VAN LIFE WITH EAMON & BEC
My Solo Road Episode 32 | ft. Eamon & Bec
Traveling the world, starting a company, and making plans for the future during a pandemic. On this episode of My Solo Road I talk all things travel, van life, relationships, and earning a remote income with Eamon and Bec. They offer their unique perspectives on all of these, and give advice for getting started yourself!
FIND THE EPISODE
How it all Started
- Eamon and Bec both worked for a company specializing in experiential marketing, a marketing style that focuses on creating experiences between potential customers and the product being sold.
- When Bec first started at the company, Eamon was actually her boss! She claims to have had an immediate feeling that he was something special and while Eamon claims to have experienced something similar, he also remembers thinking that she wouldn’t be interested.
- The two worked on various campaigns together, allowing them to become better friends and spend more time together. While working on a Motrin campaign, they were able to attend events such as volleyball tournaments.
- While working this job Bec began researching jobs as a dancer on a cruise ship, something she thought would allow her to pursue her dream of traveling.
- At the same time that Bec was exploring job options that would allow her to travel, Eamon invited her to join him and his friend on a trip to Thailand. A month into their trip they got together, though they were both hesitant to title or label the relationship, thinking they were too young with too many adventures left to be had to settle down.
Previous Travel
- Eamon and Bec began their travels together after booking one-way tickets to Thailand.
- They have moved to Australia. Twice.
- In their early years of travel the two started a YouTube channel, called Travel Bugs. Bec’s education and training in media helped her with the basics of creating these videos, but it was a shared passion for the process that kept them filming even before they had an audience.
- Their travels have allowed them to have many experiences, such as backpacking and living in a van, all over the world.
- While they spoke highly of all of the places they’ve traveled, high recommendations were given for the following places:
- 1) Baja California, Mexico — Eamon says it is very “accessible, affordable, and underrated for vanlife” 2) Iceland 3)New Zealand 4)The Philippines, especially for backpacking 5)Morocco
Current Van Build
- Eamon and Bec are currently building a new van for their future travels.
- This is their third build, one of which was for Eamon’s dad.
- This build is nearing the end, they are finishing up the electrical components of the build.
- A slight mixup with wiring has delayed the completion of the build some, but this build is more complex than the previous ones. Despite not being completed, they are currently living in the van.
- Their new van is a Mercedes Sprinter 170 Extended. Some changes they are planning to make in this build is a fixed bed with a fold down portion that will allow for more seating so that they can continue to comfortably host their friends in the van.
- Advice from the couple: your priorities should determine your plan when designing the build, and remember that a van is always a work in progress as things change once you live in it!
Van Life & Relationships
Eamon and Bec had the following things to say when asked about the difficulties of building a van with a significant other while also living with and working with them, and still finding time to take care of individual needs and mental health.
- Bec begins by acknowledging the added difficulty of not only building the van, but capturing it on film and sharing the journey.
- Eamon says one key to the success of their relationship is patience, as well as trusting one another to keep things running smoothly.
- Bec adds that “when [the relationship] is right and it works, it really works.” The pair discusses the importance of designated roles and respect for those roles as a contributing factor to things working.
- Amongst other things, it is important to delegate different tasks and to have a vision of your goal.
- Bec discusses how Eamon is the more extroverted of the two, telling about how he will happily go out and about on his own, meeting new people and talking to them for hours. While she enjoys doing this too, especially with supporters/followers, the pressure to live up to someone else’s expectations of you can be stressful.
- The importance of having your own space. While it is important to treat others kindly and to help people feel seen and heard, you need to still maintain privacy. The pair discuss how people will often stop by their office just to visit, something that can create an obstacle for this balance.
Van Safety
- While many, many experiences on the road will be positive, it is always important to take safety precautions to ensure your own wellbeing.
- When traveling in Spain, Eamon and Bec’s van was broken into.
- It can be easy to focus on the negatives in this situation, but the couple began this story by talking about the kindness shown to them by friends they met while in Spain. These new friends helped them navigate the language barrier that was present while dealing with the police.
- The location where this incident occurred was known for crime, especially theft of vehicles, but the two stopped there while volunteering. They suspect that someone had been watching and following them and then broke into the van.
- Eamon says that there are expensive locks and cameras that can be installed in a van, but adds that if someone wants to get into your van then they will get into your van. While this is not necessarily encouraging, both Eamon and Bec want people to know that it is the truth.
- One measure that can be taken to enhance safety are reading reviews of locations you plan on visiting in advance, something that will help you to be more aware of your surroundings. Other proactive measures that are discussed are to have clever hiding spots in the van for valuables, to leave out less valuable and/or damaged items (that you don’t mind losing) that are commonly stolen, and, if possible, to insure any valuables that you have.
Earning a Remote Income
- Eamon and Bec are the owner of their tea company, Chaiwala. After selling to all of the local companies in Canada they decided to take to the road to continue to grow their brand without costs of flights and lodging to do so.
- While Chaiwala brings in enough money to keep the couple on the road, it does not bring high profits. The freedom they’ve gotten from owning this company, however, has allowed them to focus more on their YouTube channel and become monetized.
- Through their YouTube channel they started “Freestyle Friday” videos which led to the development of their cookbook, Weekday Whip Ups.
- They have also launched a line of presets, further diversifying their means of income.
- The pros and cons of both tangible and digital products should be considered when developing a new idea. While a tangible product is rewarding because of the unique way you can pour yourself into a project, digital products do tend to allow for more profit because no physical product is having to be produced.
- Eamon stresses that it is important, however, to make sure that you have an audience to sell to, or, according to Bec, a marketing plan to get your product out to people. It is crucial to build a community of people that will trust you enough to purchase your product.
Advice on Business Endeavors
- Bec: “You have to love the process. That’s what will keep you going when things get tough.”
- Communication, communication, communication! There are already so many factors that will make your business difficult, don’t let a lack of communication add to them.
- Know when you need help, and be willing to seek it out. As their projects have grown, the couple realized that they needed some assistance with their YouTube channel and have recently hired a manager.
- Bec adds that it is important to remember, when working with a partner, to “really appreciate, value, and know each other’s strengths and weaknesses to avoid stepping on each other’s toes in those spaces.”
Future Plans
- Due to COVID, Bec and Eamon are not able to travel to the eastern provinces of Canada as they had planned to do. Instead they will likely travel to Northern Ontario to look for a piece of land to build on.
- Bec says that they are still grieving the loss of their plan to drive around the world while also struggling to decide what to do regarding their first van, Trinity, that is still waiting for them in Morocco.
- As far as entrepreneurial goals, Bec says that they are always up to something! They are looking to continue expanding their YouTube channel, and to start the second season of their podcast.
Keeping Up with Eamon and Bec
WRITTEN BY: Stephanie Harrington
