I completed my first gifted collaboration

Last month I received my first gifted collaboration through Instagram and I thought I’d share it with you here because I genuinely loved the products gifted to me and I had so much fun doing it. 

I found the opportunity through a site called Social Cat, for anyone that might be thinking about doing a gifted collaboration, it’s worth a look. 

I would say that it’s not the best place to find these opportunities depending on how many followers you have and there aren’t always loads of relevant brands in there. 

That said, I still enjoy checking it out each day and it clearly worked in this case. So let’s hope I get some others in the future through this site! 

But I digress. 

Working with Kindred Fires

The brand I collaborated with is called Kindred Fires and they make the most beautiful hand poured candles. 

They have a range of designs and loads of personalised candles too. They offered me three candles of my choosing, which was so generous. 

So I went for a Personalised Map Candle of Perranporth (of course!), a Happiness Aromatherapy candle and a Secret Beach Scented Amber Candle. 

When they arrived the packaging was so beautiful and contained the three candles plus a little message from Kindred Fires, some matches and even some beautiful bath salts. 

I initially took some photos and videos of me unboxing the gifts, although I don’t particularly enjoy doing traditional unboxing videos. So instead, I shared a snippet on my story and then used that content in my Instagram reels. 

I then waited for a lovely sunny evening when we planned to go down to the beach and took the candles with me so I could get some nice photos before they started to burn down. 

After that, I used them as intended and snapped some photos each time, which later became the basis of another reel. 

I was pretty happy with the end result and I think it’s fair to say that the team at Kindred Fires were too.

Hoping for future gifted collaborations 

I absolutely loved working on little project and sharing this content and I’d love to do more collaborations in the future. 

Sure, one day I’d love to start getting paid and monetising my Instagram, but I think I’m a long way off that yet. 

When we start to convert the van I am hoping I will be able to generate some genuinely interesting content and really start to pick up some traction on Instagram. But we’ll see about that nearer the time. 

I’m also debating starting an Instagram account for Lunar as I already have SO much Lunar-based content to share. But it does feel like a lot of work to manage yet another account. 

And does that officially make me a crazy dog lady?

Hmmmm. 

So yes, I’m still undecided on that front. 

What do you think? 

Big changes are coming for the Larkins

Well, it’s been a while since I’ve shared anything on here, so I thought I'd start with a cute picture of me and Lunar at the pub.

Despite my best intentions of being an engaging and proactive blogger in 2024, I have once again fallen victim to my own procrastination, busyness and struggle to focus on my own writing after work. 

Since I last shared an update on here, so much has changed in our lives. 

We were given notice on our sweet little chalet and have since moved out into a static caravan for the summer. This is because we will be leaving Perranporth in September. 

After over five years, we will be leaving our home. 

*Takes a deep breath and tries not to cry into the keyboard for three hours* 

So where will we be going?

We will be going back to Hampshire for a few months to be nearer to family and to…drum roll please… BUILD A NEW VAN! 

We are so unbelievably sad to be leaving Perran (no seriously, I cannot imagine not being here everyday and am very much in denial right now), but it will all be so worth it to convert our new van and spend some time nearer to our friends and family. 

At least it will be once we stop crying and pining for our life by the beach. 

How am I going to survive without beach walks?!

Must. Pull. Myself. Together. 

The truth is, although we’ll be sad to go, we’ll probably come straight back here once our new van is up and running. We also plan to drive up to Scotland again and I want to go over to Ireland. 

After that, our plans include Croatia, Albania, Italy, Portugal, Spain and probably a million more places that we come up with along the way.

I cannot wait to be on the road again. To be a full time van lifer and digital nomad again. 

I’m also SUPER excited to be able to document our van build right from the start this time. 

So watch this space for lots of van conversion videos and content, I’ll be giving details about everything we buy and every step of the process.

... She says praying that she doesn't get to sidetracked and let this blog slide again.

Our careers are pivoting 

Since my last post Danny has also left his job as we are soon to be leaving Perranporth so he’s once again self-employed and looking for a remote job he can do while we travel.

There are some ideas in the making for that as well, so keep an eye out!

I finished my first Instagram collaboration recently which was really exciting! I was gifted some beautiful candles from Kindred Fires, you can check them out here.

I am also considering shifting my business slightly to focus more on Instagram collaborations and marketing services. I already do a lot of SEO work with a couple of my clients and this is something I’d love to do more. 

But there’s a lot to be done before I can jump in. 

So for now, I’m just working away behind the scenes and attempting to build up my online presence. Should probably be better at this blogging lark, right? 

Of course, we’re also trying to make the most of our final weeks in this wonderful place, so most of our free time is currently spent on the beach, at our favourite pubs or doing coastal walks. 

And on that note, I’m going to end but hopefully our final adventures for the summer will help me to generate some great content on here and on Instagram.

We went to Nanjizal Beach the other day and absolutely fell in love so I need to share some content on these outings soon. We’ve also been doing a lot more wild swimming in the mornings; when the sun is out, at least. 

