Hello from the U.S.A.

After 50 days of nonstop travel through Turkiye and Greece, we finally returned back to the States. We had gotten such a fantastic taste of the ultimate Mediterranean summer, and we can already hear the turquoise blue waters and salty sea air calling our names again.

Any time we travel home, we get a small culture shock, especially after finally adjusting to living in whatever part of the world we were traveling to. Here are some things we noticed this time around: how large the roads are, how spacious the homes are, how convenient it is to flush toilet paper down the toilet, how easy it is to throw wet clothes into a drying machine, how central AC is so engrained in the culture, how insanely humid it feels (all the time!!!), and how wildly tall and abundant the trees are.

We leave for the next big adventure in less than two weeks, and this time, we will be saying goodbye the U.S.A. for two months. We will be checking off FIVE countries during that time, so get ready for epic food tour videos, crazy experiences, and maybe even a little taste of van life again (!!!!!). Until then, we will be fixing up our home and celebrating our 24th birthdays!

Add some rainbows and sunshine to your summer season!

The rainbow and sunshine factory is open again! Adopt a handmade ornament, created by yours truly, for your car’s rearview mirror, your toddler’s nursery wall, or your living room’s holiday tree. I have restocked the Southwest Rainbow Ornament, the Apricot Sun Ornament, and the Desert Moon Ornament.

Also, I have one final “Greece” painting in my little art shop that’s looking for a forever home. It comes framed and ready to hang!

Let us help you plan your summer trip!

After traveling the U.S.A. for one year, and the world for another year, we’ve created quite a lot of videos! Perhaps we’ve visited the place you’ll be traveling to this summer. Click on the destination below to watch our experience!

U.S. National Parks: Smoky Mountains - Shenandoah - Big Bend - White Sands - Saguaro - Sedona (not a NP) - Death Valley - Joshua Tree - Pinnacles - Big Sur (not a NP) - Yosemite - Zion - Grand Canyon - Arches - Great Sand Dunes - Grand Tetons - Yellowstone - Crater Lake - Olympic - Mount Rainier - Glacier - Badlands

U.S. Domestic: East Coast - West Coast - Southwest - Northwest - Midwest

International: Peru - Colombia - Ecuador - Costa Rica - Portugal - Spain - Finland - Egypt - Turkey - Greece

For those traveling or building a van this summer–

If you’ve been wondering what items we live by for domestic and international travel, or what materials we used to build out our van two summers ago– check out our Amazon Storefront. We have different categories listing out all the gear we film and edit with, all our travel essentials, and all our van necessities. I also included the books we keep in our home library, the products we use for skincare and self-care, and the clothes we wear on a weekly basis. (If you do decide to purchase any of our recommended items using our link, we will earn a small commission from Amazon, and we thank you in advance for that.)

Travel hack of the month—

Drink water anywhere in the world without fear with a filtering water bottle! Ever since we lived in the van, we’ve been carrying around a LifeStraw water bottle, gifted to us by a dear friend. We have used it continuously throughout all of our travels, refilling it from streams and tap water sources around the world. We haven’t gotten sick from dirty water yet, and I’d like to say that it’s thanks to this convenient water bottle! Also, having your own filtering water bottle means that you’ll purchase less single use plastic water bottles in other countries. It’s a win for the environment!

Our exact route for the month—

Paros, Greece: June 1-5

Athens, Greece: June 5-6

Istanbul, Turkiye: June 6 (layover)

Atlanta, GA, USA: June 6-8

Chattanooga, TN, USA: June 8-30

METEORA: GREECE’S ENCHANTING PARADISE (watch this before you go)

Meteora is amongst one of the oldest places on earth and home to some of the most mind-blowing mountaintop monasteries. We decided to rent mopeds to experience the enchanting mountain paradise of mainland Greece. Here is a link to the video.

72 HOURS on CRETE, GREECE (beaches you HAVE to visit)

Crete is the largest of the Greek islands and is known for having the best of both worlds— mountains and beaches! Pink and white sand coastlines are surrounded by majestic mountains of all colors. Join us as we beach-hop around the island and admire the dazzling blue waters of the Mediterranean Sea! Here is a link to the video.

ULTIMATE GUIDE to SANTORINI, GREECE (tips for an affordable trip)

Santorini is Greece’s most famous island, which means that a vacation here can get a little pricey if you’re staying or dining in the wrong areas. We share how you can enjoy the highlights of the island while keeping the trip within an affordable budget. Here is a link to the video.

WHY YOU NEED TO VISIT MILOS NOW (Greece’s most underrated island)

Recently, Milos has been the talk of the town, and we wanted to find out why everyone’s visiting this special Greek island. Just 24 hours on the island showed us why Milos is becoming one of the hottest destinations in all of Greece! Here is a link to the video.

ULTIMATE GUIDE TO PAROS, GREECE (best things to do)

Paros is one of our favorite Greek islands, and we decided to get a little place by the water to experience Greek island life to its fullest. Join us for a day in the life on Paros island, and discover the pure and genuine joy that the Greek islands bring. Here is a link to the video.

If you’re interested—

Join our community on Patreon, where we post exclusive monthly videos and weekly updates on where we are and what we’re doing.

Support Claire’s art studio, and cheer on her small business dreams by bringing home some handmade goods.

Check out our website shop for self-designed stickers, postcards, t-shirts, photography prints, and digital downloads (including Claire’s cookbook)!

After much encouragement, we have made a little Amazon wishlist, which will allow you to choose exactly what you gift us and our home. You may also buy us coffee and experiences here.

Interested to know what equipment we use to film, what items we always travel with, or what tools we used to build out our van? See our detailed Amazon Storefront.

If you haven’t yet, subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow our Instagram to keep up with all that we’re doing. We’d love to have you along on the adventure.

Claire (and Chad)