biggest mirror for your own development points. "Home is where love lives" Travels without end times part II We will be staying in the Netherlands during the month of December. Richard wants to do various jobs on Globus 2 (see previous blog ). The bus is also due for a major cleaning, both inside and out. Of course, now that we are in the area, we want to spend the holidays with the family. We will be leaving again in January. After having seen the entire west coast of France, Spain and Portugal, we would now also like to see the east coast. After that, we want to cross over to Morocco. With Globus 2 to Africa, in such a different culture. We are already really looking forward to it. So we will also use this month to delve into the local sights and customs. Do you have any tips? We would love to read them! Post comments under the blog, so that not only we, but also the other readers can see them. Where are we? So we are back in the Netherlands. Both in the east (Kelly) and the west (Richard) of the country. Time to visit family and friends. Working on Globus 2 and suffering a lot from the cold and the rain. When are we going again? If you like to follow our experiences, sign up at the bottom of this page if you haven't already done so and you will receive, maximum 1x per week, an email when we have posted a new blog. Your email address will not be used for anything else than this!

One moment you are still in the sunny south of Europe and the next you are back in our cold, dark, wet Netherlands. In four days we drove from Andalusia to the Netherlands. What is going on? Surprise There is nothing wrong! This was already in our planning from the beginning. What is the case: my daughter graduated last Friday. She has completed the clinical technology program and of course you want to be there as a father. For her, however, this was a surprise, she thought we were still traveling and we would follow her thesis defense online. So here speaks an extremely proud father of two graduated children :-) "Any man can be a father but it takes someone special to be a dad" December festive month Now that we are in the Netherlands anyway, we have decided to stay for a few weeks. Take the time to meet up with family and friends. We will also be in the area during the holidays to be with our family. Advertisement: The proceeds will go towards financing this website Improvements Despite the fact that I have been living in Globus2 for two years, we still have a number of improvements that we want to make. Two years on a camping by yourself is different from traveling through Europe with two people. What do we want to change: Installing a second gas tank. In previous blogs we wrote that the gas, which we only use for cooking, runs out faster than we expected. A Dutch gas bottle cannot simply be filled in most other countries, which is why we want to take a second bottle with us. This also means making a gas bun that fits two bottles. The connection for the shower was attached to the old gas bun, so this also needs to be adjusted. Installing a grey water tank under the bus. At the campsite where I have been for the past few years, each spot had its own drain. Ideal! When we are on the road, we use a separate tank that we slide under Globus2. This turns out to be a hassle in parking lots or when the ground is not 100% flat, so the tank just doesn't fit underneath. So we decided to install a fixed grey water tank under the bus. (see photo below how it is now) Adjusting the LED lighting above the counter Above the counter we have an LED strip. This is so blindingly bright that we can light up the entire campsite with it. So we want to replace this with an RGB/W LED strip, so that you can create an atmosphere and make adjustable white light when you are cooking. Lock on the large drawer under the dining table Despite the drawer slides with resistance, the drawer sometimes opens during downhill descents and heavy braking. This should not happen of course and so there has to be a lock on it so that we can lock it when we go for a ride. New kettle The 'emergency' kettle we bought in Spain only has a capacity of half a liter and is only 600W. So it takes quite a while before we have just enough water for two cups of tea. Time for something different! Attaching a kitchen roll holder above the counter A kitchen roll is indispensable for us when we are traveling. The roll often floated from left to right, high time for a neat kitchen roll holder under the top cupboard. In short, plenty to do in December. Where are we? 8,500 km since our departure. After Gibralar we visited the cities of Ronda and Setenil. Very worthwhile. We also walked the Caminito del Rey, a walk we had been looking forward to for so long. It was a really great hike! Then we started our return journey. In between we stopped in Madrid and had dinner with an old Weleda colleague. Of course we also visited the city. Then we drove on to the Netherlands within three days. This concludes our Travels without End Time part 1 and we can prepare for our next journey. If you like to follow our experiences, sign up at the bottom of this page if you haven't already done so and you will receive, maximum 1x per week, an email when we have posted a new blog. Your email address will not be used for anything else than this!

