Eddie and Kelli Beach Fire Ecuador Cover Meet the Vanabonds

Meet the Vanabonds

Meet Eddie

I have traveled through my home country, Australia, a large swathe of East and Central Asia, Russia, Europe, and extensively through South, Central, and North America. My style of travel is, at best, flexible, instinctive, and adaptable. At worst, a crapshoot that often ends in disaster.

My long history of missing flights, getting lost, medical emergencies, getting robbed, getting poisoned, getting stranded and a couple of near-death experiences have left me with a long list of pitfalls to avoid and things to watch for in exotic places all over the world and a few good stories. Now I travel overland in a converted van with my partner and fellow travel addict Kelli. 

Working from a cafe in Peru
IMG20190908130812 Meet the Vanabonds

Meet Kelli

Straight out of the small town of Dublin, Georgia, USA, I fell in love with travel on my first trip to Europe when I was 17. My mother took me on a two-week trip to London, Paris, and Barcelona. By the time I arrived back in my small country town, I was already scheming to get back as quickly as possible. Luckily, I convinced my grandmother to take me just four months later.

Since then, I have traveled to over 80 countries and every continent bar Antarctica. My style of travel is quite different from Eddie’s as I rely on thorough, meticulous plans which often involve weeks if not months of research for my travels.

About US

Despite our distinct styles, our paths crossed at a hostel in Tallinn, Estonia one snowy Christmas Eve. Eighteen months later, we decided to set out to see what else we could see. We quit our day jobs and booked a one-way ticket to Santiago to become vanabonds.

Since then, we have driven the length of the South American continent together. We have toured Mexico in a van. And we have completed a number of road trips through our home countries of Australia and the United States.

In 2022, we purchased a tiny sailboat, Whisper, and have been cruising the Mediterranean ever since, primarily through Greece, Croatia, Albania, and Montenegro.

Eddie and Kelli in the mountains of Colorado
Van driving down a dirt road through the palm trees

About the Vanabond Tales

Through our travel, van life blog, sailing life blog, and our brand new vlog, we provide practical information and inspiration for anyone looking to get out and explore the world, no matter how you travel.

Our writing is primarily about slow and self-guided adventures. Our articles include travel and lifestyle tips, destination guides, and of course, information on van life from lifestyle to recipes to van builds.

Our travel style is budget-friendly, outdoor-focused, and environmentally conscious.

If some, or all of that resonates with you, you are likely to find something of value in these pages and we invite you to wander with us, as we seek our next adventure.

We are the Vanabonds, these are our tales…

Where we have Traveled

We have spent the last 5+ years traveling throughout the world through slow, self-directed travel in whatever means we have, whether by van, boat, or backpacking. Over this time, we have been to countless destinations, many of them off the beaten path.

MapChart Map 3 Meet the Vanabonds

Australia

We have traveled the length of Queensland in our Landcruiser Troopcarrier from Brisbane to Cape York stopping at many destinations along the way such as Rockhampton, Carnarvon Gorge, Cape Hillsborough, the Atherton Tablelands, and more.

We have explored various road trips from Brisbane, including Stanthorpe, Eumundi, Yamba, and more.

We spent over two months exploring as much as we possibly could in Tasmania from the beautiful Great Eastern Drive, including Bicheno and Freycinet National Park, the lesser traveled Northeast Tasmania, and the epic Frenchmans Cap Hike.

We have driven from Queensland to Darwin in the Northern Territory visiting national parks such as Lawn Hill, Kakadu, and Litchfield.

in Western Australia, we drove along the Gibb River Road, visited breathtaking national parks such as The Bungle Bungles and Karijini National Park, and explored coastal cities such as Kalbarri and Esperence.

Skiing Adventure Holidays

During the winter, when we are not traveling by van or by sea, we explore some of the lesser-known ski destinations throughout the world. Destinations like Shymbulak in Kazakhstan, Karakol in Kyrgyzstan, and Bansko in Bulgaria. This year we plan to spend time traveling through the the different ski regions of Georgia.

Mexico

Second to Australia, Mexico is a destination that keeps pulling us back time and time again. So much so, that we even got married in San Pancho, Mexico in November 2022.

We have spent more than a year traveling throughout Mexico, mostly hugging the western coast beaches and mostly by van on numerous epic road trips in Mexico. Road trips that take you through Jalisco and the Riviera Nayarit home to some of our favorite beach destinations include San Pancho (Nayarit) and Lo de Marcos (Nayarit).

We have also spent months dancing between Mexico’s southern states of Oaxaca and Chiapas on month-long road trips through the highlights of both of these diverse destinations. The city of Oaxaca was, and still is, a favorite destination of ours along with Chiapas’ San Cristobal de las Casas, two of Mexico’s best non-beach destinations.

We have spotted flamingos on the Yucatan Peninsula, visited the windswept beach town of El Cuyo, and marveled at the historical cities of Merida and Valladolid.

South America

Our first van life trip had us driving from Chile to Colombia in South America. It was a bit more than we could chew, but we managed to see a lot of destinations along the way.

From the unknown wine regions in Chile like the Choapa Valley to the arid Atacama Desert, we explored the northern half of Chile before continuing onward.

In Peru, we visited the Machu Picchu, Cusco, got lost in the Peruvian jungle for three days, visited Lima, Mancora, and more.

In Ecuador, we stuck to the coastline exploring many of the beach towns in Ecuador from Ayangue to Mompiche.

In Colombia, we were taken with the laidback, beach lifestyle. We spent much of our days exploring the northern Caribbean coastline from Tayrona National Park to Cartagena, but we didn’t shy away from the Colombian coffee region either.

In Bolivia, Eddie hiked Huyana Potosi, we drank lots and lots of Tannat wine in Tarija, and ate too many delicious Bolivian street foods.

The Mediterranean

Since buying a sailboat, we have spent our summers sailing throughout the Mediterranean visiting coastal cities throughout Croatia, Montenegro, Albania, and Greece. Some of our favorite destinations include:

Croatia

  • Primosten, perhaps’ Croatia’s prettiest seaside village (which is saying a lot)
  • Korcula, Dubrovnik vibes but on an island and without as many people
  • Mljet, a stunning island national park

Montenegro

  • The Bay of Kotor, a particular favorite of ours and a place we have spent several months exploring.

Albania

  • Himare, this stunning seaside town gets half the crowds of some of the beach towns further south which makes it the perfect destination for us.

Greece

  • Corfu, breathtaking beauty and amazing food
  • Parga, a beautiful mainland village off the beaten path
  • Sivota Bay, Lefkada, stunning cove perfect for sailing holidays

Other Destinations

We have also traveled to other destinations where we may not have spent as much time, but connected with the place in some way. Destinations like