We Are Vanlife and Travel Introducing our you tube Channel, ‘The Sand Van’ We are an Aussie/English couple from the beautiful Gold Coast of Australia, we’re now fulltime vanlifers living in our campervan
Travel along with us and experience our adventures as we live vanlife to the fullest. Everybody does van life differently, whether its in a converted bus, RV, campervan or just camping in a car. We will help navigate the highs and lows of vanlife showing you campsites, free camps, wild camps and boondocking.
As we travel we will share our campervan tales We will show you handy tips and tricks for vanlife, with general maintenance, everyday chores, repairs and upgrades to our Mercedes sprinter campervan Also, we'll share the beautiful countryside of Australia via our camera lenses and drone footage.
So, please join us and our little dog Pablo as we take on the adventure that is van life in "The Sand Van".
Mailing Address : PO BOX 12479 , George street ,Brisbane,QLD,4003 Australia
Hey Tim and Sandy. Wow what a drive over 1200 metres in the van 😮😮😮😮 I bet your ears popped going up there. And then a hike to 3370 metres. Did you feel closer to heaven? Was the air really thin too ? ❤️❤️❤️
Nice seeing the beautiful hills while driving and neat being able to buy an icecream once walked up top of mountain. On your travels in Japan so far,what has suprised you and what have you liked best whether it be sightseeing or something about the culture etc?
Hi Sandy and Tim Let's hike! hahah I am not a big fan to hike on gravels pressed down on the road hahah.Now what? scrambling? 10:25 The views are your reward..ooops sorry the mountain weather changes so quickly...you missed the sea? hahah black sesame seed Soft Cream seems to have weird taste. hahaah I saw Sandy's face hahhahah The views on your way to the next destination is spectacular that I can see ridges after ridges. awesome! haha what ? everything is pricier in JP because of the quality that buyers are look for. I hope you found comforters within your budget. I am not sure where exactly is your next destination, but stay warm and stay safe Was it in February? I cannot wait...take it easy on the roads. Brrrrr
Hey guys I've been binge watching everything vanlife from builds, to life styles to trips etc as i am seriously considering down sizimg and becoming a full time van lifer myself except that i have a permanent warehouse job so exploring will be left to weekends and holidays, these meet ups look kinda fun , i know you said you were shy but would have liked seeing you interview the other vanners letting them show or tell us the best and worst thing about their vans, things they'd change or are wanting to up grade.....but still a nice video and great scenery, I'm guessing it was in QLD somewhere..i could just gogle scenic rim i guess...lol. take care and safe travels!
If ye have got a plenty of time and have got international driving lincence, Ye should go to Northern Kyoto such as Maizuru,Amanohashidate and Ine so on. Kinosaki onsen ,Northern Hyogo is tattoo friendly so ye should go there to experience Onsen/hot springs if ye have got tattoos. cheers
”She" said the card inserted and its date of expiration is September,2027. :) My Aussie mate in Brisbane whose his wife is Japanese live with her in Osaka,Japan for two years are coming to Japan with their two little daughters this September but he is not sure if his family will come to Osaka yet. cheers
Hello Tim and Sandy, I like Tim's sense of humor. I just put a Spinal tap song in our video 😂. Waterfalls are always good to film. Yep we know about parking close to restrooms. Sorry to hear about all the problems with the parks ups. Hope yall are having a good day. 👋
Those stairs, I bet you both had lactic acid buildup by the end of that. I'm with you two. I hate crowds. People are OK in small doses, crowds are a no, no. The bamboo walk, I've seen that on Instagram, and I'm sure that people must use Photoshop to get rid of everyone. It's probably the sort of place that you have to arrive at the front of the queue and run halfway to get the shot. That's the problem, too many people again. I thought that the signs would be in English too, not for the obvious reason, (don't mention the War) but because English is the universal language for Tourism. (I had to Google that. Talking of Google, I bet you were glad of Google Translate). The weather hasn't been kind to you at all. But you have made the best of it, and in years to come, you will laugh about it. I bet you were glad to get back to Oz in the end. Holidays are great, but so is coming home. Thank you for sharing Tim & Sandy, and I hope you are well.
