Not Luxe ☼ Travel
  • ABOUT NICK & RAYCHEL
  • WHY “NOT LUXE”
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  • Travel
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Not Luxe ☼ Travel
  • ABOUT NICK & RAYCHEL
  • WHY “NOT LUXE”
  • Cambodia
  • Australia
  • Travel
  • Teaching ESL
  • Move Abroad
  • Travel Insurance

Van Life Myths : Debunked

Travel The World For Free With Trusted House Sitting

Things Worth Buying as Minimalist Nomads

Markets to Visit in Phnom Penh: A Guide

How to Move to Cambodia & Teach English

8 Tips You Need to Read BEFORE Moving to Phnom Penh

8 Things to Know Before MOVING to Cambodia

Currency in Cambodia: Explained

Saving Money: Teaching & Living in Phnom Penh

Where to Stay in Phnom Penh : A Visitor’s Guide

Day Trip to Phnom Chisor: How to Get to Phnom Chisor from...

WHY You Should Teach English in Cambodia

How to Save Money On A Budget Camper Van Build

How to Prepare for a USA Road Trip (For Canadians)

Things to do in Chilliwack BC

Van Life Essentials List | What We Can’t Live Without

Things To Do During Winter in Vernon BC

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  • cambodia

  • australia

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    Van Life Myths : Debunked

    by Nick & Raychel November 3, 2021
  • Travel The World For Free With Trusted House Sitting

    by Nick & Raychel February 14, 2021

    If you’re looking to save money on travel accommodation and fill your pet fix, you can travel the world for free with trusted house sitting! Learn about how we became house sitters in this article.

  • Things Worth Buying as Minimalist Nomads

    by Nick & Raychel April 28, 2020

    What things do we still consider worth buying as perpetual travellers? Well, you may be surprised to learn that we still LOVE to spend money. Let’s jump into it here.

  • Markets to Visit in Phnom Penh: A Guide

    by Nick & Raychel March 19, 2019
  • How to Move to Cambodia & Teach English

    by Nick & Raychel March 18, 2019

    Moving to Cambodia to teach English? Here’s EVERYTHING you need to know: from TEFLs, to locations, to cash, to contracts, to lesson plans, all in a step-by-step format to make your life easier.

  • 8 Tips You Need to Read BEFORE Moving to Phnom Penh

    by Nick & Raychel March 18, 2019

    Cambodia in retrospect: what we wish we had done differently.

  • 8 Things to Know Before MOVING to Cambodia

    by Nick & Raychel March 10, 2019
  • Currency in Cambodia: Explained

    by Nick & Raychel March 5, 2019

    Riel? USD? How do you work with the two operating currencies? Here, we’ll give you some tips to make sense of it.

  • Saving Money: Teaching & Living in Phnom Penh

    by Nick & Raychel February 19, 2019

    Can you save money while teaching in Cambodia? The short answer is yes. Find our tips & tricks here.

  • Where to Stay in Phnom Penh : A Visitor’s Guide

    by Nick & Raychel February 12, 2019
  • Day Trip to Phnom Chisor: How to Get to Phnom Chisor from Phnom Penh

    by Nick & Raychel February 5, 2019

    A day trip to an ancient temple? Yes please. Phnom Chisor is one of our favourite day trips from Phnom Penh. We share our tips on how to get there, how much $ you’ll need, and the unwritten rules of the temple.

  • WHY You Should Teach English in Cambodia

    by Nick & Raychel January 29, 2019

    When we thought of teaching abroad, Cambodia was not the first place that came to mind. Now our minds have changed. Here’s why.

  • How to Save Money On A Budget Camper Van Build

    by Nick & Raychel February 17, 2022
  • How to Prepare for a USA Road Trip (For Canadians)

    by Nick & Raychel November 15, 2021

    After the past few years of travelling the world, we are packing up the van to see the Americas – so of course as we prepare for a USA road trip, we are bringing you along!

  • Things to do in Chilliwack BC

    by Nick & Raychel November 15, 2021

    Visiting Chilliwack can be the perfect Vancouver day trip, just 40 minutes from the city. Here’s our list of the best things to do in Chilliwack BC. Let’s go see the Fraser Valley!

  • Van Life Essentials List | What We Can’t Live Without

    by Nick & Raychel November 3, 2021
  • Things To Do During Winter in Vernon BC

    by Nick & Raychel March 17, 2021

    If you’re looking for things to do in Vernon, BC – look no further! We love winters in the Okanagan for the unique winter activities Vernon has to offer!