Our previous blog caused quite a stir. Read more than 6,000 times and a lot of reactions both under the blog and on social media. Most reactions were positive and we were even thanked for making this topic discussable and insightful. As always, there were also some critical remarks. That requires some extra explanation and some answers. Poll results The result of the poll what do you think of these costs was very clear. We spend more money than 71% of the voters had thought. Understandable, to be honest we also thought/hoped to come out a bit cheaper. We also received many responses from people who are cheaper, but also from people who spend more. Starting point We noticed in the comments that it matters quite a bit what your starting point is. If you are completely off-grid and you mainly stay in your own permanent community where you also grow your own vegetables, you can be a lot cheaper. If you are a pensioner who travels around the sunny south in the summers, you may be more expensive. As always, it is not our intention to say what is right or wrong. With our blog we only give a glimpse into our finances. For a complete overview, see our previous post . We would like to invite you to share your cash book below. This way others can see how it can be done. Livelihood We wrote that we spend €500 on groceries per month. This got a lot of reactions. Ranging from "Oh, that's about how much we spend between the two of us" to "you guys are really big eaters". If we look at this expense item again, we can adjust our expenses a bit. We budget €500 per month, but in practice we have about €100 left. We put this in our 'grocery savings account'. If there is enough money in this account, we can go out for dinner or do something else fun. Local farmers Annemarie asked us why we don't buy from local farmers. That is often cheaper and in this way we also support the local community. We accept this tip wholeheartedly and will definitely look into it. It may be our 'old' laziness that makes us want to buy everything from one supermarket. Camping and diesel At the camping and diesel post we also have to add the toll and parking costs. A trip from the North to the South of France costs about € 100, -. Now you can of course avoid the toll roads, but then you have to take into account a longer travel time and more fuel consumption. Sometimes we prefer one, sometimes the other. Insurances Unfortunately, insurance is a large part of the budget. The health insurance in particular, €278, is a considerable expense. The basic insurance will be around €157 per person in 2025. With a maximum deductible and annual payment, you can come out a bit cheaper. I then arrive at €139.11 x 2 people is €278.22. This without deducting any healthcare allowance if you are entitled to it. Globus 2 is fully comprehensively insured with the NKC. This could of course also be cheaper if you are only WA insured. Since Globus 2 Besides our means of transport, it is also our home, so I like to play it safe. Cost of Globus 2 Jelle pointed out to us that we do not include any depreciation in our overview. Of course, he is completely right about that from a financial perspective. We do not set aside a monthly amount for that. A possible Globus 3 should be paid from the savings account or the invested money. "The secret of a rich life is that it has nothing to do with money" Extreme Then it can all be even more extreme. You can deregister from the Netherlands and not pay any taxes or insurance at all. You will then also no longer be entitled to Dutch social security and you will no longer build up AOW. We consciously choose not to do that. We would like to use the AOW later. Advertisement: The proceeds will go towards financing this website Website Several people found the costs for the website on the high side. Of course, if you only have to pay for a domain name and some hosting, you are much better off. We currently have this site running on the WIX platform. In addition to a domain name and hosting, we also have many other functionalities such as: WYSIWYG layout, standard blog and forms, contact management, a CMS, sending mailings, statistics and extra storage. I was even a bit on the low side with my statement. In total, we now spend €532.40 per year on the site. Donation Michel also gave the tip to make a donate button on the site. That way people who like the blogs can donate an amount to cover the costs. We will investigate the technical possibilities. So thanks for this tip, Michel! Where are we? 5,525 km since our departure. After leaving Portugal we drove to Seville. What an unexpectedly nice and beautiful city that is. After a wonderful day in Seville we drove on to Gibraltar. Special to have to cross the runway after the border to be able to continue. Of course we climbed the rock to visit the monkeys and the caves. Various photos can be seen on Instagram and tikTok . If you like to follow our experiences, sign up at the bottom of this page if you haven't already done so and you will receive, maximum 1x per week, an email when we have posted a new blog. Your email address will not be used for anything else than this!

