Keeping Wanderlust

We know this might come as a shock, but van life can be really challenging! Usually the first questions our friends have for us are about the hardest parts of this chosen lifestyle, and we always have stories to tell. In this episode, Kris and Kayla dive into some of the biggest mishaps they've encountered living a life on the road full time.Disclaimer: None of these mishaps have made us consider moving back into a permanent residence :)

On their magical trip to Sedona, Kayla attempts to get Kris in touch with his spirituality and connect with Mother Nature on a deeper level. He's a bit skeptical at first but after several energy charged meditations, he walks away a changed man, having fallen in love with yoga and attained true nirvana. Just kidding... To find out what really happened, give this episode a listen!

Fully maxed out on watching all of the content on your Netflix, Hulu and Prime accounts? Need something refreshing and exciting in your life? Then look no further than this episode where Kris and Kayla spend an hour talking about petrified wood.

Kris and Kayla recap their New Year's Eve trip to Joshua Tree National Park and share both the highs and lows of their travels. Save yourself a few headaches and listen to the lessons Kris, Kayla, and their poor friend Alex graciously learned the hard way so that you don't have to.

Kris and Kayla take you on the road with a bonus episode recorded behind the wheel, while driving from Santa Barbara back to Los Angeles. They share their experiences traveling to their first repeat destination in the van and what they've learned since their first trip to now. If background noise isn't for you then feel free to skip this and check out our other episodes recorded in the studio, background noise free. 

After four months on the road, Kris and Kayla check in with each other about their respective experiences living the van life thus far. They each share their favorite, least favorite, and most surprising revelations about this new lifestyle on wheels and how their expectations prior to their adventure are living up to the reality.

While sitting by the campfire, Kris and Kayla share their respective top 10 holiday gift recommendations for a friend living the van life. Since neither knows what the other put on their list, they wager a bet on how many of their recommendations will overlap. Kayla says no more than one and Kris disagrees. Who will get stuck doing the dishes at the end of the night? Tune in to find out!

After a long hiatus and a serious life pivot, Keeping Wanderlust is back in full swing! Kris and Kayla kick off Season 2 by bringing you up to speed on their 2020 Plan B, which has led them to some of the most amazing places across the United States on wheels. They recap how their original plans of international exploration have evolved and how they plan to continue living their dreams of adventure, while keeping their loyal fans updated through the Keeping Wanderlust podcast!

We wrap up our conversation with Ray and Vanessa and look forward to having them back to tell us all about how well their business ended up doing. In this episode: managing housekeepers via apps, incentivizing contractors, how to become a super-host, plans for scaling the business, logistics around getting paid, getting found through hashtags, future travels funded by co-hosting, AirBnB reward systems, and we finally spill some wine in the Wanderlust studio.Find out more about Ray and Vanessa’s business at:Homepage: https://www.HomeSweetHudson.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/HomeSweetHudsonInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/homesweethudsonco/Featured on STR Success Stories Podcast:Apple Podcasts: http://bit.ly/str-HSHSpotify: http://bit.ly/str-HomeSweet

In part two of three, Ray and Vanessa, dig deeper into what it took to get their AirBnB business off the ground. We do a deep dive into marketing efforts, the value of being a familiar part of the local community and providing that ten star experience. Also, the alcohol starts kicking in. Keep an ear out for accidental Freudian slips and/or the verbal dyslexia that is starting to build as we continue on our sonic journey to financial independence. Find out more about Ray and Vanessa’s business at:Homepage: https://www.HomeSweetHudson.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/HomeSweetHudsonInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/homesweethudsonco/Featured on STR Success Stories Podcast:Apple Podcasts: http://bit.ly/str-HSHSpotify: http://bit.ly/str-HomeSweet

Ray and Vanessa, founders of Home Sweet Hudson, give us a candid look into the early days of quitting their jobs to start an AirBnB concierge service in New York. This was recorded just weeks before Ray proposed to Vanessa in Florence, Italy. Add a few really nice bottles of Malbec and we've got the perfect first interview for the Keeping Wanderlust podcast. Tune in next week for part two of the series.Find out more about Ray and Vanessa's business at:Homepage: https://www.HomeSweetHudson.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/HomeSweetHudsonInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/homesweethudsonco/Featured on STR Success Stories Podcast:Apple Podcasts: http://bit.ly/str-HSHSpotify: http://bit.ly/str-HomeSweet

In this episode: Basically an hour of conversation that covers the entire depth of our knowledge relating to Florida (spoiler alert, we don’t much at all). Way too much discussion about the weather. Kris’ poor attempt at an Australian accent. Six foot rats. Bathroom selfies. Docents. Comparing cost of living in Florida versus New York City; thought exercise about whether we should throw away our corporate rat-race lives and buy a bar in Key West. Obligatory eye-rolling from Kayla when Kris refers to Floridians as “those people.” The word Sweather is invented. Getting dressed up to go to Starbucks. The verb HAM is abused (it’s used one time). Kris tosses in his emphatic “hands down” or “no joke” award at least half a dozen times. A particular focus on one of the most unique cities in America that just so happens to exist in Florida. Two pitchers of sangria is better than one. Recap of the time Kayla got Kris to go on a five hour bike ride in Florida heat. Tips for driving from Miami to Key West. Kayla tempts fate and gives the karma gods the finger by saying, out loud, that she’s never missed a flight, in spite of cutting it too close, more times than she can count. Kris shares homicide fantasies involving Disney characters. (Probably should have cut that out in post production). Kris’ rant this week about VCRs in the 90s that would auto-rewind and replay tapes on loop if never ejected.   