  • Living in Kelowna vs. Living in Vancouver

    by Nick & Raychel February 25, 2021

    After having lived in both cities, we can say we’ve fallen in love with both Kelowna and Vancouver. Let’s talk about the differences of living in Kelowna vs. living in Vancouver and life in the lower mainland vs. the Okanagan.

  • 50 Tips For A Winter in Canada | Survival Guide

    by Nick & Raychel January 31, 2021
  • Things to do in Kelowna in Winter

    by Nick & Raychel January 30, 2021

    Everyone knows that Kelowna is a great place to spend the summer. But how is Kelowna in the winter? Find our 6 favorite things to do here!

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Nick & Raychel
Nick & Raychel

In 2018, we sold everything we owned and moved to Cambodia to teach English.

Let’s make this clear: this journey didn’t start with money. This journey started with a desire to see the world and to do something different for a change.

We’re not going to fool you with photos of floating breakfasts and private jets. We know what it’s like to be on a budget. Although we like to take pretty pictures, we aren’t going to wake up at an ungodly hour to give you unachievable travel jealousy. We aren’t going to censor ourselves or lie to you.

What we are going to do is stay in cheap hostels, find ways to make money, give the advice that we would want to hear, and share our experiences with you honestly.

Are you in?

Not Luxe

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GUIDE TO MARKETS | PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA (2018)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8v49HKtlIk

IS CAMBODIA SAFE? LIVING IN PHNOM PENH

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NShIg00dj8Q

KAMPOT & KEP | PEPPER PLANTATIONS, KAYAKING, BOAT TOURS & TAPAS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3DgTbP4SKQ

LONGBOARDING IN THE PHILIPPINES | LAPU LAPU & OSLOB

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GT6ABZE4mSE

CAMBODIA | PROS & CONS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLMhjVTJUxE&t=14s

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Recent Posts

  • Van Life Myths : Debunked

    November 3, 2021
  • Travel The World For Free With Trusted House Sitting

    February 14, 2021
  • Things Worth Buying as Minimalist Nomads

    April 28, 2020
  • Markets to Visit in Phnom Penh: A Guide

    March 19, 2019
  • How to Move to Cambodia & Teach English

    March 18, 2019
  • 8 Tips You Need to Read BEFORE Moving to Phnom Penh

    March 18, 2019
  • 8 Things to Know Before MOVING to Cambodia

    March 10, 2019
  • Currency in Cambodia: Explained

    March 5, 2019
  • Saving Money: Teaching & Living in Phnom Penh

    February 19, 2019
  • Where to Stay in Phnom Penh : A Visitor’s Guide

    February 12, 2019
  • Day Trip to Phnom Chisor: How to Get to Phnom Chisor from Phnom Penh

    February 5, 2019
  • WHY You Should Teach English in Cambodia

    January 29, 2019
  • How to Save Money On A Budget Camper Van Build

    February 17, 2022
  • How to Prepare for a USA Road Trip (For Canadians)

    November 15, 2021
  • Things to do in Chilliwack BC

    November 15, 2021
  • Van Life Essentials List | What We Can’t Live Without

    November 3, 2021

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ABOUT NICK & RAYCHEL

About Us Hi! We’re Nick & Raychel, the Canadian travel couple behind the brand ‘Not Luxe’. Far before we were married (and on a mission to see the world), we were working…

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Instagram

  • Slowing down 🚐 

The whole appeal of van life and many alternative living options is the freedom to take a go at your own speed.

But sometimes it feels like you just want to see it all.
And we’ve seen SO much in the past twenty months. 

Especially in the past six.

As Canadian travellers, I find that our slow season is the opposite of others. We escape the cold weather and have been abroad for many Christmases and snowfalls. During those times, we’re cliff jumping, waterfall hopping, cruising, skatepark hunting, friendship building…

Then, when lake season rolls around we’re ready to take on a more conventional work schedule, to save up to do it all again.

But we have to tell ourselves to relax, to enjoy the downtime, to take in the peaceful moments just as much as the epic ones. To soak up the sun, to drink water, to slow down.

It’s a constant learning process.

📍Traditional Hohokam, Patayan, and Yavapai land ⁣

__

Tags: #vanlife #vanlifeshot #vanlifemeetup #vanlifemoments #vanlifemovement #vanlifemagazine #vanlifestyle #vanlifeculture #vanlifecouple #vanlifeconversions #campulance #campinggirls #campinglife #rvliving #camperlife
  • But how do you SHOWER? 😅

This photo is from the most ridiculous YouTube thumbnail we’ve had to date. We took so many funny photos this day, we couldn’t NOT share. Or maybe we could. Oh well.

But let’s answer the question while we’re at it.

