Our Story

Hi there, and welcome – we are Paul and Sandra.

A Gen X couple passionate about life and our beautiful planet, we have made it our mission to help our audience experience more (of life and our world) by living with less (stuff/distractions/waste) and choosing better (that is, ethically and sustainably).​

Born as antipodes to each other (Paul in New Zealand and Sandra in East Germany), we both moved to Sydney, Australia, in 2007 and 2005, respectively. We met in June 2010 when we were paired up in a Latin Dance performance at the dance school we both attended.

Latin Dance not only brought us together as a couple but introduced us to many wonderful people who are now our friends. It also led to our first backpacking trip together – back in 2012. Travelling around the world to dance where the styles we knew originated from, this three-month trip took us (among many other places) to Argentina (Tango), Brazil (Samba, Zouk), the Dominican Republic (Bachata, Merengue), Cuba (Cha Cha Cha, Rumba, Salsa) and New York (Mambo).

A bit of a testing point whether our relationship would still flourish when together 24/7 for an extended period, that trip in 2012 laid the foundation for our journey today:

• Discovering we had found our soulmate in each other, we married in December 2014.
• Realising that our comfortable yet draining, middle-class life in Sydney wasn’t what WE wanted, we started questioning our values and simplifying our lives, eventually leaving our corporate careers and Sydney.

Location-independent since October 2016, we are not (semi-)retired; quite the opposite. We still work 5-6 days a week on this website and other endeavours:

• From 2018 to 2020, these included Tirohanga Lodge, a tranquil retreat in Queenstown, which we lovingly restored to share this beautiful corner of New Zealand with visitors from around the world… until a tiny virus brought travel to a grinding halt, and we made the hard decision to sell the Lodge amid too much uncertainty.
• In early 2021, we took on another big project: turning a bare paddock in beautiful Hawkes Bay into a (largely) self-sufficient permaculture farm. While we are still a long way off our goal, we’ve already seen a huge transformation – with native shrubs and trees, a growing food forest, a low-footprint tiny house, and more.

When we’re not working on our permaculture farm, we are out exploring the world – a different continent each year. House sitting and staying with locals, using public transportation (as much as possible), and being selective about paid experiences, all keep our expenses low and us financially independent.

We are very different individuals, but our values are aligned:

• Although we love spending quality time with close friends and family, including our two granddaughters, we also share a thirst to learn and expand our horizons. That’s why we love exploring and immersing ourselves in other cultures.
• We live intentionally and travel mindfully. Limiting our environmental footprint and contributing positively to the communities we visit are essential considerations that drive our purchasing decisions – wherever we are.

What’s important to us may be completely different from what’s important to you. We firmly believe though that making conscious decisions about how we spend our energy/time/money doesn’t just benefit us individually but also the communities we live in (or visit) and our planet.

That’s why we created Minimalist Journeys – a lifestyle and travel blog that promotes alternative, more sustainable ways to live and travel.