As a true nomad, you don't really want to talk about money. Life is not about the scarcity of money, but about the scarcity of time that we have. And yet, we can't ignore the subject of finances. Living in a camper doesn't cost nearly as much as living in a house. But of course we also spend money. In this blog, we give an insight into our finances. Income Let me start with the income. I have written before that I am currently renting out my house. However, given the changing legislation, I am going to stop doing this. The current tenants have terminated the lease and re-renting is only possible for an indefinite period. I don't like that idea, so the house is going up for sale. Because the house is almost mortgage-free, I can invest the proceeds. I hope that the investments will go so well that the original amount will remain untouched, so that we can buy a house with it later. We will live off the profits on the investments. Expenditure Then the expenses. What does it cost to live in Globus 2 ? Of course, you can make it as crazy as you want. Below is an overview of the costs we make monthly: Cost item Amount in Euro Camping and diesel €500,- Groceries €500,- Health insurance €275,- Road tax €86,- Camper insurance €84,- GSM/data subscriptions €71,- NLZiet, Netflix and Spotify €32.93 Third party liability and travel insurance €25 External cloud storage €36.3 Other (eating out, fun things to do, clothes, etc.) €250,- Total €1,860.23 Camping and Diesel We combine these two items, because they are related to each other for us. If we drive a lot, we have less to spend on overnight stays at a campsite and if we stay at a campsite longer, we travel less. In any case, we always try to stay within €500. It is clear that we therefore spend most nights for free. The Park4Night app and the Campercontact app are a huge help. These apps show where you can and cannot stay overnight for free. Taking care of the little ones Speaking of diesel. We pay a lot of attention to where we fill up. The differences can be enormous. For example, in Portugal a liter of diesel is currently €1.618 and in Spain €1.372. But even within Portugal the prices vary enormously. At a BP you pay €1.712 and at the supermarket Intermarché you pay €1.509. A difference of more than 20 cents per liter. Just calculate your advantage per tank! (prices 8 Nov 2024). In addition, we do as much shopping as possible at the cheaper supermarkets such as Aldi and Lidl. "Some people are so poor, all they have is money" Other costs In addition to the above costs, we have a number of other costs such as: Garage box in the Netherlands €500 per year ANWB Camper membership € 233.40 per year Adobe Lightroom and Microsoft subscription €200 per year 1Password password management €90 per year NKC membership (including Campercontact Pro) €55 per year Filling gas tank €40 per year Park4Night €9.99 per year If you add up all these costs and divide them by 12, you actually have to add almost €100 to the monthly costs. Advertisement: The proceeds will go towards financing this website Website Finally, we have the costs of maintaining this website. The costs of this are approximately € 330 per year. We try to earn back these costs through the proceeds via this site. At the moment, this is only the BOL.com banner. When you click on this and you buy something via the site, we receive a very small percentage. Last year, this earned us € 110. So if you want to support us a little, you know how to do that :-) Where are we? 5,315 km since our departure. The last few days we have been staying at a campsite near Faro. Just sitting in the sun and washing all our clothes. The campsites here are surprisingly cheap. We paid €12.50 per night. In the meantime we have left Portugal and are back in Spain. We really feel like we have seen Portugal well. If you like to follow our experiences, sign up at the bottom of this page if you haven't already done so and you will receive, maximum 1x per week, an email when we have posted a new blog. Your email address will not be used for anything else than this!

