Freedom is calling and your dream road trip is imminent! Campsite amenities and restaurants have opened up and no more will hugging your friend be illegal.

Whilst some are ready to jump right back into travelling, some of you may have questions, concerns and anxieties about getting back on the road. This is why this year’s virtual Camp Quirky event is focused on post-lockdown travels and nurturing your mind on the road.

Meet our esteemed panelists who will be on hand to answer all your road trip queries.

19th May | Preparing for Adventures

Pathofra | Travelling in Europe since Brexit and Covid

A bit about Rita & Anthony:

Rita and Anthony are van lifers, travelling with their companion ‘Sun’. They have been roaming the world full-time since 2015, the last two of those within a self-converted old school-minibus. They are loving life on the road and aim to pioneer a holistic digital-nomadic lifestyle through energy work and value exchange.

What can we expect to hear from you at the event?

During the event we will cover our lockdown story in Spain, our unique position in navigating the recent events and wrap up with recommendations for how to travel long term around Europe and blaze a trail for the future of self-sustainable travelling. 

We will also include societal and cultural attitudes towards travellers and how perceptions have changed and will change in the near future, what the current situation has taught us all about cleanliness and how the global reaction to a pandemic reveals the future of travel and exploration, post-covid & post-brexit, for UK travellers and what UK travellers can do at this time to continue exploring long-term and create a positive impact collectively.

What are you most looking forward to?

We are most looking forward to the ‘Leave it better’ section because we advocate cleaning up the world we live and raising awareness of our responsibility as human-kind to be stewards of the planet.

We are also very happy to see an entire day dedicated to mental health. Now that everyone has had time in isolation, it has brought this issue to the forefront of our collective awareness. When we change ourselves, we change the world.

Which Quirky cocktail would you be and why?

We would definitely be a QUIRKILICIOUS cocktail! It’s got a spicy vibe and who doesn’t love a good pirate rum! ARRR! We love to be chasing the Sun in tropical climates, so a mango is always close by. Any opportunity to add some healthy fruit and vital nutrients to a naughty cocktail is a great way to balance the equation.

A Yorkshire Soul | Travelling with dogs

A bit about Lauren:

Hi, I’m Lauren and by day I’m a Marketing Assistant here at Quirky, by night I’m an avid reader and pizza connoisseur. After spending the majority of my 20’s skint and stressed, my boyfriend and I decided to take the leap and move into our van full-time in March with our two dogs, Indiana Bones and Demba. Since purchasing the van last year , life has been a constant adventure – one weekend we’ll be in Cornwall, the next we will be in the lakes.

What can we expect to hear from you at the event?

Expect to hear a little bit about my dogs and how they’ve settled into van life and what you could do to prepare your pooches for life on the road. I’ll also cover a bit about travelling with your dog abroad and the pet passport process.

What are you most looking forward to?

The thing I’m most excited about however if the Nurturing your mind and others event on the 20th. After over a year of being locked down, many of us at some point have felt isolated and lonely. I know in the past I’ve struggled to find coping mechanisms for my own anxieties, so it will be really interesting to hear from the panel and learn about their experiences.

Which Quirky cocktail would you be and why?

I’d be a Quirkilicious for sure because I’d like to think I am a sweet Northerner with a tropical kick!

Laura Fiddes of Brown and Bird Company | What you can cook in an Omnia Oven

A bit about Laura:

“Hey, I’m Laura. I live in my van full time which I built with my parter Jacqui and we run Brown Bird and Company. As part of BB&CO we sell Omnia Ovens and accessories and also build beautiful handcrafted campervans. I also work part time for Quirky Campers and head up onboarding new campervans and owners to the hire fleet.”

What can we expect to hear from you at the event?

What an Omnia is, what it does, ideas for lots of different things you can cook in it, recipes and hopefully a live demonstration!

What are you most looking forward to?

Sharing all the different creations you can cook on a hob without a built-in oven.

Which Quirky cocktail would you be and why?

The Quirky Mule as I’m obsessed with ginger!!

She Is The Lost Girl | Routes and itineraries

A bit about Beth:

Hi I’m Beth and I’ve been travelling full time for the last 6 and a half years, not all of it in a van, much of it was backpacking but it has given me a change to get pretty good at planning trips and finding cool places to visit.

What can we expect to hear from you at the event?

I’ll be sharing all my tips, tricks and hacks about planning a really unforgettable getaway.

What are you most looking forward to?

I am really looking forward to this online event! Mostly I’m looking forward to hearing from the other panelists and learning even more about them and getting some new tips! I am also excited about answering your questions and connecting with new people! The camper community is forever growing which is wonderful because its a great way of life! I’m so happy to have been chosen to take part in this wonderful event, its going to be a lot of fun! 