Thank you Chris 😊🙏lol the war was never mentioned 🤩it’s hard to see so much and to avoid the crowds all the time in Japan but we got to see some amazing sights 😀
I thought she said sack a castle not Osaka Castle LOL. We have been doing people the last few weeks. I need time off, not necessarily for good behaviour.
Great video! Have you guys checked out marine/boat latches? Or marine/boat hatches for skylight? Is the black sink metal? Pillows are a great idea!! Safe travels!!
Another informative video - how safe do you feel as looks like it’s quite ok Just edited a video and called you out on a trip so hopefully a few more followers may come your way - think it’s a four weeks away Great walk up through those gates to avoid the crowds even out of season
Thank you stu 🙏😊we appreciate the shoutout 🤩🚐Japan is an extremely safe country 😀we didn’t feel unsafe at all during our adventures and driving in Japan is super easy except for the odd translation problems with road signs to destinations and the expensive road tolls , but if you travel off the highways it’s inexpensive 🤩🚐
If the deer run away, they will chase after them. It's best not to tease them. Just stand there quietly and offer them some rice crackers. You don't have to offer them equally. Don't worry, other customers will give the deer the ones you don't get. Also, the rice crackers are just "gifts." You could say that the deer enjoy interacting with the customers. Don't worry, the deer are well looked after by animal welfare organizations. 😅😉😊
I feel for Sandy when I see all those stairs. That country must take the record for stairs. Such an amazing beautiful country but I agree completely that there are entirely too many people. I don't like crowds and the noise of them either. The rain was just the finishing touch 😢Hopefully you found an oasis of quiet to rest, regroup and recharge. Excited to see what adventures you find next. Stay safe and GOD bless
Thank you Alice 😊🙏🚐yes they’ve almost as many steps as people we reckon 🤩it’s always better to experience the downsides of vanlife so that you can truly appreciate the good bits 🚐🤩
Wow! You guys were in 'our neck of the woods' (Shizuoka) it would have been amazing if we had of bumped into you while we were out and about. Perfect weather when you were in the Ito area of Izu Peninsula. We love Izu and the many hidden gems that can be found , off the beaten path (small car required). Your "slow ride" up Mt.Omuro and the wonderful views are something that we did a few years ago and have fond memories of being up there. Great that Tim decided to partake in the archery experience and got some nice camera angles of it. Glad the "Flowers to showers" eventually worked out for ya. Lookin' forward to watching more of your Japan adventure. I presume that you guys are back in Australia by now or are you still in Japan?
Thank you🤦♂️🙏alas we are back in Australia, we would have loved to have bumped into you in Japan 🤩we will be back in Japan for more adventures in the future 😊🚐it’s such a beautiful and diverse country 😀meanwhile we are embarking on a year long adventure exploring Australia 🤩🚐
The two of you together is a riot, very funny and entertaining. Fantastic job on the fitout for I believe to be a reasonable cost for a beautiful finish. No doubt the both of you will enjoy your new rolling home and time together...keep laughing and enjoy the road life!
Ooooh, Golden Week. Oops. 😆 Long chips for the win though. Izu does look lovely. We have yet to go down that way. Driven by a couple of times and hopefully we'll get there next time, however the plan is too hit the far north of Honshu in the winter so who knows. So much to see and do in that fabulous country. Good to see you're having the odd ice cream. It is amazing in some places. The flavours can be wacky but delicious. Another most excellent episode!
