Davide and Oti, off duty
We recognized that while we write many articles in our travel blog about places that we visit, we say how amazing they are, we upload photos, and we tell you how to go there, we never say anything about us, and more than that we rarely put photos of the gypsy travellers in action! So we thought about making up for this mistake and to offer you an insight into our lives while we travel, and while we are "in vacation", that is while we are off duty at home.
When we visit our families we like to relax and have fun when we can, as you can see from the cover photo, but the reality is that often we are at the PC, updating the website, dreaming about our next destinations and more than all, organizing our insane amount of photos and videos! Yes, you wouldn't believe it, but we have also plenty of video material, that unfortunately struggle to "see the light" and got blocked somewhere in between dimensions. Our You-Tube channel is kind of craving for new videos, and it can't wait for Oti to fill it up with new amazing adventures! And if you still don't believe me, there is a proof!
The Silhouette of Oti shooting a videoAnd when you are bored of staying at the computer in a city that doesn't offer too many distractions, then you have to care yourself for your entertainment. Davide likes to fight against himself at night and to throw light beams to defeat his clone. But don't worry, he is not doing that every night, he did it just once and it was a lot of fun. And you might not believe it, but he was paid to do that, that's how gypsy travellers fund they lifestyle!
Davide experimenting with long exposure photography and light painting
When it's the moment to go out in the city, we never leave our bicycles behind, we simply can't live without them, and we miss them so much while traveling.
Now you are probably wondering: So why don't you travel by bike? Don't worry we are working on that!
Actually that's a quite recent evolution since when Davide first met Oti almost 3 years ago, she didn't know how to ride a bicycle! Maybe she just missed a good teacher like Davide, or probably just good will, because after only a few days of "private classes" she took her bike, and together with Davide they cycled in the scary roads of Rome for over 50km to attend a cyclists demonstration! Now Oti completely trasformed into a new bike-human mythological being.
Davide and Oti attending the Critical Mass in Rome
And talking about means of transportation, the funniest one we used while travelling, was probably in Scandinavia, during our trip to see Northern Lights in Norway. We were hosted in a isolated house a few kilometers away from a village, and to go and take food, we borrowed two sledges that we rode in the empty and icy roads of the Arctic Circle. Funny but how tiring! On the way back we couldn't anymore, and we were looking for two reindeer in the woods to pull our sledges. We didn't find them.
Davide riding a sledge in Norway
And the north was also a good occasion to test our abilities to make a fire in the snow. Because you never know if you are going to need it while hitchhiking! After all that's what we were teaching to the kids in Switzerland the previous summer, while working in summer camps.
Davide was so proud of his one match fire in the Arctic!
Davide making a fire in the snow
And actually when you travel hitchhiking you really need a lot of adaptation and survival skills. And when you get stuck and you don't know where to go, you just look around and you find the best solution for the night. And sometimes the best solution might be to sleep in a toilet. And you still find the energy to make fun out of the situation and to build a memorable experience.
With room service included: the cleaning lady coming to wake you up in the morning!
Oti dressing like a fly in a Norwegian toilet
Sometimes you end up sleeping in a toilet, and when you are looking for it instead, you can't find it! And Davide is a master of this ancient art, and he likes to find the strangest places to empty his bladder. This time he decided to water some stones in Lofoten Islands to see if there could grow flowers. We know that's not a good example, but when you can't hold it anymore, you just can't!
Davide using a natural toilet
You might think that we like cold weather and winter. But actually Oti just hate cold! She can't stand any temperature below 10 °C (50 F) and she recharge her battery when she is in the water. We never miss some weeks at the seaside during our trips, and that's not difficult when you are originally from Italy. Despite this, Davide is still struggling to feel comfortable when swimming in the sea, and he can't go any further than his feet can go. What an Italian!
Oti running on the waterAnd sometimes we can't choose between mountains and seaside, so we just make a compromise and we choose both. It's probably not a coincidence if we like rocks and cliffs, since we first met at a rock climbing course! Well, not that we are that experienced climbers, but we like to feel the rocks from time to time and to get connected with nature.
Oti next to a cliff in Praia a Mare
And what about drinking water while you are travelling? We always have at least a couple of liters with us, but when there is no more and you can't find it anywhere, dehydration is a serious risk. That's why Davide once decided to drink water from the drinking throught of the animals! What a gross experience.
Never miss water while hiking!
Well that was actually a joke, hopefully you didn't believe it, he was acting like drinking, just for the photo! But situations like this can really happen while you are travelling, so you better take more water than you expect to drink. Once we were hiking in Sainte Maries de la Mer, Camargue, it was almost 40 °C (212F) and we knew that there were no water sources on the way. We tried every trick to prolong our reserves of water, resting in the shadow and dipping in the sea from time to time, but eventually we didn't reach our destination. We thought it was wiser to go back to the beginning, when we had just half of our initial water left. That's a good tip to remember in similar situations. And also don't under-evaluate the power of the sun and don't forget your sunscreen when you are in sunny weather. We came back with legs totally burned by the sun!
Davide resting in the shadow in Camargue
If you didn't recognized it, we didn't put many picture from cities. We recharge most of our energies when we are in nature, but we also like to tour cities from time to time, to visit museums, beautiful architectures and inspiring pieces of art. And also to make fun of them!
A statue is caddling Davide
And it's not only Davide, but also Otilia likes to have fun and make strange faces while sightseeing. And when you see such a funny fountain, what a better occasion for a few laughs?
Otilia miming the face of the fountainBut to travel doesn't only means to move around from place to place. It's also about experiencing a different lifestyle and learning new things. That's why from time to time we stop for a few weeks and we volunteer in local projects. This help us to mix our activities, to slow down, and to reduce our expenses.
Oti making clay balls for a raw-earth construction
And of course that's also a good moment to test our social skills and to hang out with people and in places that we couldn't know in a different way. That's how we ended up in this "secret" tea house in Crevillent, when we were volunteering in Novelda, drinking chai with our hosts and their friends, in a Moroccan style residence with a beautiful garden.
Tea house in Crevillent
And when also volunteering is still not slow enough, we feel like we need our space and some comfort but it's not time to go back home, then it's the moment to think about house and pet-sitting! We had some experiences in this field, but we are actually quite new, so we hope to post some more updates very soon!
Davide petting a lucky dog
Davide Vadalà
