Happy People Travel
Van Life Blogs
Car Camping Road Trip Essentials – List of Things to Bring
Car camping and the van life are a HUGE part of our lives, and it should be a huge part of yours too. A car camping road trip is SO much fun! It is a great way to get out into nature and experience the natural beauty all around us. You can head for a … Read more
New Zealand Campervan Tips – How To Buy & Freedom Camping
If you plan on buying a campervan for your trip to New Zealand you are in the right place. We are going to explain everything you need to know when buying a campervan and living the New Zealand van life. You’ll learn where to find vans for sale, what REGO and WOF mean, how to pay for your van, and what New Zealand Freedom Camping with a self contained camper means. We’ll tell you how to do the change of ownership, get insurance, and of course driving on the left side of the road in New Zealand. You are well on your way to an awesome NZ campervan, let’s get to it.
Van Life Costs – March
Heading into our van life adventure at the beginning of 2019, one thing that we were hyper-focused on was our van life costs. We had some money saved from working full time, and did not have a ton of money coming in each month. What did that mean? It meant that the more we spent, … Read more
Van Life Costs – February
Heading into our van life adventure at the beginning of 2019, one thing that we were hyper-focused on was our van life costs. We had some money saved from working full time, and did not have a ton of money coming in each month. What did that mean? It meant that the more we spent, … Read more
How to Park Overnight Free Anywhere in the USA
When we started our year-long adventure living on the road, we knew we had a nut to crack: free overnight parking. We had renovated a van, now we had to figure out how & where to park it every night! We knew that if we broke the budget every night with a hotel or campsite, … Read more
Van Life Costs – First Month on the Road
Heading into our van life adventure, one thing that we were hyper-focused on was our van life costs. We had some money saved from working full time, and did not have a ton of money coming in each week. What did that mean? It meant that the more we spent, the shorter our adventure would … Read more
Travel Tips
Entertaining Road Trip Activities for Toddlers – SCREEN FREE!
If you’re preparing for a road trip with a toddler you’ve come to the right spot. Here is your guide to the best road trip activities for toddlers from road trip games, road trip friendly toddler toys, books, songs and other fun ideas to keep your toddler entertained. The best part, all of these travel … Read more
How to Protect Stroller when Flying – 9 Tips You Need to Know
If you are prepping for a trip and wondering how to protect a stroller when flying, you’re like every other parent that has traveled with a child. How the heck do I get this stroller on the plane and make sure it doesn’t get damaged? How do you gate check a stroller and what does … Read more
Entertaining Toddler Travel Toys They Will LOVE!
There are so many toys available on the market to buy for your toddler, but which ones are the best toddler travel toys? When looking for the best travel toys for toddlers it’s important the toy checks off a few key boxes. In this post, we will discuss what to look for in toddler travel … Read more
Ultimate United States Bucket List
The United States is a beautiful country from sea to shining sea. We put together a list of our 20 favorite places to visit form coast-to-coast, the ultimate United States bucket list. You’ll see the tallest mountains and the most beautiful lakes this country has to offer, on top of a few tropical island destinations. … Read more
Quit Your Job and Travel The World – How We Did It
In 2018, we were living in downtown Chicago, in some ways living the American dream. We had recently graduated our Masters programs, had great jobs at places we enjoyed working, and had our own little nest in a downtown high-rise. However, something felt like it was missing. We didn’t have all of the freedom we craved. Each day we woke up was regimented. During each of the 5 weekdays, we woke up, walked to work, worked for 9 hours, walked home, cooked dinner, watched Netflix, and fell asleep. Each weekend offered a reprieve from this schedule, and typically involved gallivanting around Chicago trying to spend our way out of the feeling that we were stuck in a rut.
Cruise Tips & Hacks – Get an Incredible Cruise for Cheap!
Cruises are a wonderful way to travel. On a cruise you get to ride in style on a gigantic boat decked out with incredible amenities as you make your way to awesome destination after awesome destination! However, there is one negative: cruises are expensive. Well, we are here to tell that that is wrong! You can book an amazing cruise on a great cruise line for a budget with our cruise tips. These 7 cruise hacks will help you save money and spend less on a cruise than you have ever even dreamed!
Recipes
Wild Card Blogs
A Positive Birth Story – IUGR, Induction and Vaginal Delivery
I have wanted to write Indie’s birth story since before she was born, but a funny thing happens when you have your first baby. You don’t have time to give yourself a proper shower, so you damn well don’t have the time to sit down and write 4,000 words about what a whirlwind you just … Read more
Hot Temps and Cold Beers – 8 Tips to an Epic Cabin Trip
Why cabin life is the best life, and there’s really no buts about it
Our 14 Favorite Date Ideas
Date nights are super important to keep the fire lit in any relationship. It can be tough to keep discipline around spending one on one time with your significant other. One way to do it is to find something new to do on date night! Here are our 14 favorite date ideas that we use … Read more
How We Started a Travel Blog (While Working AND Going to School Full-Time)
2 years ago, we had absolutely no idea how to start a travel blog. Now, we do know. And in 2000 words, you’ll know too. Over the last 2 years, we’ve lived in Chicago absolutely GRINDING. Zach has been working full-time and getting his MBA at Kellogg at night. Julie has been getting her Masters … Read more
We Found Them – The Best Books to Read on Vacation
We love to read. Airports, road trips, early mornings, late nights, a good book is ALWAYS welcome company. Here is our recommendations for our 12 best books to read on vacation. Ranging from Drama to Comedy, Self Help to True Stories, these books will make you laugh, cry, swear, get up and pace around the … Read more
The 3 Best Drinking Games On Earth (And It’s Not Even Close)
We are from the Midwest USA. A place that knows a few things, and knows them good. We might not be fashion icons or movie stars, but we sure as hell know our cheese, sausage, and beer. We’re the Germany of the USA, baby! The beer flows like wine in the heartland of America, and I’ll … Read more
Bucket List
Gift Idea Blogs
Travel Gifts for Parents that Travel with Kids
Buying gifts for traveling parents is tricky. They are always on the go and you don’t want your gift to just be left sitting in their storage closet at home. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if they could use your thoughtful gift while traveling? We are sharing a list of useful travel gifts for parents who … Read more
Gifts For Your Hiking and Camping Enthusiast
Let’s face it, gift season is darn near impossible to do well. Our goal with creating our top 2018 traveler gift recommendations was to help you out! This post is about ideal gifts for your hiking and camping enthusiast. Sure, a little (emphasis on little) time with family is awesome! But the hardest part of … Read more
Vlogs
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