Dad, driver, builder, mechanic, problem solver and usually the person thinking about the next route.
Our story
We did not set out to build a brand. We changed our family life.
Living The Life Unbound is Tom, Ros, Lawrie and Wilfy. Portugal is home, but the story has never belonged to one place.
Mum, storyteller, cook, baker and craft-maker and the person who keeps the real family life behind every chapter moving.
Curious, growing, a LEGO master builder, bookworm and bike rider with his own ideas about where the journey should go.
The youngest voice in the family who brings kindness, fun and plenty of energy and loves to visit a library or a park.
The first big leap
Thirteen countries, 20,000 miles and a feeling we could not ignore.
In 2018 we packed Ivor, our self-converted off-grid Iveco Daily, kept only what would fit and left England. Lawrie was not even two. We expected a year of travelling. We did not expect Portugal to become home.
After months of looking, we found our quinta at the edge of the forest. The first idea was simply to share the space with vanlifers on a conscious-donation basis. It grew naturally into hundreds of guests, visiting families, shared meals and a community that never needed a formal name.
How we got here
What began as a year of travel led us to a whole new way of life.
- 2016
Becoming parents changed the question
When Lawrie was born, the old work, sleep and repeat version of life stopped feeling like the only option.
- 2018
We left the UK in Ivor
Ivor was our self-converted, off-grid Iveco Daily and the perfect camper for the three of us. Lawrie was not even two when we left for a year of travel.
- 2019
We bought our home in Portugal
After four months of looking, we found a quinta in a tiny rural village and began opening the gate to travellers.
- 2022
We became a family of four
Wilfy was born at home in our Portuguese village. Lawrie became a big brother and the shape of the adventure changed again.
- 2024
Our Scandinavian adventure in BATC
BATC, pronounced bat-see, is our Ford Transit Mk7 motorhome. In 2024 he took us from Portugal to Scandinavia and back for a summer of family life on the road.
- 2025 to 2026
Five months in Sri Lanka
We arrived at the end of October 2025 and stayed until mid-March 2026. Lawrie joined Elements Worldschoolers, a holistic, multi-age learning community for children aged 7 to 14. Its days combine hands-on projects, expressive arts, movement, emotional wellbeing and meaningful connections with an international group of children. Wilfy spent time at Free Spirits Ceylon Kids, a nature-based learning and community space for younger children where play, relationships and everyday experiences guide learning, with an emphasis on emotional safety, flexibility and allowing each child to develop at their own pace. Both projects gave the boys time to make friends, experience different ways of learning and discover everyday life in a culture very different from home.
- 2026
Harvey the RV and North America
Harvey the RV, our 2000 Fleetwood Tioga 29Z, became home for 24 US states, two Canadian provinces and around 10,000 miles.
The home behind the road
Nala, Scrappy, Bosco, Spike and soon some chickens.
Nala and Scrappy are our dogs. Bosco and Spike are our cats. The animals, the land, clean food and a straight-edge family life are all part of the quieter chapter we return to in Portugal.
See our Portugal home
