Original subtitles

good morning and welcome to another episode of

a day in the life on Koh Lanta

an island in the south of Thailand

we speak a little bit of Thai

so good

I can also speak Thai

Do you understand?

yes we do

oh so cute

it's just a tent on top of the car

So cool, and the view here is just amazing

you clean it up

every morning it's like that

the 2 square brackets

and the room is folded

if it rains?

so if it rains it's made for that

so it can stay in the rain

open or closed, there is no problem

it's all tailor-made

As a young boy I was always building stuff

I loved everything hand-made

wood, metal, everything

I looked first and then I reproduced

I love that

I met the Hakuna Matata family

right here on this beach

more than four years ago

in April 2020

do you remember that

very special time in all of our lives?

they were travelling around Thailand

in a yellow army truck when all of a sudden

they got stuck on this beach during the lockdown

the owner allows us... he told us that we could stay

otherwise it would never be allowed

but because we had spent

3 months here 4 years ago during the Covid

we are privileged

we even made a video together

it was one of my first videos ever

so if you watch it please forgive me

beautiful

and now four years later they are back on Koh Lanta

and take us on a day in their lives

there is already 1 filter and 1 UV lamp

so to clean the vegetables for cooking

and this one is 1 extra filter

for drinking

we bought the kettle

because last year in Laos it was

45 up to 48°C inside

and so with the kettle

it is less hot

before we had to boil a pan of water

and now our lives changed

our normal way of life

makes us appreciate the smallest things

like having drinking water from the tap

or a kettle in our truck, it's luxury

for most people is just something really normal

you don't think about it

but when you live a long time without

you feel so happy that...

This is what I love about our lives

is to appreciate the little things

which like you say, have become normal at home

so we forget

that before it did not exist

it's enough or do you want more?

what I didn't tell you yet

is that this beach is called

Beautiful Beach

and for a reason

SAWADI KA

so when you come to Koh Lanta

just Google Beautiful Beach

and make sure to visit

so this is definitely one of my favorite beaches

it has just everything you need

quiet, beautiful scenery, massage

a place to buy drinks,

what else do you need?

important when traveling is the autonomy

water and electricity

we have two burners in the kitchen area

we have water and filter system

we collect water everywhere

and we can even drink it

and I built everything with boards that I cut

tailor-made, exactly the way we need it to be

with electricity are you self-sufficient?

yes, we have 2 solar panels

and 2 large lithium batteries

if there is no sun, is there a problem?

5 days of autonomy

we traveled 3 years with the big yellow truck

after, the goal was to have it smaller

We made it exactly the way we want it

we used every corner and even the height

the yellow truck I had this on top of my head

but it's useless

so we had to get rid of it

and now it's good, exactly right

the drawers as we want, not too much, not too little

just right, and very basic and simple

so Erica

you already homeschool your children for...

five years almost, soon, yes

were you a teacher before you did this?

No, I've never done this before

but first time

it's a little difficult

because it is our children

the behavior is not the same as with a teacher

when they are tired of it

at school they can't say anything

but when they are fed up with mom, they can say

so how did you deal with it

with like a lack of motivation

oh I don't want to

because me, I tried to homeschool

but I found it very difficult

at the moment we do it for so long

we have a routine

it's not a question anymore

what is the bad side of studying with mom?

you can't look away

because she will notice it immediately

we can pass on our own values

because it is us who do it

in the "normal" life let's call it

you give your children to school

you give your children to the nanny

and then you see them evening time

shower, eat and then they go to bed

teaching every day is sometimes tiring

but we learn a lot together

that's why I like it

many travellers don't have a bathroom

for me it's really important

to have a small house but a real home

Hello

hello! Mobile home.

Mobile home? Oh and you speak Thai!

when we are in more local place

it's the whole day

in the morning, at noon, in the evening

they come, bring us bananas

we're meeting people all the time

and they always ask, what is it?

These are our friends,

and all the countries we visited on the first trip

We will tell more later

but the road will still be long

here are souvenirs of all camper groups in Thailand

that's why we also made the sticker

and here is ours

HAKUNA MATATA VOYAGE

you guys have been on the road for 5 years already

do you ever have any doubts about this lifestyle?

no, because today we're sure we want to do this

but tomorrow if we want to stop, we'll stop

it's difficult, because to have a life like we have today

that changes all the time

we meet people all the time

papaya

oh thank you

How to say papaya in Thai?