Thank you 😊🙏yes the Izu peninsula is a definite visit for its beautiful waterfalls and stunning scenery 🤩we would love to explore the northern parts of Japanese in the future 🤩🚐
I connect to revisiting the van several times when we pull up at a location ‘ did you lock the door ‘ starts it then ‘ have you got the xxx ‘ 😂 Getting a late parkup is tiring for sure …. Thanks for sharing
Thank you stu 😊🙏yes the walk around checking all the door handles are locked and still walking away second guessing if it’s secure 🤦♂️🚐and the return for forgotten items is part of the charm for f vanlife ❤️
Japan is a wonderful place but in a campervan you have to work hard to bathe. We found Sentos to be a great way. Search using 'public bath' or 'sento'. They usually are not concerned about tattoos. Supersentos on the other hand are so go to the little local ones. Tall chimneys for heating the water are a give away. Park ups are always a challenge. Michi no ekis were our go to if all else failed. Did you find any hotted up cars and bikes making being noisy at night? It seemed to be thing this year but not in the past. We had that problem a couple of times even at a small michi no eki. I am enjoying your videos, Natsukashī - we crossed paths but at different times.
Thank you 😊🙏so pleased you enjoyed our adventures 🤩although we found showers hard to come by , we found that it didn’t detract from the magnificent experience of Japan at all , we saw many hotted up cars and motorcycles there but appreciated them for their beauty and engineering excellence 😊but not so much their noise 😂
やっほー！G-day Mate. I really enjoy watching your expression of facing the culture shock. haha not expected before hand? It makes the country safe but it may be a little harsh to foreigners. haha Yeah! your finger pointing 12:23 there is always get away from a pothole..hahahah Have you thought of deported? hahahah Certainly it is beauty! 12:44 you guys filmed and edited it so professionally. love it. Haha,,, safety first....Sandy and Tim avoiding lawsuit.. Have you heard a person can sue and win the lawsuit ; a taxi driver splashed water at her hahah I am so sorry You had hard time finding the parking and dealing with chaotic traffic. I could have asked my JP caravan friends if I knew you had a plan to visit JP. OMGoodness, Golden Week!!! What to expect! hahahah joking with YOU. What? how was your archery activities....? Sandy,, you look gorgeous with FUJI flowers in the background 23: 37 You should have rented Yukata dress to take a Photo. I cannot wait for more laughs to watch, Sandy and Tim. I thank YOU Have a restful weekend. love love bestie. what did you think of my waterfall? hhahahaah you can get to the bottom of the waterfall without warning. hahah This is USA hahaha
Thankyou Mskayak7seas 😊🙏Japan is such a wonderful country and we love the differences in the cultures 🤩❤️and how they have a stark contrast with each other
Just had to move 3 times in Ireland 🤦♂️ boy racers flying around the van bibbing their horns loud music and that’s in a flippin country park beauty spot with cameras 🤬 safe travels and a fab vid folks x x x
What a beautiful quiver you have there. I hadn't realised that it has been a year, belated Happy Anniversary. Another great episode. Thanks for sharing.
Sometimes the best laid plans cost too many yen! The places you visited are absolutely beautiful! Those were huge bumble bees! Sometimes they will land on you or buzz around you, they are just checking for food. Stand still, don't swat at them and they will quickly leave. Move a little slower so they don't feel threatened. I guess everywhere there is danger and dodgey- you have to remember to keep your guard up, even on holiday. I think the 7 11 and the vending machines are amazing ideas! Wish we had that here. Loved your tee-shirt Sandy, and Tim plays the best music. Glad you are taking us along to beautiful places we'll never see in person. Thank you for the work it takes to do so. Safe, happy travels and Hot showers! GOD bless ❤
Thank you Alice 😊🙏bumblebees are just doing there job but sandy is scared silly of them 😊I always reassure her to mind them no business as they’re not concerned with us humans 😀she’s getting braver but still nervous around them 😊7/11 and Japan in general have a wonderful variety and high quality of food and beverages at a very affordable price unlike our respective countries 🤦♂️
Wow those queues 😳. We have a bit of a fun game we play with our grandkids when we get fish n chips “who has the longest chip” haha you win 😂! Flower garden was beautiful. Some days are just tough no matter where you are or what your doing but you guys do it well. Thanks again for sharing your journey.