Kris and Kayla record on location from their balcony at the Pelican Grand Beach Resort in Fort Lauderdale the day after they attend the wedding of close friends Patrick and Amanda. Tune in for tips on what not to eat the night before your wedding, multiple rants from Kris surrounding dealing with wedding venue contracts and climbing stairs, and a preview of upcoming marathon day in New York City. Fun fact: Kris and Kayla sound particularly off in this episode. Kris was just starting to come down with a head cold and Kayla’s voice was all raspy from screaming at the top of her lungs the night before while she was on the dance floor.

This week Kris and Kayla take their show on the road and record on Venice Beach. Discussion covers the various venues they sampled in and around Santa Monica and how they came a full 180 degrees from their original vision of the type of wedding they wanted. Stick around for an inside look into what was the beginning of the electric scooter craze, what it’s like growing up in Southern California, a couple of restaurants to check out, and our overrated/underrated game at the end. Spoiler alert: Pretty much everything Kris and Kayla took a hard stance on in this episode they eventually flip-flopped on. Little did they know that the venue they both decided on in this episode is not where they would eventually get married. Check out future episodes to hear the saga about negotiating the contract. Additionally, neither one of them had ridden one of those electric scooters yet even though they were against them. Finally, the Killer Shrimp restaurant that Kris remembered from his years living here wasn’t the same anymore. They did get a chance to go to the new location the restaurant moved to, but they both agreed that there was clearly something lacking when they left.

In this episode: Kris recaps a recent business trip to Milwaukee; we reflect on our many trips to Chicago over the years. Fun fact: Milwaukee is straight north of Chicago.. mind blown. Milwaukee go to eating and drinking at “The Iron Horse. right next to Harley Davidson headquarters. Also putting Milwaukee Summer Fest – 10 day party in downtown – on the bucket list. Highlights on some of Kayla’s favorite Chicago restaurants: Boka, GT Prime, all restaurants in Boka Restaurant Group; a taco restaurant not called taqueria (like we thought) but actually called bar taco, across the street from Federales. Date night/day recommendation: Get on a bike! Catch an old-timey baseball game near the Lincoln Park Zoo. Top spots: Wicker park (pro tip – take public transit, not a car), Wrigleyville, great street for bars, even if there’s not a game going on. Honorable mentions: Grant Achatz – Allinea, Aviary ($20 a drink?) Tock ticketing system, recommended slingshot drink; Green Street Market Bar (barn like bar), Au Cheval (get your name in early).

A quick mini-episode where Kris and Kayla check in with each other about expectations heading into their upcoming Japan trip. Kris has been once before, but only for a one night layover outside the Narita airport… which doesn’t really count. As usual they’ve done very little research and are planning to wing it almost every step of the way.

The first episode of the Keeping Wanderlust podcast. Kris and Kayla try to find their radio voice while providing the backstory of their early days courting each other in New York City. Fear not wanderlust-nation, future episodes will not run as long as this one. This is just an opportunity to get to know us a bit before diving into the other episodes. Listen in for a few insider tips if you’ve never been to the big apple before, and have a laugh as they stroll down memory lane. As a bonus feature, there’s a built in drinking game that is triggered whenever someone abuses the word “so.” Shameless plugs from this episode: World Wanderers: Another couple that has an awesome podcast with over 150 episodes on travel locations, travel as a lifestyle, travel hacking, the philosophy of travel, how travel has changed their lives. https://www.theworldwanderers.com/ Carpene-Malvolti: Sparkling Wine obtained from Glera grapes (100%) grown on the vineyards located within the area of Treviso, the most suited area of the Denomination D.O.C.. With a bright straw yellow colour with delicate greenish nuances and fine perlage, it has an intense nose and is rich in fruity and floral aromas of yellow pulp fruit and white flowers. Fresh, delicate, balanced, with a slight note of sweet almond in the finish. Excellent as an aperitif or for the whole meal with light dishes of Mediterranean cuisine. https://www.carpene-malvolti.com/eng/prosecco HoneyTrek: Great site that follows the adventures of Mike and Anne Howard; two Americans that started their honeymoon in 2012 and never looked back. They’ve traveled to over 56 countries across 7 continents and are constantly updating their site with articles, videos, guides and more to help inspire you to get off the beaten path to live your best life. https://www.honeytrek.com/    

If you haven’t listened to the Keeping Wanderlust Podcast before and need a quick way to determine whether our voices are going to drive you up a wall, listen to this five minute teaser of clips pulled from our various episodes. The Keeping Wanderlust Podcast is our sonic time-capsule for documenting our favorite experiences falling in love as we travel the world together. Follow Kris and Kayla on Instagram @KeepingWanderlust and tune in regularly to get inspiration on where to travel with your partner, awesome gift ideas and date night suggestions, interviews with fellow wanderlusters and nomads, and the occasional rant from Kris when life doesn’t go his way.