Victoria and her husband Nick live in a converted van. They travel across Europe and beyond, cooking delicious vegan food and sharing recipes on the road, hoping to start a fire in the hearts of those who are also thinking about eliminating animal products from their diet.
Two years ago, their lives were very different: eating a tiny apartment, working every day to pay the bills, a fleeting sense of freedom that came with the weekend. It seemed to be a looping circle.
But one day everything changed: there was an opportunity to buy a 16-seater minibus at an incredibly low price. Images of a new life immediately lit up in the imagination: is this really a chance to explore the world together? A chance to get a home they could call their own? Nick had to leave his job, but Victoria was able to continue working remotely from her computer. The idea took possession of them, and there was no going back.
Making the transition to a new life turned out to be much easier than one might think. Soon Victoria and Nick got used to say goodbye to old unnecessary things. Turning a minibus into a motor home proved more difficult, but they were driven by a dream of a life of travel.
In October 2016, Victoria and Nick boarded a car ferry in Portsmouth, headed to Spain and started talking about their life, travel and veganism online. Their account at Creative Cuisine Victoria is a true celebration of vegetables, travel and freedom, showing that despite limited space, you can cook delicious meals wherever you are.
Life on the road is constant change. Arriving in new places, cities or countries, Victoria and Nick cook their own meals with completely different ingredients – and never know what will be in their hands the next day. In some countries, seasonal products of all shapes and sizes can be found on every corner, but other ingredients familiar in the home country are not there.
For three months in Morocco, Victoria and Nick did not find a single mushroom, and in Albania there was absolutely no avocado. The ability to adapt recipes to the ingredients at hand has led Victoria to discover new food combinations that she had not even thought about before (although when, after two months of fruitless searching, she managed to find a can of coconut milk, her joy still knew no bounds).
Victoria is fascinated by the cuisine of the places they visit. Having her own tiny kitchen gives her a unique opportunity to veganize traditional dishes from different countries. Paella from Spain, trio bruschetta from Italy, moussaka from Greece and tagine from Morocco are just some of the recipes that can be found on her Instagram.
When people ask how Victoria and her husband manage to live this lifestyle, they explain that social media shows food and travel without focusing on the less attractive aspect of work.
Both Victoria and Nick spend hours in the van doing online work. While their overall income has dropped dramatically, so has their spending. The lifestyle they lead is possible because they think carefully about what to spend on and how to save money. They are not burdened with rent and bills, do not use mobile phones, rarely eat in restaurants and never buy unnecessary things – they simply do not have space for this.
Do they regret anything? Unless they miss friends and family, and if possible, take a bubble bath – although they even have a shower in the van! Victoria loves this nomadic lifestyle and the ever-changing view and is always showing people she meets along the way just how delicious vegan food can be.
After 14 countries, bumpy roads and several broken engines, Victoria and Nick still have no plans to complete their journey and intend to continue this adventure as long as the wheels on the bus keep turning, always remembering their new life motto – nothing is impossible!