Go-with-the-flow-travel: Meet Britta and Vinny

1. Can you introduce yourselves quickly in one or two sentences?

We are Britta (Vita brit) and Sam (Vinny)! A Dutch and Aussie couple. We rarely go a day without good music, good food and a game of cards/backgammon.

2. I met you, Vinny, in Amsterdam having lunch at the Avocado Show. Since then, you guys have been travelling to various places. Where are you at the moment?

Yep, we were living in Amsterdam when you guys came through. Right now we are living in Sydney, Australia. We would have been living in Ghana, but we had a few experiences there that caused us to end up back here in Sydney!

3. Where did you guys meet? Do you have any favourite country/city/place?

We met in Lisboa! Britta was living there for her masters and I was there for a month running hostel pub-crawls. Britta’s best friend was the hostel manager and played the role of cupid.

To live, we would both choose Lisboa as our favourite. But to travel, so far Iran has been the highlight. We loved the landscapes and the food is delicious, but most of all we loved the people. We felt so welcomed by every single Iranian, they invite you into their personal lives and don’t want to let you go, they treat you like royalty, sometimes it is almost too much!

4. I’m a big fan of go-with-the-flow travel. Do you plan ahead and always know how long you’re staying at one destination or do you prefer not to plan too much?

We do lots of research, but hardly ever book anything apart from flights. So we plan for sure, but we never limit ourselves to that plan. There is only so much research you can do, it’s the information you get on the road that leads to the most memorable experiences, in our eyes.

5. What are the 3 most important things you look for in a destination?

– Nature/environment. We love going on hikes/adventures, so somewhere with great forests, lakes, deserts, mountains etc.

-The amount of tourists haha. We always check out the major cities, but prefer to avoid mass tourism.

– Although we do lots of research, something about the unknown really attracts us to a place. Not knowing everything and going in blind means you can’t really have any expectations and everything is exciting.

6. How do you earn money while travelling ? Working remotely or do you pick up jobs along the way?

Britta has worked remotely, Sam usually finds something in tourism. But we also travel cheap and can last a while without work on a small budget. We also do work-away every now and then, working for accommodation and food!

7. Do you have a monthly budget when you travel? If yes, how do you stick to it? Any tips?

We try and work out a budget, Britta is better at sticking to it than Sam. But we revaluate our budget quite often on the road to allow for activities we didn’t expect. If we need to spend less, we usually just share meals or stay in super cheap accommodation/couch surfing. But we tend to always have a bit of extra cash saved to allow for blow outs!

8. What are the downsides of living the nomad lifestyle?

Not having a solid and stable friend group/social life. Always meeting new people is good as you are always having new experiences. But it is hard to develop meaningful relationships. It is always hi…bye.

9. On the other hand, what do you love most about this lifestyle?

No responsibility. Being able to seek out new experiences and pack up and leave without hassle. No car, no house, no lock in contracts. Just clothes!

Also the people you meet. More often than not the people you meet while travelling are the most interesting, learning small things about their life can really change your view on the world.

10. What are the 5 things you always take with you when you’re travelling?

– Analogue camera. We try and take one photo a day, it’s a good surprise when you finally get them developed a few months down the track

– Backgammon board. For all of those times waiting for transport or whenever really

– Sarong/picnic blanket. We like picnics!

– Sleeping masks

– Reading material. Books or magazines

11. What’s the craziest/funniest/most memorable experience you’ve had so far?

Riding a bus in Iran and an older couple, who spoke absolutely no English, were very excited to see us and kept trying to converse with us. When we got to our destination, through some sort of sign language, they convinced us to wait with them for a taxi. We thought we would share a taxi to the center or something. Instead their son-in-law arrived and took us all to his house. The older couple were there to surprise their daughter who had no idea they were coming, and they turned up with us as an extra surprise. We ended up staying with them for 2 nights and they took us everywhere. It was the funniest 2 days of our lives, the son-in-law was no joke the real life Borat. Below is a picture of the family.

12. Where can people follow you on social media?

Instagram: @thedutchkangaroo @vinny_sv

Photo credits: Britta & Vinny