I have been living in Globus2 for over two years now, the last two months together with Kelly. A minimalist existence in a van without a salary. And yet we lack nothing and have everything we need. Minimalist Okay, let me be open right away: Kelly and I do not live a minimalist existence. Globus 2 is equipped with a lot of luxury. We generally have sufficient electricity available, we have a kitchen with two gas burners, running cold and, when the weather is nice, hot water. We sleep on a normal bed and very important; we have 150Gb internet per month at our disposal. Advertisement: Proceeds go to fund this website But we also don't have a lot. For example, we don't have a shower in Globus 2 and since we only sporadically stay at a campsite, we wash ourselves the 'old fashioned' way. We don't have a separate room to retreat to for the necessary me-time. We hardly buy stuff or clothes, not because we don't see nice things, but we simply can't find a place for it. Money We are also both currently not working. No work means no income and we therefore only have a limited budget for groceries, diesel, campings and other expenses. Eating out, visiting museums or other paid activities are therefore hardly possible. So you could say we live very consciously. Abundance And despite all these limitations, we feel like we are living in abundance at the moment. We really experience it as a privilege not to have to go to the office every day, to spend our time exactly as we want. To be in nature every day and to be able to take beautiful mountain walks. If we can take a shower somewhere, we enjoy it immensely. "Minimalism is not a lack of something. It's simply the perfect amount of something" Big people house with attic And then to think that a few years ago I lived in a regular grown-up house and was also quite materialistic. Not exaggerated, but what I thought I needed I bought without thinking about it. And so you unnoticed have a kitchen with a Miele built-in coffee maker worth € 3,500, - and a shed and attic where hardly anything fits. This is in stark contrast to our life now. Everything we have is on that 8m2 and I feel perhaps richer than ever. Illusion What is it with this material success that we all strive for? It has given us two problems, in my opinion: it did not bring the promised happiness and it has caused us to destroy the beauty of nature And that to be able to continue to feed the ever-increasing population and to continue the illusion that we believe in so much. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a saint. We drive all over Europe in a polluting diesel bus, I don't grow my own vegetables and I eat meat. And yet if I could do things over again, I would have chosen a more minimalist existence much sooner. This minimalist existence now ensures that I can live without an income for the time being. Where are we? 5,100 km since our departure. The Algarve is really beautiful! We walk a lot and enjoy the beautiful coast and the nice weather. Free camper spots are much harder to find here so the overnight places are less Instagram worthy. We are very curious how busy it is here in high season. If you like to follow our experiences, sign up at the bottom of this page if you haven't already done so and you will receive, maximum 1x per week, an email when we have posted a new blog. Your email address will not be used for anything else than this!

Exploring Europe with Globus 2 means crossing rivers, exploring new lands, enjoying endless blue skies and being on fire while enjoying indescribable views. In a world that seems to be spinning faster and faster, the four elements – earth, water, air and fire – still assert themselves. Air Our journey so far has been mainly along the coast. Portugal is regularly hit by strong winds, such as the recent storm Kirk that raged over the country. Globus 2 shook violently back and forth. Even though air is invisible, it is decisive in many ways. It carries clouds, oxygen and unfortunately also pollutants that affect our planet. Water Water is beautiful, but at the same time it can also be capricious. After all, water can quickly transform into a destructive current when it overflows the banks and carries everything away. As has now been demonstrated again with the floods in Spain. Nazaré – known for its gigantic waves – showed us how water can be both friend and foe. Every year, surfing competitions are held here. The waves can reach a height of 24m. Despite the fact that the wave season has started, we were not lucky enough to see these monster waves. Firework In Portugal we recently drove through a nature reserve that was ravaged by a forest fire. Pitch-black soil, burnt tree trunks with orange leaves on top formed an eerie landscape. The smell of scorched wood blew across the black landscape. Here we had mapped out a cool walking route over mainly wooden planks along the mountains. Half of the route was impassable due to the fire. Fire is perhaps the most destructive element in this country. Earth The Picos de Europa in Spain and the Serra da Estrela in Portugal are the rulers of the earthly element here. They showed us ruggedness and made us feel insignificant. The earth is stable and reliable here. But that has not always been the case. In 1755 there was such a powerful earthquake that it almost destroyed all of Lisbon. Just as the skin is our largest organ that we humans need to take good care of, you could see the earth as the skin of our planet. We should also take much better care of it. Ether And then there is the mysterious, elusive element ether, also called the fifth element. The element that connects everything. It can be seen as the carrier of the other four elements. “It animates and organizes inanimate matter, and also ensures that the planets make a 'perfect' circular motion.” Ether is like a silent reminder of the forces greater than ourselves. That which connects, the invisible that breathes the breath of life into us. “Muddy water is best cleared by leaving it alone” Centuries old knowledge The knowledge of the elements is centuries old. For example, a pyramid has four corners that represent the four elements. The top symbolizes the fifth element, ether, soul or the Divine. Here too, the element that forms the connection with the other elements. Connected to the elements Traveling through Europe makes us more aware of these elements. We experience how Mother Earth carries these five elements within her and at the same time realize how vulnerable and powerful nature is. Each element is essential for life, but can also be devastating when out of balance. Ether reminds us to consciously deal with nature, with respect for the greater whole and the energy that connects us all. Where are we? 5,037 km since our departure. After Tomar we visited Nazaré. After that, at the invitation of a German couple, we spent two nights on a mountain with again a beautiful view of the surroundings. In the meantime we have arrived at the most southwestern point of Portugal. From here we will explore the Algarve further. First we will wait for the warnings for the bad weather to the east of us, before we continue our journey. If you like to follow our experiences, sign up at the bottom of this page if you haven't already done so and you will receive, maximum 1x per week, an email when we have posted a new blog. Your email address will not be used for anything else than this!