Which Quirky cocktail would you be and why?

I would be a Quirk on the beach for sure. As much as I love being in the mountains, the beach will always have a special place in my heart as I grew up on the south cost of England. There is nothing more peaceful than listening to the waves crash while seagulls try to steal your chips, haha! Seriously though, the beach has healing powers I’m sure of it.

Eve from Leave It Better | Leave It Better

A bit about Eve:

“Eve, a 23 year old student currently studying an MA in sustainability whilst converting a van and running the Leave It Better community which is all about encouraging people to live responsibly whilst travelling and living in their vans, spreading positive messages about van life but understanding we have a responsibility to keep pleases clean and respect the nature around us!”

What can we expect to hear from you at the event?

Talking all things from how we need to leave next level leave no trace, how to support communities and how to respect the ‘locals’ whilst we are all out living #vanlife! 

What are you most looking forward to?

How we can travel in Europe and get up to date on what we need to be aware of with travel post Brexit. Can’t wait to go abroad and need to be in the know how.

Which Quirky cocktail would you be and why?

I’d be the quirkito – Minty and fresh tasting always my go to cocktail! Not too complicated and simple, just like our leave it better message.

Greg Virgoe | How to find parkups

A bit about Greg:

In 2017 we purchased our empty sprinter van and set about converting it into a luxury camper van. In June 2018 we both left fulltime jobs, the following month we left our house and moved into the van full time. 

Since then we have been living the dream, touring Europe and loving life on the open road and long to see a lot more of the world.

What can we expect to hear from you at the event?

My chat will be about how we find park ups using many different methods, what to expect and the etiquette of wild camping.

What are you most looking forward to?

Always great to meet new people, see their vans and hear about their adventures.

20th May | Nurturing your Mind and Each Other

Mr & Mrs Adventure | Journaling and looking after yourself through words

A bit about Brittany & Drew:

We are an adventure-hungry couple who have been living full-time on the road, exploring the cultures and awe-inspiring landscapes across Europe, the UK, Africa, Canada and America, since 2015. We currently live in our self-converted Sprinter Van, dubbed Spirit, and are in search of a land to call home… wherever and whenever the time is right!

What can we expect to hear from you at the event?

We will be sharing about how to nurture your mind, and others, through words. The words we think, the words we write, the words we speak, read and hear.

What are you most looking forward to?

Most looking forward to being able to connect with and support people in our community, new and old!

Which Quirky cocktail would you be and why?

We would be a Quirk on the Beach because we are always seeking those endless summer vibes. Plus any chance to get in the water and count us in! 

Kinging It | Mindfulness

A bit about Aimee & Craig:

We are Craig and Aimee, from South Wales, UK. After Aimee was diagnosed with Cancer at 18 and Craig broke his neck shortly after by a freak accident, we decided life really is too short. (Watch that video here https://bit.ly/3kuiZBA)

We love to give ourselves travel challenges, whether it’s driving a 1.2 litre Fiat Panda across the glob, or driving a Rickshaw the length of India, we love anything that scares us! Throw us into an untravelled country with a mad vehicle and you’ll find us having the best time possible.
Our mantra is Rule Your Own World.

What can we expect to hear from you at the event?

We will talk about ways in which you can stay more present. Things you can do to help get you out of your head and enjoy wherever you are and be sharing tips on how to bring yourself into the moment and helping people feel connected.

What are you most looking forward to?

Looking forward to connecting with the vanlife community and meeting other like minded people who share a passion for travel and adventure.

Which Quirky cocktail would you be and why?

Quirkito – lime, sugar, mint, rum and sea water.

Jade from Van Life Builds | Coping mechanisms

A bit about Jade:

Hey, I’m Jade, you may know me from Van Life Builds, otherwise I’m pretty quiet on the old socials (area of development ha ha) I have another profession, other than building vans with our lovely Wayne! My first passion has and always will be helping others, I am a trained mental health practitioner and work with both businesses and individuals! That is why I am so excited to be involved in the Nurture Your Mind and Others Quirky Event.

What can we expect to hear from you at the event?

I’ll be touching on the reason behind the Mental Health Awareness Video that I created, involving lots of Van lifers, and why it is important to stop comparing yourself to others online.

I’m also going to teach a coping strategy that we can all use when we are feeling overwhelmed, and share a little bit about my own personal struggles with mental illness.

What are you most looking forward to?

It’s a close call when it comes to vans and cocktails 🤣 don’t make me choose!

Which Quirky cocktail would you be and why?

Quirkito, purely because it sounds lots of fun and I like a good giggle! We could all do with a bit of that right now!