Inner Child

Since I was a little boy, I have dreamed of seeing a total eclipse again. I remember standing in the garden of my childhood home back in 1999, watching the reflections in the windows. A vivid memory I have held onto.

For this year’s eclipse in Spain, I presumed I would stay at home in the Pyrenees and enjoy a partial eclipse with my family.

Then just days before, the weather reports became more concrete. Huge afternoon storms had arrived, putting an end to the summer drought and also any chance of seeing the eclipse.

So plan B was activated. Just five hours away and basking in 40 degree heat, was the chance to soak up a whole 1.5minute of totality in the Spanish Desert.

Arrival

Setting off early in the morning of the big day, I soon met the tail-end of the traffic. Thousands and thousands of people all moving south for the same reason. There were roadworks, queues behind motorhomes and many more kilometres to go.

Early in the afternoon, somewhere on the outskirts of Zaragossa, I crossed over into the unmarked zone of totality. The giveaway was cars filling every motorway rest stop, and tripods and telescopes setup under everything that created some shade from the harsh sun overhead.

The feeling was surreal.

With another one or two hours to go, I felt extremely nervous of missing it. I’d spent the days before this scouring Google Maps for secluded park ups and possible dirt tracks that would lead me to somewhere suitable for the eclipse. I was in my Dacia Bigster, so the idea of sneaking off the main roads and losing myself in the desert seemed like the best idea.

But something strange came over me as I pulled up at the first location I had planned for.

There were a lot of camper vans, cars, tents and people. But something in my mind changed in that very moment.

Why am I trying to be alone?

A strange community

I found a spot to park at alongside strangers. I checked the compass to ensure I had a clear view of where the sun would set, and cast an eye around to see who’s around me and if I really wanted to be by them.

Of course, my options were still open. I could disappear down the dirt track behind everyone.

Number plates from Belgium, Switzerland, Spain and the UK. Strangers who had come from all over Europe to this exact spot and for the same reason. I felt a connection to the idea of enjoying this moment with other humans. Not on my own lost in the landscape.

Nobody needed an introduction or permission to be here. But everyone shared the same reason for coming.

Tripod, Tentbox and my camp chair were all set up. 1930 marked the start of the eclipse, but you only knew it by looking through the special glasses. And there it was, the first little bite out of the sun had been taken. Right then the realisation hit me. I couldn’t believe it - I’m actually going to see this happen at long last!

Things got weird kind of fast. One of my strange neighbours was walking around with a handy cam, just like something from the 90’s. The light was changing and the wind started to whip up dust.

And then the temperature dropped.

1 minute and 34 seconds

I saw the light swipe across the landscape in a matter of seconds and my hair stood on end.

Pulling the glasses off my face, looking up at the same sight as hundreds of other people around me, it felt like we were in space.

I shot a few frames on my DSLR, then forgot about the cameras. The glow of the corona wrapping around the moon was like nothing I have seen before. And through my binoculars, pink solar flares could be seen reaching far out beyond.

And as quickly as the light had disappeared, the show came to an end and the sun’s rays returned to planet earth. Then, everyone clapped to sign off a once in a lifetime moment.

Shared Moments

Like many adventures before, I thought this one would be about finding somewhere where no-one else had thought to go. Instead, the best version of this experience was discovering that hundreds of other people had thought the exact same thing.

The reward was sharing it with other interested people, all brought together for that short period of time to witness what I can now say was the most impressive sight I have ever seen.

See you out there for the next one?

Alex B.
Founding Editor Advanture Magazine

p.s Issue 16 of Advanture magazine starts shipping this week. Grab a copy and find somewhere to disconnect.

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Back to basics

Issue 16 celebrates the idea that adventure doesn’t begin with a £100,000 campervan. More so, it begins by simply deciding to go.

Across 100 beautifully printed pages you’ll find inspiring stories from the road, remarkable photography, honest gear reviews and explorers proving that a car, a backpack and a free weekend are often all you need.

This issue also follows us to Scotland with Dacia to test their latest car camping concept, alongside stories from a number of travellers exploring in their own ways.

Printed on premium uncoated FSC-certified paper, Advanture is designed to be enjoyed slowly.

Put the phone down. Find somewhere without signal this summer.

issue 16

Inside this issue

• Back to basics
• A journey in DIY van conversions
• Scotland with Dacia
• Inspiring stories from the road
• Tiny home dishwasher test
• 100 pages of photography and human storytelling

Tim to put the phone down

Find somewhere without signal.

issue 16

You know how these trips go. Four days, hundreds of km off-road, epic photos … then suddenly you are back at the desk.

Front Runner Dometic Explorers Tour 2026

Sat back down at the editor´s desk this morning I am only starting to understand what I just experienced. Every trip changes the way I think about the magazine, and this might be the most impactful one yet.

Most of you know me well enough to categorise me as a van guy. But this week, I was thrown over the side and into a situation I have not been in before.

The mission - traverse hundreds of km of the Pyrenees on dirt trails, lose rock and open back country routes.

Yeah, the cars were cool and rigged up with everything from spare tyres and recovery gear, to roof top tents and pull-out kitchens. This was expected.

But there are some things I am returning with that will carry me over the finish line on the upcoming issue 16, and help create the base for issues beyond.

Car keys

Joining a group of 25 strangers felt a little intimidating at first. Land Rovers, Amaroks, Jeeps and 4Motion T6´s peeled around the corner. Every car covered in dust from crossing parts of the Eastern Pyrenees towards my home on the border of France, Spain and Andorra.

