The Wild Places Travel

06/10/2026

We often forget that (almost) everything we do in life is a choice.

Once you start making choices that actually fit the lifestyle you want to create, you’ll see how fast everything can change.

That doesn’t mean you need to have everything figured out. It just means becoming more aware of the choices you make and whether they’re actually moving you towards the life you want.

Hi, we’re Amber & Max, and 2 years ago we quit our jobs to travel. That decision changed everything for us.

Since then, we’ve spent more time outdoors, lived the van life in Australia, travelled, slowed down and started questioning what we actually want our everyday life to look like.

Take the gap year. Spend more time outside. Travel. Build the van. Start the little business. Do the thing you’ve always dreamed of.

It might take you to places you never thought you could be.

vanlifeaustralia travelcouple

04/10/2026

I don’t know why but I kind of felt like this decision was gonna decide the whole van’s interior so maybe that why it took us so long to decide 😂

We’re getting a lot closer to actually building on the inside so that’s why we wanted it done now.

Thoughts? Do you also feel like the floor is a big decision?

Follow along if you see how this build turns out! 🚐

Van Build / Van Conversion / Home on wheels / Renovation / Vinyl Floor

01/10/2026

This part of the van build looked pretty simple before we started. And we're not saying it's super hard, it just took us way more time than expected (as usually happens with every step of this van build haha)

We decided to use a combination of glue and screws to attach the wooden battens to the van. Mostly because we felt some parts needed more support than others. However, we've seen people do this is in so many different ways. Which way would or did you choose for your build?

We filmed the whole process, and you can now watch the latest episode on YouTube to see how we got from an empty van to this.

🔗

In this episode of our VW Crafter LWB campervan conversion, we’re a...

29/09/2026

We get this question a lot more than we expected haha so next time I’m showing people this 😂

All jokes aside, yes it is stressful, expensive, a huge relationship test and just in general way more time consuming than one can predict BUT every small step forward always feels like a huge win and seeing results and things coming together is also way more satisfying than expected. + we know that in the end it will be worth it, we’re just following our gut 🫶🏼🚐

Follow to see the ups and downs of this build 🚐

Van build, Van Conversion, DIY campervan, home on wheels

23/09/2026

Getting a little sappy today, but this might be the best life hack: find someone who wants the same kind of life you do. 🤍

Not necessarily the same job, the same hobbies, or the exact same dreams. But the same kind of days. For us, that means more time outside, more adventure, more freedom and a little less rushing through life.

It means building a van, taking the long way, being outside when we can and trying to create a life we don’t constantly need a break from. And doing all of that with someone who understands why you want that kind of life in the first place makes it even better.

Okay, enough cheesiness for today. 🥹

14/09/2026

Not us drilling a hole into our brand new windows 😂

Van Conversion | Van Build | Vanlife | Home on Wheels | Renovation | Campervan Windows

10/09/2026

Sorry friends, can’t meet up today, we’re working on the van 😂

Van build | van conversion | renovation | home on wheels

08/09/2026

How much solar do you actually need for your campervan? 🔆

(But first follow AMBER & MAX | Real vanlife + how to start 🚐 as we build the van our year in Australia inspired us to build)

In our previous van, we had the most perfect off grid set-up but also full sun basically guaranteed, living in our campervan, visiting place like Esperance, Western Australia. (Yes, those are the backgrounds in this carousel: if we’re talking about off-grid van life, we wanted the pictures to be honest about where that dream comes from, not just pretty for the sake of it.)

Now we’re building a new campervan for full-time travel across Europe, where the sun isn’t a given, and we’re working out our solar setup from scratch again. Swipe through for how we’re actually thinking about van solar power: what you’ll use, your battery bank, your roof space, and what we’re going with for our own DIY van conversion.

Heads up: this is what we’ve learned from our own van build, not professional advice. Every van and every setup is different.

Want to see how our solar setup actually plays out once it’s installed? Follow along for the rest of our campervan conversion, we’ll be sharing whether it holds up the way we hope.

Save this post for later, or drop a comment if you’re working out your own van solar setup 👇

diyvanconversion vanlifeeurope campervansolar fulltimevanlife vanlifecommunity

03/09/2026

What we actually mean when we say we miss vanlife 🚐💛

(But first follow as we build the van our year in Australia inspired us to build)

Even though we are working on our van build, we can’t help but miss it!

The moments we stopped thinking about what’s next and just... existed. Coffee in hand, doors open, no plan for the day.

We’re deep in our van build right now, and it’s easy to forget why we’re doing it. But it’s for this: the freedom, the presence, the connection: with each other, with nature, and with the other travelers who shared it with us along the way.

That’s the part of vanlife we miss most.

💬 Tell us: what’s the vanlife (or travel) memory you miss most?

vanlife community roadtrip life off grid living vanlifeeurope campervanlife vanconversion slowliving digitalnomadlife vanlifers homeiswhereyouparkit