And there we were, locked up by the Templars in the Portuguese town of Tomar. We only wanted to visit the famous monastery Convento de Cristo, but then we were suddenly locked up and could not go anywhere. Locked up We had heard from other vanlifers that we really had to visit Tomar. The city where the Templars once lived in the monastery Convento de Cristo, one of the most important Portuguese buildings from the Renaissance. We really wanted to see that! After we had installed ourselves at the free, but busy abandoned city camping, we decided to first visit the monastery garden. Then the next day we went to see the monastery from the inside. At the entrance of the garden there was a large gate with a sign with the opening hours from 09:00 - 16:00. Despite the fact that it was 15:55 we decided to give it a try like two real Dutch people. They wouldn't close the gate without checking, would they? Harry Potter key At exactly 4 pm a car with someone of obvious Portuguese descent comes towards us. However, he says nothing and just lets us walk on. Some time later he drives up from behind again and since we are inside thick garden walls we get a bit nervous. We don't feel like having to stay here for a night. We stop the man and ask if we can still get out. The man only speaks Portuguese and after a lot of hand gestures of gates and keys he makes it clear to us that we have to go back to the gate to open it. However, the man just drives on. Once we arrive at the gate we see that it is indeed locked. Where has our Portuguese friend gone? Fortunately the man comes back a few minutes later and produces a gigantic Harry Potter key. Within two minutes we are freed and we thank the man. Obrigado! Advertisement: Proceeds go to fund this website Secret societies The next day, as mentioned, we also visit the monastery itself. We are surprised by the enormous dimensions and how beautiful it looks from the inside. We also wonder what happened to the Templars and what about all those other 'secret' societies such as the Rosicrucians, the Illuminati, the Freemasons, etc. Okay, here is a short overview for those who find it interesting: The Templars (click on the arrow on the left for more info) Were active for two centuries (1120-1312). This order consisted at that time mainly of French knights, also called crusaders. Around 1118 the brotherhood made vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. They waged a holy war against the Muslims. Some details about this far-reaching order: They are named after the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem. The Templars were recognizable by their white cloak with a red cross on the left chest. They lived mainly monastically, i.e. a religious way of life in which one devotes oneself to spiritual work. The Order of Knights was recognized by the Catholic Church in 1129. They were the first bankers in Europe to introduce bills of exchange and lend money at sky-high interest rates. Templars are said to be in possession of the Holy Grail. On Friday, October 13, 1307, all the Templars were arrested by order. This was seen as the end of the Templars. Hence our unlucky day, Friday the 13th. The rumor that the Templars continued to exist in secret after their dissolution has been circulating for hundreds of years. Masonic Freemasonry originated in England during the Enlightenment 1650-1800 in a Christian context. They are regionally organized in lodges (meeting places) and strive for spiritual and moral elevation, mutual appreciation and mutual help. They are known for their secret rituals and are still active worldwide to this day. Some special features: Although membership is secret, there are many well-known Freemasons such as: Willem Drees, Albert Heijn, Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt. The masons work with degrees. Each degree is accompanied by an initiation ritual. The all-seeing eye is also often associated with the Freemasons. The Founding Fathers of America were Freemasons. The all-seeing eye is depicted on the American one dollar bill. The symbolism of Freemasonry is based on architecture and goes back to the very first master builders such as Hiram, who built the Temple of Jerusalem for King Solomon. Rosicrucians The Rosicrucians were a closed society from the 15th century. The movement was founded by Christian Rosenkreutz in 1407 and they were said to be in possession of a huge treasure of secret knowledge. It became a mystical movement that sought moral and religious reform and combined alchemy and natural philosophy. Some special features: The Rosicrucians believed in literal invisibility and claimed to be able to communicate with spirits and angels. They were said to be in possession of the elixir of life and therefore immortal. They claimed to be able to decide for themselves when their time had come to go. They also claimed to possess the Philosopher's Stone, which made them infinitely wealthy. Illumination Illuminati, also called the Enlightened, is a secret society of wealthy people that rules the world. It was founded in 1776 by the British Weishaupt. Its success is partly due to the local Freemason Lodge on which the Illuminati based its organizational structure. They do not deny the existence of God, but believe that rationality is the key to understanding the world. Some details: While the Freemasons mainly appear in The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown), the Illuminati mainly appear in the book Bernini Mystery . A popular conspiracy theory about the Illuminati is that they are bent on world domination. Celebrities such as Madonna, Obama, Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, according