Wild roads that changed my life

I am a Belgian travel planner and the author of Cats & Coconut Oil in Costa Rica and Under The Trees in Costa Rica.

At twenty years old, I left Belgium to study in Northern Ireland for six months. It was my first experience of living abroad and the beginning of a lifelong fascination with wild places. Somewhere between the windswept coastlines, rugged landscapes and the freedom of discovering a different way of life, a seed was planted that would quietly shape the years to come.

Back in Belgium, I built a career as an event manager and later as a coordinator for animal welfare. I loved my work, but I never quite lost that pull towards somewhere else. I craved wild landscapes, untamed nature and the sense of freedom that only the outdoors seemed to offer. Fibromyalgia added another quiet push in the same direction. The cold and damp climate often left my body struggling, and over time I began to dream not only of a life that felt freer, but of warmer places where both my mind and my body could truly thrive.

That search eventually led me to spend my winters exploring faraway places, from the vast Australian Outback to the lush green hills of Costa Rica. Two landscapes that could hardly be more different, yet both awakened the same feeling of freedom and belonging.

Somewhere along the way, Australia completely captured my imagination. There was something about the vastness of the Outback, the endless roads and the feeling that adventure could be waiting around every bend. It’s perhaps surprising that one of my favourite places on Earth couldn’t be more different from where I eventually chose to build a life.

Today I live in the green hills of rural Costa Rica, surrounded by towering trees, howler monkeys and a river that comes alive with the rainy season.

Those travels became the foundation of my writing. My books are not guidebooks, but travel memoirs that explore what happens when we step away from familiar routines and allow unexpected places to change us. They are stories about adventure, humour, resilience, wildlife, cultural differences and the often messy reality behind following your dreams.

Whether I’m writing about meeting bears in Alaska, crossing the Australian Outback or building a house in Costa Rica, sharing my home with army ants or discovering that things rarely go according to plan, my goal is always the same: to tell honest stories that inspire curiosity, laughter and the courage to embrace the unexpected.

Books

Wild Stories

Wild Stories is an ever growing collection of true travel tales from the places that shaped me.

These shorter stories move between Northern Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Costa Rica and many other wild corners of the world. They capture the moments that do not always fit neatly into a travel guide: sudden storms, remote roads, wildlife encounters, questionable decisions and those strange, unforgettable experiences that become the stories we continue telling years later.

Consider these the first few stories around the campfire. More adventures, unexpected encounters and wild places will find their way here over time.

Interview Topics

I am available for conversations about:

• How living abroad at twenty sparked a lifelong fascination with wild places
• The unexpected contrast between the Australian Outback and the Costa Rican jungle
• Following dreams and starting a new chapter later in life
• Building a home in rural Costa Rica
• The reality behind moving abroad
• Wildlife encounters that become unforgettable stories
• Writing travel memoirs that go beyond destinations
• Slow travel and the places that quietly change us
• Leaving a familiar career and creating a different kind of life
• Humour, resilience and learning to live with uncertainty
• ….

Interviews and Collaborations

I am available for podcast interviews, written features, guest articles and conversations about travel, writing, wildlife, life abroad and following unexpected dreams.

For interview requests or collaborations, please get in touch.