Van Life Theory

28/09/2021

Two big white things - Marlee and a Lighthouse. 🚐

Marlee means 'swan' in the Noongar Aboriginal language of Western Australia where Alesha is from.

We think Marlee looks like a big white swan. What do you thing? 🦢

09/09/2021

Our BIG NEWS is that we are regretfully selling Marlee.

The third member of our family is sadly on the market. We wish we could keep Marlee forever, but it's time for her to find a new family to go on adventures with.

As you may know we are building a home on Magnetic Island and just won’t be using her a lot while we are settling in. We don’t want her to sit there and not be used, so we are selling her. We are looking to downgrade to a 4x4 Ute that will be practical for our island life, but also take to the mainland for adventures.

If you are interested in Marlee, or know someone who might be, shoot us a message.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/869037383740997/

25/08/2021

Since we have all this time on our hands to think about, brain storm and evaluate our situation, we have decided to open up some new doors in our lives.
We are excited for the new chapter that's about to come our way. We are looking at this time as may be a sign and may be another page of our book turning.
Can you guess what it may be?
Stay tuned.

22/08/2021

Happy Sunday everyone. We are dreaming of being on the road again, but making the most of the current situation.
As we are here in Sydney under lockdown, we have gone off social media for a while. We didn't really feel like logging on much, so after years of being constantly online it has been so nice break to actually just take a break.
We've been putting the phones down and reading books more. We are trying to make meditation a daily thing, and have been exercising almost every day. Just trying to make the most of the current situation.
We are so lucky to have each other during this crazy time. I feel we have definitely grown even closer too ❤️
Have a good week everyone.

08/08/2021

We are super stoked to have written an article for Business Insider about how much it costs us to travel around Australia full time in Marlee!

If you've ever wondered if this lifestyle is affordable or not, or are just curious about it all, check it out. ❤️

Jarryd Salem and Alesha Bradford have been traveling and living in their van in Australia for a year, spending roughly USD $1,750 a month.

12/07/2021

Tips Tuesday - Getting new Tyres

Have you ever thought about your tyres?

When it comes to living the van life, there’s thousands of articles on the internet all about tips and hacks to make this dream lifestyle easier.

One topic that rarely gets brought up though is safety, and how to ensure you can get from one destination to the next with the minimum amount of risk.

One thing you have complete control over though are the tyres you choose to put on your van.

Yet for some reason, most people will go to a tyre store and simply pick up a set of whatever is cheapest, without doing any research on the products they’re trusting to keep their van on the road.

Even then, when they do buy new tyres, it’s usually after letting their rubber get so worn down that it’s no longer safe (or legal).

Do you know, in Australia there is not standard or regulations when it comes to tyres. You can go make a set of tyres in your garage, put them on your car and go. As long as they have tread, they are legal. That blows our minds.

A few months ago we replaced all 6 wheels (yes 6!) on Marlee with a completely new set of Continental ContiVanContact 100 tyres.

The old tyres were getting worn down, and with the amount of kilometres we put on the clock in all kinds of terrain, it was something we wanted to take care of before we drove much further on our travels around Australia.

We’ll be the first to admit that we’re not tyre experts, and definitely not tyre company experts. So we suddenly found ourselves on a deep dive of all kinds of information that was new to us.

Here are some tips for How to Choose Tyres for Your Van

- MAKE SURE THE TYRES MATCH YOUR VEHICLE (I’ll go into depth as some people do not know this and buy the wrong tyres.)

The first thing you need to do is check the size of them. You can find this information in your vehicle manual (if you are using original wheels), or printed on the side of your existing tyres.

You’ll see a bunch of numbers and letters that look like this: 195/75R16C
The first number is the width of your tyre, The second number is the aspect ratio of the sidewall height of the vehicle, The first letter is the radial construction, The third number is the rim size, The final letter is the speed rating. Essentially what the maximum speed the tyres are designed to handle.

You don’t really need to know what any of that means. But you do need to take note of the exact numbers and letters so you can tell that to the tyre fitters. Finally you need to make sure that whichever tyres you buy are designed specifically for your vehicle type. If you’re driving a passenger sedan, you need sedan tyres. Have a motorhome? You need van tyres that are designed for heavier loads. So on and so forth.