to theories, make extensive use of 'hidden' Illuminati symbolism. It is said that these stars sold their souls in exchange for fame. Secret Societies Today Even today there are still mysterious societies: There is the Bilderberg Conference. The Bilderberg Conference is a political meeting where international image formation and ideas are central. Participants are influential figures from the Western world , mainly from business, politics, science, media and the financial world. Our royal family and Mark Rutte (in his role as MP) are also participants in these conferences. Nothing discussed during the conference may be made public. This is a good breeding ground for conspiracy theorists. After all, you do not know what is discussed behind closed doors. "Little secret; something you tell everyone, but no one is allowed to know" Research In our ''research'' into these various secret societies we were confused several times. The various societies, especially Freemason and Illuminati, use many terms and symbols interchangeably. Back to Tomar. We really enjoyed this special place. We felt like we were back in time. That was not difficult, because the city is full of Templar symbolism. Where are we? 4,428 km since our departure. We drive a beautiful route to the Serra da Estrela, the highest point of Portugal. At the highest point itself it is very foggy and we see nothing. After Serra da Estrela we drive to Tomar to visit the monastery there. We continue our route to Nazaré which is known for the highest waves in the world. If you like to follow our experiences, sign up at the bottom of this page if you haven't already done so and you will receive, maximum 1x per week, an email when we have posted a new blog. Your email address will not be used for anything else than this!

Do you know the TV program The most dangerous roads in the world ? We covered the route that singer Maan and rapper Sjaak drove in Portugal as much as possible last week. Inspiration Before we left on our trip, we had done some research into the things we wanted to see in Northern Spain. We didn't really know much about Portugal. Yes, the cities of Lisbon and Porto and the Algarve of course. But other than that... The internet is your best friend and that's how we came across the television program The most dangerous roads , the Portugal edition. Singer Maan and rapper Sjaak take the most challenging roads and come to the most beautiful places. That sounds like something for us too! You can watch the broadcast here . Advertisement: The proceeds will go towards financing this website Podence The highlight of the broadcast is the village of Podence. Here they have been celebrating carnival for centuries. It is one of the most important traditional events in Northern Portugal. The great involvement of the population that has been able to preserve this tradition for centuries and its importance in the event calendar of the region were decisive for UNESCO to add the Carnival of Podence to the World Heritage List. Masks During carnival, the "devilish" Caretos - boys dressed in colorful costumes - walk around. The masks are made of tin, wood or leather with a pointed nose and bells on their belts. They walk happily jumping and making noise through the village. In this way they try to impress the girls. Unfortunately we were not there at the right time (from Fat Sunday to Tuesday of carnival), but the village was still very much worth seeing. All the houses in the village are painted with the most beautiful images of the masked men in particular. Really fantastic to see! "True courage consists not in not having fear, but in conquering one's fear!" Exciting roads During the route we came across roads that were quite exciting. For example, we drove on a very steep mountain road with hairpin bends. The first part went quite well, but at a certain point it was too steep for Globus 2. The wheels slipped when I wanted to drive up and when I braked we slid further and further down towards the abyss. What now? It was not possible to go any further up, turning around was not an option. So we had to go a long way backwards and be very careful with the brakes. Eventually we were able to turn around carefully somewhere and had to drive a long way around. By the way, the villages here can be very exciting too. From a two-lane road you drive into a village where it suddenly becomes so narrow that Globus 2. can just fit between the houses. Fear With occasional fear sweat on our backs, we brave the route of the most dangerous roads in Portugal. Whose idea was this again? After the route, we drive through the beautiful Douro valley to then arrive at Porto. Overcoming fear is actually a very nice feeling. You can be afraid of getting into a fearful moment, that is not nice and usually also unnecessary. The moment you really feel the fear, like at some moments during our trip, it is certainly not nice either, but what a euphoric feeling when the moment is over! Where are we? 4,090 km driven since our departure. After the Peneda-Gerés National Park we drove via the village of Podence towards the eastern border with Spain where the Douro River enters the country. From there we followed the river through the Douro Valley to Porto. Of course we did a day in Porto. Then we enjoyed a few days of beach a bit further south. Now we have arrived at Serra da Estrela. The highest point of Portugal. If you like to follow our experiences, sign up at the bottom of this page if you haven't already done so and you will receive, maximum 1x per week, an email when we have posted a new blog. Your email address will not be used for anything else than this!

