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Fearless explorers and what we can learn from them
THESE PEOPLE WILL INSPIRE YOU TO LIVE AN ALTERNATIVE LIFESTYLE
Ever thought of throwing out the rule book and embracing an alternative lifestyle? It’s something most people consider at some point in their lives, and although it may not be a realistic venture for most of us, there’s a thing or two that we can learn from folks who have done it. These are the modern-day, fearless explorers who, for lots of different reasons of their own, have chosen to take a path less travelled.
Jenna Spesard
...built a tiny house on wheels to pursue her true dreams
Jenna was living from paycheque to paycheque, lots of debt and felt her dreams were constantly out of reach. Knowing she had to make a radical change, she swapped the stability of a full time job for the unpredictability of adventure. And thus, Tiny House Giant Journey was born, building a tiny house on wheels to travel the world.
Her mantra is travel big, live tiny. Both go hand in hand - the only reason adventure is a constant feature in her life is because she has firmly stuck to a simple, affordable lifestyle enabled significantly downsizing. But at the heart of making this life-changing decision lies a truly inspiring quality - the bravery to explore a road less travelled. She’s a fierce ambassador for the tiny house movement, and a Sugru Mouldable Glue fan as she’s constantly finding clever ways to make the most out of small living spaces.
Norma Bauerschmidt
...chose to live out her last days on the road
At 90 years old, Norma was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Instead of undergoing the recommended treatment by doctors, she decided she had other plans. Norma and her son Tim soon embarked on a 14 month long, 13,000 mile road trip across 32 states in a small motor home. She tried oysters, went hot-air ballooning and went horse-riding for the first time in her life. An incredibly liberating experience for both her and her son, her story is a reminder that it’s never too late to do something impactful to experience life through a different lens.
Derrick & Paula
...chose the independence of living in a van
Also known as A Guy, A Girl, and a Campervan, Derrick and Paula are our mild-mannered heroes. We’ve followed keenly as they’ve made, fixed and hacked their way across North America (often with the help of Sugru, much to our delight!). Their two-year lifestyle experiment challenges the way we think about buying, owning and making (do).
Travelling from coast to coast and living in their van even throughout harsh Canadian winters, this couple continue to juggle full-time work and saving up for a little house and a piece of land to call their own. They take things in their stride and have never been shy of tackling the challenges that come with van life, always in the most ingenious ways.
Joshua & Ryan
...gave up excess to live a more meaningful life
They’re famously known as The Minimalists. Both Joshua and Ryan left their corporate careers in 2011 to explore what a minimalist lifestyle meant and how it could help them find more meaning. They wrote a book together championing the way of life - they’re fierce ambassadors of the minimalist movement, pushing themselves and encouraging others to shed figurative and literal excess baggage for a more wholesome life. After touring all around the world, they made a documentary about their journey, which is on Netflix and we highly recommend!
James Turner
...travels light to live (and work) big
The year James and his partner quit their jobs in London, they founded their own design agency and started working remotely for clients all over the world. He learned the hard way that travelling light is an essential part of committing to this nomadic lifestyle.
Thanks to his extensive experience, he deep dives into the best practices of packing the bare minimum for maximum peace of mind and enjoyment. Although he knows this isn’t for everyone, his fascination and appreciation with minimalist travel, saying: “I love that everything I carry has been carefully curated so that it’s reliable and fits in with my life perfectly.” We can all take the time to reconsider the relationship with our stuff, whether adopting the traveller lifestyle or not.
Anna and Kath
...decided it would be more fun living on a boat
Anna and Kath, from Narrowboat Experience, are two awesome ladies who swapped their traditional, land-locked home for an old narrowboat. After much deliberation, they packed up their stuff and their two cats and got themselves a beauty. On their website and through social media, they document their adventures whilst traversing the many canals of the UK. The challenges of living in such a confined space mean they need to find clever ways to organise it and they often use Sugru, finding many uses for it, from hanging up lights to making a pull for a sliding window.
