Veterans of the road and living a life packed with meaningful adventures. Roaming the humbling outbacks of Norway and beyond in their converted hostel on wheels, Let’s Be Nomads are a true inspiration and we wholeheartedly welcome them as ambassadors to the Passenger family.
When did your love for alternative living begin?
I guess it started quite a long time ago, when we both set foot on snow in the Alps for the first time. We instantly felt connected to the mountains and there was just a certain urge to return to them over and over again. At first we did this through working as a seasoneer in the Alps and later by doing our 'hostel on wheels' project. I think growing up in a flat country like Belgium had a lot to do with it as well. Don’t get me wrong, we love the place, but it is so tiny you almost can’t help but to start wandering outside of its borders and find out if there is anything else to see out there. Once we realized there was a lot more to discover in this world, that was it; the seed to living an alternative lifestyle was planted.
What has been your greatest journey?
That would probably our one month long road trip through the Balkans last winter. Splintered Ex-Yugoslavia is such a different part of Europe and every independent country has a different feel to it. It varies from for example very ‘Western-like’ cities like Pristina, with big malls and Starbucks cafes over crazy wannabe Vegas-style ski resorts (Bansko in Bulgaria) to very poor small villages all over the different countries. The same goes for the nature; an incredibly beautiful Mediterranean coastline versus the inland with its high alpine mountains, stunning canyons and long stretches of fields, A month was not nearly enough to experience all of it!
What did you take away?
There is still such a difference in standards in the world if you talk about luxury, housing, healthcare, waste management etc. Before our bus project we traveled through Guatemala for a couple of months and that was one of the poorer countries I have ever visited. I never thought we would get the same feeling traveling through a country in Europe and there were many parts in the Balkan that even felt poorer than Guatemala! Plus, it’s super close to Austria, which is a country we have all visited once. It just makes you realize how lucky you are being born in a country like Belgium or the UK and makes you appreciate it a lot more.
When are the moments when it all clicks into place for you?
We discover quite a few new places every trip we do and the best moments are when you don’t really expect them to be great, but when they turn out to be even better than you could have ever imagined. There have been countless moments like this; where for example we meet someone who tells us about a magical spot and we arrive there and a perfect sunset happens, or when a total stranger welcomes us and extends their help.
Music can take us straight back to a time, place, moment or adventure. What song takes you there?
We discover quite a few new places every trip we do and the best moments are when you don’t really expect them to be great, but when they turn out to be even better than you could have ever imagined. There have been countless moments like this; where for example we meet someone who tells us about a magical spot and we arrive there and a perfect sunset happens, or when a total stranger welcomes us and extends their help.
If you could relive one moment from your stories so far, what would that be?
A day-off with our mini crew in Tromvik this past winter season, it was just the three of us (Val, Mike and me), the snow conditions where more than perfect. Nowhere in the world can you experience moments like this; super light fluffy snow, no one around, an incredible sunset and an ever-changing view over the ocean surrounded by steep volcano-like mountains. I have been snowboarding for more than 20 years now and the epic-ness these mountains above the Artic Circle have to offer is just out of this world.
Where next?
Our summer season is up and soon we’ll have our first guests on board. First, we’ll explore the region around Tromso with all its little islands and go hike the mountains we skinned up this winter on foot. Later in the season we’ll cruise around the island of Senja and the Lotofen and head down towards Trondheim. We’ll continue our way down South and end this summer tour at the end of September in Stavanger. There will be so much to see and do that the summer will be over in no time! The next winter is still a big mystery to us, but we are working on it :).