🚿 We primarily go to Anytime Fitness which is a little pricier than Planet Fitness. In our opinion, however, the equipment is way nicer, there are usually less people, they’re all over Canada & the US, it’s open 24/7, and the showers are private.

🚿 When we’re not near an Anytime Fitness (this has only happened one time when we were in Quartzsite), we find a truck stop shower to go to.

🚿 And that’s about it. We bought a camping shower at the beginning of van living and only used it one miserable time.

Do you think a shower is necessary in a van build?

___

Tags: #vanlife #vanlifeshot #vanlifeshower #vanlifecamper #campinglife #campingtrip #vanlifebuild #vanlifediaries #vanlifegirls #vanlifetravel #vanlifetravels #vanlifestyle #vanlifeexplorers #campinggirls #outsideisfree #outsideshoot #vanlifeculture #vanlifecommunity
  • We have been doing so much stealth city camping lately that we felt like we needed a break. When we first moved into our van, we set off to Vancouver Island, where we were constantly surrounded by nature - and even though we had no idea what we were doing, it was just easy to be outside.

As you guys know, we’ve lived all sorts of van life. From brick & mortar jobs, to off-grid living, to city dwelling, to full-time travelling. Lately, we’ve seen A LOT of cities and while we’re grateful to have covered so much ground, we knew we needed nature. 

So we nestled ourselves into Starved Rock State Park and reset.
Full video is on YouTube. Link in bio.

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Tags: #vanlife #vanlifecouple #vanlifediaries #vanlifers #vanliving #ambulanceconversion #vandwelling #vandweller #camperlife #campervan #camperconversion #campingbackpack #campinglife #campingtrip #illinois #starvedrockstatepark
  • “The life you have led doesn’t need to be the only life you have” – Anna Quindlen

I can’t imagine committing to being the person I was 5 years ago for the rest of my life. I can’t imagine committing to one mindset or one way of life. 

It would be impossible to put into words how much we’ve changed through travel and meeting people. And as we start to hype ourselves up for our next big journey, we’re excited to dive head first with an open mind. 

Whether you’re building a van, starting a new job, buying a plane ticket, or even walking out of the house every morning - you have no fucking idea what’s in store.

Travel has a special way of changing you. 
And the best thing you can do is allow it. 

📍 Traditional Kumeyaay land
___ 

Tags: #vanlifemovement #vanlifecommunity #vanlifecouple #vanlifediaries #vanlife #vanlifers #vanliferevolution #vantravel #vantrip #roadtrippers #roadtrippin #lifeontheroad #livinginavan #ambulanceconversion #vanlifeadventures
  • Our time in Albuquerque was…needed. We originally drove into New Mexico thinking we were ready to seize the f’king DAY but ended up doing a lot of… sleeping. 

Here are the budget friendly, low energy things we ended up doing:

☼ Vegos: By far, some of the best vegan food we’ve had in the USA. Once just a small food truck and now a full-blown brick and mortar business, Vegos is an all-vegan restaurant serving classic New Mexican dishes. We grabbed a $5 breakfast burrito and were tempted to stay all day. 
 
☼ Albuquerque Museum: The Albuquerque Museum has admission-free days each Sunday morning and the first Wednesday of every month. We spent the day exploring the exhibits that are dedicated to art in New Mexico and the history of Albuquerque.

☼ Old Town Plaza: Albuquerque’s Old Town is filled with little museums, art galleries, restaurants and sweet little gems. We wandered around for hours and experienced the charm of the “heart of Albuquerque”. 

☼ El Cottoro: We stopped for $3 craft tacos at this taqueria and heladeria. Mimosas were also on special for $3 😏 so you know that was on the agenda as well. 
*also serves meat and vegetarian options 

& that’s about it! The rest of our days were spent lazing around in the van until we felt ready for our next adventure. 

—

Tags: #albuquerque #explorenewmexico #newmexicolove #newmexicolife #albuquerquenm #travelblogger #travelgram #visitnewmexico #vegantravel #vegantraveller #exploremore
  • This little, imperfect home we built together has carried us through so many places. 

We often try to go into travel with no expectations - just a few bucketlist places on the list and the desire to learn, connect, and have a good time. 

This van has been the vessel to do all of those things, while simultaneously being our shelter and place we call home. 

Van life is quite honestly nothing like I thought it’d be - but instead, this way of life has brought us to the right people, and the right place at the right time. 

📍 Traditional Kumeyaay land
___ 

Tags: #vanlifemovement #vanlifecommunity #vanlifecouple #vanlifediaries #vanlife #vanlifers #vanliferevolution #vantravel #vantrip #roadtrippers #roadtrippin #lifeontheroad #livinginavan #ambulanceconversion #vanlifeadventures
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