It looked like the Camel Trophy tour rolling into town.

A very warm welcome from everyone settled some of my nerves, but the real thing on my mind was could I keep up with everyone who clearly had years of experience driving off-road?

I´d only just got the keys to a Dacia Bigster, and had mounted my roof top tent just the evening before. Within minutes of setting off with the group I found myself leaving behind the streets I knew and into the mountains trails I didn´t.

New perspective

Having traveled a lot of the world, the USA always held pole position as a place that felt like I was truly out there. The landscapes are massive and it takes a long time to get through wild terrain.

Little did I know that between the Spanish villages throughout the region I live in, there is the possibility to feel like you can get lost in massive landscapes too. It was always there! I just couldn´t access it with my regular campervan.

The Dacia owned the rocky ground and climbed high quickly.

Here I was, looking down on the world from some 2000m+. A car got me here.

The tour, guided by Experience GmbH, covered a wide range of ground conditions and linked spectacular locations together. All the cars were able to communicate between each other via radio which further added to the feeling of group travel. Chris, lead guide with decades of time spent overlanding, was a great help to me to answer a lot of questions I had about safely navigating the terrain as a first timer.

What surprised me most wasn't the vehicles. It was discovering there are still places capable of making me feel like a beginner again. After travelling professionally for so many years, that feeling has become rare.

Next steps

I have got the front cover, another selection of inspiring stories from the road, and everything else needed to edit into another exciting issue of Advanture Magazine.

Give me a week for the dust to settle, wash the car, and get this issue off to print.

See you on the road,

Alex B.
Editor Advanture Magazine

Vans parked. Camp chairs unfolded. BBQs lit.

Which got me thinking... where are all the burnt sausages?

I don't think anything brings people together quite like collectively complaining about the weather. Especially if you're British.

Having spent months living out of a van through summ…

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They need a reason to switch off.

The Advanture Special Edition collects the best of the first six issues. It’s stories about getting away from it all. Remote roads, wild places, cool people, slow travel and great photos to go with it all.

A gateway into the Advanture world.

Order now for Father’s Day delivery.

Discover The Special Edition

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Advanture quietly became a record of something real.

15 issues of stories from around the world, and the photographs that go with them. Journeys, people and the vans that enabled adventure. And we published them without a care to what any algorithms thought.

While the majority of people today are caught up in the race for spee…

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I’ve got a less polished version.

M…

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Then it kind of disappeared.

In reality, a lot has been happening behind the scenes. And this video is the start of bringing the bigger story to life.

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Not just the latest issue, but the stack of stories we’ve already printed across 15 issues. The ones still sitting in boxes, waiting to be picked up and read.

So I’m trying something new.

The Archive Drop

I’ve just turned …

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How do you actually stay connected to the internet while living and working from the road?

It’s easy to romanticise vanlife, but the reality is, staying online is often what makes it sustainable in this day and age.

Read more

A new episode of the One For The Road podcast is now live.

In this conversation I sit down with David and Kat, who swapped a conventional lifestyle for something far simpler — living close to nature, cooking over fire, washing in the river and spending most of their days outdoors.

It’s an honest discussion about stepping away from the noise of…

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get issue 15

Broken Attention

Somewhere along the way, attention became fragmented. We keep scrolling because we’re searching.

The problem isn’t that the stories aren´t out there. It’s that they have been …

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In Issue 14 we featured a surf film that stayed with me long after the edit finished. Not just because of the waves, but because of what it represents: great filmmaking, inspirational surfing, and letting the road shape the story.

Press play, drink a beer, and take some time off social media.

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Issue 15 of Advanture is out now.

Now at 116 pages, making it our biggest issue to date.

This one was truly shaped on the road. We talk about remote work, movement, new horizons and what it means to build a life that doesn’t sit neatly in one place. There’s less spectacle in this issue, and more raw travel: editorial pieces, photography mad…

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I wanted to reshare a conversation I recorded recently with Rich Sutcliffe, founder of Passenger clothing. It is a chat that’s stayed with me since we hit stop.

We talk about van life beyond the clichés, meaningful escapism, and why the journey matters more than the destination. And not just in travel, but in building something that lasts.

If you’d rather listen than watch, you can play the full conversation right here in the newsletter.

If you want the video version, it’s live on YouTube too.

P.S. If these kinds of conversations resonate, back issues of Advanture Magazine are still available — stories like this created to help you disconnect at your next camp out.

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Alex B.
Founding Editor Advanture Magazine

It’s been a few weeks since the last newsletter. We finally made it home after three months on the road, had a white Christmas, and I reconnected with my touring skis.

Lately I’ve been reminded that adventure isn’t always about going further. Often it’s about paying closer attention …

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Quick heads up — the new Advanture Podcast with Dan from Highup Transporters is premiering live on YouTube in less than 5 minutes (18:00GMT). If you want to join the chat, watch along, and hear the story behind one of the UK’s biggest lifted-van communities as it goes out, now’s the moment.

👉 Join the live premiere here:

If you can’t make it live, no worries — I’ve attached the full audio file above so you can listen anytime you like. Save it for your next drive, your workshop session, or a quiet moment with a brew.

This is a powerful conversation — from the accident that could have changed everything, to the rise of the Highup community, to what vanlife really means to people.

Hope you enjoy it.

See you there,
Alex B.Founding Editor Advanture Magazine

The Winner Is …

The correct answer was 78 magazines fit in the box, and the winner has now been co…

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