The Van Heldens Hike is an epic adventure: a redesigned lifestyle where new standards, habits and attitudes will be forged and strengthened through the challenge of simplifying life.

It’s not a sabbatical or a trip bound by time and direction. We believed something different was possible and we allowed ourselves to dream!

After selling and gifting most of our belongings, everything needed for our new life will be carried on a stroller and trailer. We’ll travel on foot and sleep in a tent to form a deeper connection with ourselves, others and nature. 

With the dare and hardship that comes, we hope to establish a solid basis for pursuing a more mindful way of living.

  Together as a family, we’ll face the challenges, share the joys and grow in ways yet to be fully understood. 

Our plans were born after feeling busy, frustrated and disconnected. Quite simply, we felt the need to stop and jump off the treadmill of life!  

(Read more about our personal stories in our first blog posts: Laura and Arian).

Setting off from our current base of Portugal, we’ll cross the Iberian peninsula and from there we will see…

Are we scared?..absolutely! However, our fears and doubts are often what holds us back from taking action and living an incredible life. 

We invite you to follow us for a very real account of what it’s like to step away from conventional living, with less focus on ‘doing’ and more focus on ‘being’ – being in the moment, with the ability to stop, stand still and breathe.