When you travel for a few weeks you naturally gain a lot of experience. It is nice to share some of them in this blog. Let me start with a very positive experience concerning a walking app. AllTrails The avid hiker has probably known it for a long time, but we have only just discovered the AllTrail hiking app. All the hiking trails that we wanted to do so far were listed in this app. You get exactly the right information about the route. Of course about the distance, but also whether it is a round trip or a single journey. How much altitude difference has to be covered, etc. etc. All basic information about the route, but what is really an addition is that when you deviate from the route, you get a notification on your phone or on your watch. We really needed this for certain routes in Spain, which were poorly signposted. Ideal, otherwise we would still be walking now :-) The app is available for Apple and Android . It is not only about hiking trails in Spain, but worldwide. A subscription costs only € 30, - per year. A handy preview function of the route is also available Advertisement Now you might think that I have shares in the AllTrails app or that I get paid for every download, but that is not the case. So no advertising, just a positive experience of my own. Now that I am talking about advertising, what is that bol.com advertisement doing in between the texts? When you click on it and you buy something via the site, we get a small percentage of it. That does not matter to you, you pay the normal price and we earn a little bit from it. In this way we hope to be able to earn back the costs of this website. The costs are around € 350 per year and it would be great if we could pay for that from the bol.com income. So if you want to support us and you need something from Bol, first click on the banner below and then do your normal thing. Many thanks in advance, you help us enormously with it. Advertisement: Gas bottle After three weeks of travelling we discovered that the gas is going faster than expected. The past two years I have been using a large gas bottle for more than half a year, but now 40% was used up after one month. The difference will undoubtedly be due to Richard's students' culinary skills and Kelly's haute cuisine cooking skills. Kelly cooks an excellent meal every evening, but that also costs a bit more gas than I had estimated. What now? In Spain and Portugal you cannot fill or exchange the Dutch gas bottle. Buying a new gas bottle is also a hassle here. Your gas installation must first be inspected by an official body. So that means being frugal in the coming period. "One of the advantages of living abroad is that at least when you watch TV you don't understand the commercials." Kettle You can be economical by, for example, occasionally eating noodles with water from the kettle. That saves quite a bit of gas. Then of course the kettle has to keep working. Unfortunately that was not the case. Last week it suddenly stopped working and a new one had to be bought. However, that was easier said than done. We heard from Spanish acquaintances that kettles are not that common in Spain. And we noticed that! We searched high and low for a suitable model. Because they do exist, for example at MediaMarkt, but they are models that require too much power. The electrical installation of Globus can only handle about 1500 Watts, while most kettles are well over 2000 Watts. We visited various camping shops and camper shops, but unfortunately without result. Finally in Santiago de Compostella, what a nice city that is by the way, we were able to find one at the Carrefour. A model with only half a litre capacity and only 650 Watts. But that should not spoil the fun We are saved! Where are we? 3,241 km since our departure. On October 3, we crossed the border between Spain and Portugal at the only National Park, Peneda-Gerés, that Portugal has. There are many beautiful walks to be made here again. I even swam in a waterfall. I can cross that off my bucket list. Unfortunately, the weather is not so nice at the moment and they predict a lot of rain for the rest of the coming week, so we are thinking of quickly going further south after that. If you like to follow our experiences, sign up at the bottom of this page if you haven't already done so and you will receive, maximum 1x per week, an email when we have posted a new blog. Your email address will not be used for anything else than this! See you in the next blog!