So yeah, what this space for some exciting new happenings! 

Peace X 

How to start van life: Everything you need to know

We love being outdoors, on the move and seeing new places where no two days are the same - and van life allows us to do this perfectly. 

Our experience started back in 2015 when we travelled around Europe, living in our car for three months. From there, it naturally progressed and we bought and converted our own campervan that we lived in for two years. 

And now, we are eagerly waiting to buy a new van and start the adventure all over again! 

 But during our time living in our wonderful Ford Transit van, one of the most common questions we were asked by those thinking about van life is how you get started. 

So I thought I’d put together this guide to help. 

Are you thinking about starting van life? Let me tell you how we did it! 

1. Decide if it’s right for you 

It might seem like a nice idea in theory, especially if you’ve seen lots of dreamy, romanticised Instagram posts from current van lifers.  

But before you take the leap and start van life you need to seriously consider whether it is for you. This is a serious consideration if you're going to be moving out of your house, getting rid of a great deal of your stuff or if you’ve got dependents, either of the human or fluffy variety. 

And it’s not just about getting rid of your stuff. Van life seems idyllic and man does Instagram make it look fun, but when you haven't showered in three days, you’re washing in the sink (true story), you're trying to find somewhere to fill up your water containers or you can’t find a sensible spot for the night, it doesn't always seem so cute. 

Of course, those moments are just part of the van life experience and we’ve come to terms with that, but we also know it’s not the lifestyle for everyone. 

If you're unsure whether it’s the right lifestyle for you, check out our recent post - Is van life for me? The guide will ask you nine questions to help you determine whether van life is the right decision for you or not. 

2. Decide how you're going to fund your lifestyle 

First and foremost, you need to be able to buy a van (otherwise van life is going to be pretty tricky) so you’ll need to set some budget aside for that. 

You’ll also need to decide how you're going to fund your lifestyle - do you plan to save up? Are you selling/renting your house out? Are you a digital nomad or do you plan to find work during your adventures?

Put some thought into how you're going to fund your lifestyle, particularly if you’re planning on moving around a lot as it can be harder to find long-term positions. Unless you can do your existing job remotely, that is. 

3. Choose whether you want to buy or convert your van (and which van to choose)

To make a real go of van life, you need to choose the right van for your lifestyle. This means deciding whether you're going to buy a ready-made van or if you're going to design and convert one yourself. 

If you’ve got children or pets travelling with you, you might need more space not just for them but for their stuff. 

So before you begin van life you should spend some time looking at other people’s vans, getting some ideas, conducting research and looking at what’s out there depending on your budget. 

Your chosen van might also depend on how much and how far you plan on travelling. There are plenty of people out there living in vans and cool converted spaces like double-decker buses, but they never really move anywhere. They either rent, own or come to an agreement with landowners that allows them to stay for long periods of time. 

Or, you might want something small and compact that is great for stealthy camping. There’s a lot to consider and you want to get the perfect van for you, so don’t rush this process.

If you’re feeling stuck, here’s a really useful guide from Engineers Who Van Life, about things you need to think about before choosing the right van. 

4. Pick where you want to go

Next up, you need to decide where you want to go in your van. Will you be staying in your home country or do you want to venture abroad? If you plan on going further afield it’s a good idea to look into visas and the rules of the road before you get going. 

Once you’ve got a better idea of where you want to go you can also get clued up on the rules of overnight parking, places to stay, your rights etc. There are loads of helpful blogs out there that offer tailored advice for your chosen countries. 

For those in the UK and Europe, I highly recommend you download the ‘Search for Sites’ app, which helps you find places to park that are rated by other van lifers - it was a life-saver around the North coast of Scotland. 

5. Downsize your life

Eventually, the moment will come to start downsizing your life! Even the biggest vans with the most creative storage solutions only have so much room - and it’s not as much as a house. So there comes a time when you need to clear out, sell up or put your stuff in storage.

It can be stressful, but you’ll be amazed how much crap you accumulate over the years that you don't really need. 

As well as being practical, there’s also something very freeing about downsizing your life, it makes you more appreciative of what you do have and everything tends to serve a purpose. 

6. Tie up your loose ends 

Now you’ve got the perfect van, you’ve downsized your life, you’ve got money in the bank and/or know how you're going to fund your lifestyle, you're almost ready to go!

But before you do, you need to tie up any loose ends. This might mean finding someone to rent your house, giving up your rented home, leaving your existing job, redirecting your post to a parent's place or simply just saying goodbye to everyone if you plan to be gone for a while. 

Once you're feeling ready, set yourself a date for the official move to van life and start getting excited! 

It’s time to start van life

It’s a really weird feeling when you start van life, but it’s such an exciting new chapter in your life. 

If there are any stages of starting van life that you still feel confused about or if I’ve missed something obvious and huge (which is totally possible) - feel free to drop me a comment below. 

Happy van living!