Have you ever tried something new that is so exciting that it becomes your passion? It happened to Frank and Selina as well. Their love for vanlife started many years ago when they explored Australia in a Holden Jackaroo, an experience that changed their life forever. Here we are again with them talking about the impressive vanlife experiences they had in the last year leading them to create a successful vanlife documentary.

Your photo, in which Frank stands on the top of the van with a firework in each hand, is the kickstarer photo of the Vanlife Calendar 2020. What’s the story behind the shot?

We were so excited to see our shot on the first page of the vanlife calendar… that is so amazing! This shot was actually taken by me (Frank) and a good friend in our hometown, where we both lived when we were kids. We actually just had a bit too much time, found some old fireworks from my dad, and went for it. Such great fun!

For those who would like to reproduce your shot, what advice do you have? For example, what have you used for the fireworks effects, and was it any fire hazard?

The first thing that we want to says is: make sure you will not set anything on fire, and please don’t leave any rubbish in nature. As everything was super wet we made sure there is no fire hazard and we also took the little volcanos with us after we used it. To take a shot like this, it’s good to use a tripod and a long exposure :).

Let’s talk about another great project you developed last year, Heimreise – the vanlife documentary that you have made in collaboration with Mathis Ox. We have followed this project with big enthusiasm. Tell us what is the story of Heimreise the film? How was this project born?

The HEIMREISE Movie was definitely the biggest project we ever did. Last year we went camping and talked about the places we visited so far and we realized that we actually don’t know much about our home country Germany. After a while, we decided to take a trip through Germany to explore beautiful places, get to know interesting people and to get to know our home better. We decided to film a vanlife documentary about this trip and all the exciting stops we took. We never thought that so many people would be interested in the story, and we will be able to start a little cinema tour to show the movie to lots of fans. Now it’s also possible to get the DVD in our webshop heimreise-film.de

What is the biggest lesson that you have learned from making the film?

Just go for it. We could never know what tasks we would be facing, but we realized that everything is possible to do if you just go for it and try your best.

Do you think that the image of the VW campervan has contributed to the success of Heimreise the film? What impact would have had if you would have been traveling across Germany in a different make and model of campervan? 

Actually, it doesn’t matter what kind of van or vehicle you would take for such a trip. You could also make the same tour by bike or on foot – this just might take a bit longer ;). We wanted to show that it’s not always necessary to fly thousands of miles to start a journey or to explore new places. No matter if Germany or whatever country – it will be worth it to explore the places around you. Sometimes the exciting and beautiful locations are closer than we might think

Those who are following you on Instagram know that you are waiting for a new member in the family, a baby boy. Congratulations! What do you think, how will your vanlife change after your baby arrives? We imagine that you will continue to travel. How are you making the camper van more baby-friendly?

Thanks :). We are super happy that we will be parents soon. For sure our way of traveling will change… probably our whole life will change. We will definitely keep on traveling with our van Rudi, just as you said, maybe we will need some adjustments, but for now we will just go for it and try to see how it works. We think this way of traveling is great for kids. Selina and I also have been camping a lot when we were little kids with our families, and we loved it to be out in nature.

In 2020, as new parents, you will dedicate most of your time to the baby, but should we expect any other projects from you this year?

Our new little family will definitely be the thing we will focus on. For now, we didn’t make any huge plans for 2020, as we don’t know how everything will be. We have in mind to travel a lot, and we want to make new steps and experience. We can’t wait to start this new exciting journey, and we know that 2020 will be even more impressive. And yes… we will keep you updated :).

Photo courtesy of Frank and Selina @pinepins
Vanlife documentary: Heimreise.de
Calendar: Vanlife Calendar 2020