- GET A RELIABLE AND WELL-ENGINEERED BRAND

- CONSIDER YOUR DRIVING STYLE AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

- NO MATTER WHAT, GET A WHEEL ALIGNMENT

- CHECK TYRE PRESSURES REGULARLY

- ROTATE TYRES EVERY SERVICE

- INSPECT TYRES EVERY DAY

- BALANCE AND ALIGNMENTS

Hope this helps. Happy vanning
A & J x

09/07/2021

Did you know when you get new tyres on your campervan you need should do a wheel alignment also?
Once you have fitted your new tyres, always do a wheel alignment straight away. This ensures that your wheels are perfectly balanced to provide even wear across the entire tyre, while providing safe handling on the roads.
We got new tyres for Marlee last year and learnt all about this area. We were going to do a standard wheel alignment but that was only toe in and tow out. We needed more than that.
Because our campervan is so heavy, we ended up getting a truck wheel alignment from a truck specialist to have ours done. We needed all three tyres of a wheel alignment. All three were way out, so we are glad we did.
Keep in mind that a full wheel alignment actually include three parts – Camber, Caster and Toe.
* Camber is the inward and outward tilt of the tyres when viewed from the front
* Caster is the forward or backward slope of the steering axis.
* Toe is the difference from both sides between the front and rear of the front tyres.
Not all tyre fitters can adjust all three aspects of wheel alignments, so make sure you ask before paying them.
Hope this all helps. Happy vanning.

28/06/2021

How is this for a tranquil coffee and breakfast view?! It was so peaceful. And a little bit chilly, but our trusty Uggs kept us warm.

Where is this though? This is actually at Jarryd's Mum's place, and she had the perfect spot for us to park up for a few weeks while we got Marlee ready for our big road trip. Every morning we woke up and watched the birds fly around and listened to the frogs croak.

We love having the freedom to park up in beautiful places and get to sit and appreciate them. Even if we're staying with family, we love that we can have our own little tiny home with us at all times. ❤️

21/06/2021

Taking Marlee to the road with our eyes open. We were on the look out for kangaroos.

We were in the Snowy Mountains driving down the windy roads, we made sure we were looking out the window at the beautiful landscape. In a period of 30 minutes we went through a kangaroo town. There were so many and they were not shy for the camera.

17/06/2021

We loved this little gem of a spot in Derby in Tasmania.

This camp was right on the Ringarooma River. Riding distance from the Blue Derby Mountain Bike Trails where you can ride on tracks from beginner to advance. It was great as Jarryd and I are very different in levels. He is so much better than I.

It is walking distance from cafes, pubs, bike hire shops, bike wash station, toilet, shower and the small general store. Our advice is to stock up on food before you arrive as there are not much food supplies here.

If you camp here, just remember leave no trace, respect locals and other fellow campers and be a goo human being. The locals and environment will love you for it.

Happy vanning everyone,
A&J x

11/06/2021

We've been living in Marlee for nearly a year and we thought we'd share our pros to living in a campervan. Let us know what you think and if we missed anything.
PROS of living in a van
1. Save Money
Be disciplined with your budget, choose to free camp as much as possible, cook more instead of dining out.
2. More Freedom
Perhaps the best reason to hit the road in a van is to have a sense of freedom in your life. You can literally wake up and go just about anywhere you want, whenever you want.
3. Personal Growth
It’s a great opportunity to learn more about yourself and the things you want to achieve in your life. When you take on a minimalist lifestyle, you figure out what’s really important.
4. Make New Friends and be Part of a Community
The van life community is open and welcoming, and if you’re looking to make friends you’ll have no issues connecting with people on the road. Alternatively, if you just seek solitude, you can very easily mind your own business.
5. Live a sustainable life
It’s easy to be eco-conscious and sustainable when you live in a van. If you are using solar panels and a battery system, you’re pretty much off-grid. You really cut down on water consumption. Your waste cuts down to basically just food items. And your carbon footprint, if you travel slow, is extremely low.
Happy vanning guys
A & J

08/06/2021

NEW BLOG POST ALERT - Living in a van

In case you’ve been living under a rock for the past few years, you are probably well aware of the van life movement that is taking over the world (and Instagram).

Living in a van has become immensely popular. Back in the ’60s, it was only hippies and drifters that lived in their camper vans and traveled around, often with shady backgrounds and looked down upon by society.

But today it is a legitimate and romanticised way of life.

People choose to cut down on stress, save money, live as minimalists and to have the freedom to move your home to continually explore the world.

When you put it like that, who wouldn’t want to live in a van?

But chances are you’re here for a bit of a dose of reality too. Living in a van is not as luxurious and constantly care-free as social media portrays it to be.

Luckily that’s why here – to dive into all the nitty-gritty details of van living and show you how to live in a van from behind the scenes.

This is one our articles all about living in a van. It covers everything from the pros and cons, how to save money, van hygiene, van life tips and hacks, how much van life costs and travelling with your partner.

After 12 years of living in a van and travelling full-time, we're excited to share our ultimate guide on how to live in a van based on real experience.