Why "Somewhat Gypseas" ?
Julz, Dan & Nala
Well after being Full-Time Vanlifers for two years while completing our Lap of Australia with Pumbaa, our 1983 Australian School Bus
We have decided to start all over again in ... France, which we will use as a base to travel all through Europe!
In order to do so we are currently going through a Luxury Vanbuild ourselves
but with the help of our furry assistant Nala, our VanCat
So if you are into Vanbuild, Van Cats & Travel we should be a great match, so subscribe to our Youtube Chanel!
Don't forget to check out our Resources to get inspiration for your own van or tips on how to get your cat to become a full-time travel cat
Who Are We ?
Our Back Story:
I'm Julie, but most of you call me Julz & some of you call me Joujoute depending on where you are from ; )
I am French but moved to Australia when I was 19 years old with the intent to learn English and go back home after a year or so
... Spoiler alert ...
that didn't happen, instead, I got myself a hubby, a fluffy kid, a new passport
& spent 11 years in Australia working in the Hospitality & Events Industry
I'm Daniel, Dan, or even Danou for some of you,
I am a kiwi which means I am from New Zealand, but I moved to Australia to further my cheffing career.
The day I started my new job I got introduced to a Badass French Girl, on that very first day I knew she was the One.
So we got married that same year & been together ever since
&
I am Nala AKA The Star of this Show
I am a rescued cat so we don't really know how old I am but we think I am about 10/12 years old & apparently I am some kind of a Burmese Mix but all that doesn't matter, what mattered is that with the help of my parents, I came out of my shell,
stopped being terrified of everything and anything & found true love in traveling around the world with them.
Our Story
The first chapter: Australia
Back in 2020, we decided that a radical change was needed in our life, so we stopped the rat race,
bought a vintage Australian School Bus from 1983, packed up our belonging including our Cat Nala & of we went on the open roads.
We completed a full Lap of Australia within two years which was not without challenges or misadventures such as running out of drinking water while crossing the Nullarbor, bidding 1 600$ a camel for the annual Uluru camel race,
getting stuck during a water crossing in what is called croc country, having to redo a full van build after getting off the Plenty Hwy
where we got stuck between a bushfire and a sandstorm (not a highway, by the way, just a 4 days dirt road in the middle of the Outback) & yes all of this with Nala by our sides (our rescued cat, who has now earned the title of Professional VanCat).
Over these two years we created many life-long memories which make great stories to share with friends around a campfire,
basically, we had the adventure of our Life & so when it came to an end we asked ourselves "what's next?"...
Well the answer was pretty obvious ... Start all over again elsewhere!
We sold Pumbaa (our Bus), bought some one-way plane tickets to France & moved on to our next chapter!
New Chapter: Vanbuild in France (Current)
So we landed in Paris in February 2023 went to check out a van that we bought and drove to the South Of France where we are currently undertaking our newest van build