to imagine that one day we're not moving

or to feel locked in the house

it's difficult

even if we have a house

we will always have a little truck to travel around

our life is rich and we're really enjoying it

we are lucky to be alive and in good health

and by choosing for this way of life

we are able to take 200% advantage of it

you have ants in your house

of course, a lot

not good because

they eat everything inside my truck

terrible

it's the life in the truck

that is just life in Thailand

ants... just leave some chips in the bed

your whole bed will be full of ants

so this papaya salad you learn from your Isan friends?

yeah

yeah

but without fermented fish

without fish sauce and fermented fish

and without msg

and only little sugar

it's really nice to sit here now during the day

I thought it will be super hot

no no, not at all

Because I added insulation around the whole truck

so it's cool inside

so good

you have an app for the solar cells

yeah to see the percentages

90%

perfect

we are almost full

we have a lot of electricity

so I feel... I see you

waking up, beautiful ocean

beautiful nature, life so easy

but I think

maybe there are some difficult things

about this life as well right?

we live in a small space

we really need to be coordinated

in order to live together

to have water

we have to find places to get water

like a gas station

or people who bring it to us

every day we need to find a place to sleep

have permission to

or if it's safe

ah in Thailand it's safe everywhere

but it's not always the case elsewhere

in Asia in fact each country has its own language

so every time you pass a country you have to...

learn something new

every country is different

language, culture, the way you eat

we have to adapt each time we cross a border

we take time to learn again

but it has become a ritual, as soon as we pass the border

we arrange a simcard, insurance until we have everything

and we are ready to discover the country

we went to camp during rainy season in Thailand

something we would normally won't do when it rains

but we went with our Thai friends

doesn't matter the weather, they go out, no worries

but we left our window open

and when we got back to the truck

everything was flooded

and this is what we learn from the Thais:

MAI PENRAI and SABAI SABAI

no worries, it will be okay

this is life here

that's why we like it here

what about the couple life?

the kids over there

ah yes

it's better now because we have

two! it's a big house

2 floor

well maybe...

no no

Now with AC power and new suspension

no move!

a foreigner papaya salad

no fish sauce

no fermented fish

no sugar

also no chillies

also no chillies

so what did you put inside?

is there anything you miss from back home?

whenever we go back

we say hello to our family and friends

when the evening falls, around 6-7 pm

there is fresh air

you open the window and breathe it in

it feels so good

well, there's not much I miss

when you're used to living with good weather

it's difficult to come back to the cold and grey

you've been to 15 countries already

is there any favorite country

you feel you could live for a longer time

the only place we can imagine living

it's Thailand

Here we see the most positives

friends, the people

the safety

the food

the weather, the culture

there are many countries

which have many positive points

but Thailand is number 1

so you are learning Thai at the moment

yes, because later I want to live in Thailand

and it's important to speak Thai

I drive and then she asks me questions

she asks in French and I have to say it in Thai

do it, do it

to be hungry

menu

to order

food

breakfast

what do you love the most about each other

what do you like most about me

before or now?

oh that's ugly

before it was...

before we met

we were a bit... crazy

we were young

but now we are wiser

she's very sensible

takes things as they come

she thinks first

and accepts things

and I sometimes tend to be...

she is calmer

compared to before it's better now

you have grown together

yeah, we have grown up together

he takes pleasure

to share with people

he is very sociable

it could be 50th time that someone asks about our trip

about the truck, in any language

and for one hour

and then another person coming and...

he is always in a good mood

we are very different, and don't always agree

but we still go in the same direction

couples who work

and prefer to see each other evening time

if they had to be in the truck 24/24 every day

I think at some point... they might divorce

maybe you can tell me about YouTube

how did you start and what do you do?

many people who love what we do, sent us messages

asked us to make videos to show it's possible to do this

to give inspiration to other families

and your channel is in french?

it's in French, but now we do Thai translation

subtitle in Thai and English

but how do you pay for all of this

5 years on the road

how can I do this?

before we had our company

we worked a lot

I opened the company, hired people

and the company got bigger and at some point

we sold everything

so we had a small capital

we budgetted and bought a building

that we rent out

so it brings us passive income as we go along

and with that we manage to...

and with that we manage to...

to travel

and we live like a local

we eat local vegetables and in the season

but this we also used to do at home

eating something more European

we rarely do it

what are your plans for the future?

from mid-August we will spend one month in Laos

17 days we cross China and Tibet

we go back to Nepal for 2 months

then 3 months in India

then 1 month in Pakistan

after the idea is to celebrate the new year 2025

In Oman and the Emirates

Summer of 2026 we return to Switzerland

we sell our truck

and we come back to Thailand

and we build a new truck

but from Thailand

this is the main line

we'll stick to that more or less

but it can change

the plan is not a plan

that's right