Life on the Road

In 2012, I packed all my gear into an old van and set off to tour Europe with my dog. Nowadays I live full-time in a van, travelling the farthest bushes with my animal friends.
Life on the Road

In 2012, I packed all my gear into an old van and set off to tour Europe with my dog. Nowadays I live full-time in a van, travelling the farthest bushes with my animal friends.

Jagannath
2012-2017
My first van, a Ford Transit -97 "Jagannath", roamed the Balkans and Central Europe and I spent two winters in Spain and Portugal. The first trip lasted a year, but when I was at the mercy of the harsh Finnish winters, I lived in the van for the summers and autumns. Jagannath was very ascetic, with only the most essential items for survival inside, such as a bed and a camping stove. In rainy or cold weather, moisture would form on the metal roof and a drops of water would occasionally fall on my forehead. The "sink" was a plastic ice-cream box and later a luxury enamel bowl. Most of my life was spent outdoors adventuring and cooking over a campfire, so being used to camping and washing out of a bucket, I didn't really need any other comforts.
Back then I didn't travel much on my own, and usually had a friend who would jump in for a few weeks or months. In 2013, a small and feisty puppy called Chaos joined the team, living in a small Spanish village in the yard of a warehouse with his mother. My trusty first van never broke down and the only reason I eventually gave it up was to move to a full-height van where I could stand up straight! I used to call Jagannath the Hobbit's Nest, because you always had to hunch down. My beloved enabler of my freedom took me through Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary, Croatia, Montenegro, Serbia, Italy, France, Germany, Spain and Portugal and will live forever in my heart and in my memories.
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Break in the Tatra Mountains, Poland 2012
pakuelämää Serbiassa
Sunset in the mountains, Serbia 2012
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Marianne washing, Spain 2012
koiran ja ihmisen jäljet rantahiekassa
On the beach, Portugal, 2014
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Breakfast at Tara Canyon, Montenegro, 2012
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Lapland motorway, Finland 2016
pakuelämää tähtien alla
Jagannath under the stars, Spain, 2014
Bocairent Espanja
Bocairent from bedroom window, Spain 2013
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Tired laundry sister, Spain 2013
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Mountains, Montenegro 2012
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Coffee break, Kuusamo 2016
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Morning coffee in bed, Kuhmo Finland 2016
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Miriam sleeping, Spain 2013
koira istuu selkä päin kameraa
Rebel in the blue of a lake, Spain 2015
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Perfect morning, Kuhmo Finland 2016
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Durmitor National Park, Montenegro 2012
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Laundry Day, Serbia 2012
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Rebel in morning mist, Croatia 2012
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Lake Camp, Portugal 2013
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Tourist in Venice, Italy 2012
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Chaos in the house, Spain 2013
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Miriam and the Chaos Child, Spain 2013
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Tired travellers, Portugal 2015
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Under the shelter of a eucalyptus tree, Spain 2013

Kiito
2017


Then came Kiito, a full-height '05 Ford Transit, where I could finally stand up straight! This time I wanted to build the van properly, to make it a comfy permanent home. The van has good quality insulation, a solar panel on the roof and in 2019 I finally had a diesel heater installed, so no more freezing toes and dripping water from the ceiling! Apart from the roof hatch and the electrical system, Kiito has been lovingly built with my own hands. The furniture is mainly made from recycled materials, for example, the cupboards are made from pallets or boards that had been dumped and the sofa bed has birch wood for legs.
Later I painted white Kiito green to blend in better with the landscape. Kiito has so far passed through Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Italy, France, Spain and Portugal. In addition to Chaos, we are now accompanied by Kaino, a shy Russian rescue dog, and Kipinä, a perfect adventure cat adopted from Spain as a kitten.
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Home, Spain 2020
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Chaos' 9 years old portrait feat Kipinä, Spain 2022
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Curious neighbour in the Cantabrian mountains, Spain 2020
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Kiito bathing in the glow of the Milky Way, Spain 2020
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In the forest, Spain 2021
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Co-drivers ready to go, Finland 2019
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Paradise Park in the mountains of Asturias, Spain 2020
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Elves in the window, Spain 2021
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Evening in the Pyrenees, Spain 2021
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Kipinä entered the house, Spain 2021

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My pack at sunset, Spain 2021

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The perfect adventure cat, Spain 2021

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Morning at Blåvatnet, Norway 2018
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Northern lights in Lofoten, Norway 2018
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Shipwrecked, Norway 2018
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Teepee, Norway 2018

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Chaos at the top of Ryten, Norway 2018
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Night at Kvalvika beach, Norway 2018
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Chaos as a driver, Hailuoto 2018
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Bonfire of the Nightless Night, Saimaa 2018
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Ears like the tops of Segla, Norway 2018
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Island hopping in Lofoten, Norway 2018
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Jump, Norway 2018
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Chaos in the freshness of Blåvatnet, Norway 2018
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Picnic in the mountains, Norway 2018
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Morning coffee at Blåvatnet, Norway 2018
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Laundry Day, Oulu 2018
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Landscape from a bedroom, Norway 2018
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Light painting in moonlight, Norway 2018
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Seaside hotel, Norway 2018
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Evening mood, Spain 2021

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Harry Potter and the seascape, Spain 2020

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Afternoon tea in a bush, Spain 2020
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Rush hour in Cantabria, Spain 2020
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The mark of a good park up, Spain 2020

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Top of the mountain, Spain 2020
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Lake Park, Spain 2021
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Northern Lights, Inari 2019

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Office landscape in Galicia, Spain 2021
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Sunset, Spain 2021
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Morning dew, Spain 2020
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Kaino Above the Pykeja, Norway 2019
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Chaos on the dunes of Råjberg Mile, Denmark 2019
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Laundry Day, Spain 2020
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Curious neighbours, Spain, 2023.
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5 million star hotel, Spain, 2023.