Who Are We?

Welcome to our journey.

In this blog, we’ll share who we are, our motivations for going on this world trip, and what you can expect from Lost Between Oceans.

We are Laura and Alexander, a Belgian couple passionate about travel, curious about the world and marketing nerds. But before we talk about our passion, let’s go back to the beginning of our story.

Who is Alexander?

Alexander, was born in Merchtem, a Belgian city in Flanders between Antwerp and Brussels. He knew he wanted to work in one of the organisations of the European Union, which is why he got a masters degree in the EU studies. After graduating, he worked for the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU. After the presidency, he switched jobs, and he now works at one of the big four consulting firms.

Where does travel fit in the puzzle for Alexander?

After graduating from high school, Alexander explored Europe. After all, he was passionate about the EU, so he wanted to visit the countries that were actually part of it. He booked a summer railway ticket that allowed him to travel across multiple countries within a month.

In 2021, Alexander had the travel itch but this time he wanted to discover the world. This is where his transformative journey started, and at that moment, he saw his future starting to become clear. He travelled across the Middle East, India, and Southeast Asia. Exploring all these different cultures, igniting his travel passion.

Who is Laura?

Laura was born in Ghent, another Belgian city, but she didn’t actually grow up there. She spent her early years in South America and then moved to Kenya with her family, where she lived for ten years. In 2021, she returned to Belgium to study International Business Management and today she works for a marketing agency that serves clients internationally for SEO and paid advertisements.

Marketing is her passion, she loves her job and is confident this is how she wants to help companies. Although, she always felt like something was missing. Living abroad her entire life, she always had this urge of continuing her travels and didn’t want to settle in a country. Her dream was being able to combine travel with marketing.

How did you two meet, and when did you realize you shared a passion for overlanding?

We met through a mutual friend who introduced us. We bonded over our love for travel, books, sports, values, and visions… staying up all night and exchanging stories. This continued for months, and in 2022, we officially got together.

We knew we had a lot in common from the moment we met. We both love discovering new places, embracing adventure, and living simply without needing luxury. We had each taken road trips before and had spoken a lot about our experiences.

One day, we were having breakfast, and we started talking about people who travel the world by overlanding. During this conversation, we realised that it was actually a dream we both had! Since that day, we couldn’t let it go, and both thought about it a lot. Shortly after, the conversation became a drafted project, and today we are building our car to make this dream a reality.

What inspired the name Lost Between Oceans?

We chose the name Lost Between Oceans because it captures our journey. As we travel, we have two main goals: to work and build a business remotely (1) and to get lost in the country that we are traveling in by fully experiencing it (2).

We don’t want to rush through countries in a few days or weeks; we aim to explore them for months. Throughout all our travels, the constant theme is that we are always lost between oceans.

Why do you want to do the world trip?

Our passion for this world trip stems from a deep desire to immerse ourselves in diverse cultures, connect with nature, meet new people, and find fulfillment through unique experiences. Traveling offers us the chance to step outside our comfort zones, explore the unknown, and grow personally and professionally. It’s about more than just seeing new places; it’s about understanding different ways of life and appreciating the beauty of the world around us.

How do you plan to stay on the road?

With this passion driving us, we knew we needed a solid plan to make our dream a reality. That’s why we developed a travel blog, not just as a creative outlet but as a strategic platform. Through it, we share our adventures, offering practical tips and insights so our readers can confidently plan their journeys.

Our aim is to be a go-to resource, helping travelers quickly find the best experiences without sifting through countless websites. Ultimately, we want to monetize the blog and grow our marketing company, focusing on partnerships with travel companies and brands that align with our expertise.

Why did you choose a Land Rover Defender 110 as your overlanding vehicle?

We instantly knew we wanted to travel in an old car that you can fix as a hobby mechanic. Imagine having the latest Mercedes van, having an electrical or mechanical issue in Africa, and not being able to fix it yourself or in a garage.

The debate was between a Toyota Land Cruiser and a Land Rover Defender. Both had rational advantages and disadvantages, but ultimately, our hearts chose a Land Rover Defender TD5 (2003). This 4×4 is made for the most challenging terrains, getting you comfortably wherever you need to be.

Can you share some details about the restoration process of your Land Rover Defender?

Another hard choice was whether to make minor upgrades to the Defender or restore it completely. In the end, we chose the latter. Our main argument was that the chassis had quite some rust after 21 years and 235.000 kilometers (146.000 miles). We were afraid this would influence its integrity. If our chassis were to be broken during our travels, it would be game over.

So we decided to have a four-stage restoration process. Stage one involved taking the car apart, piece by piece, which we have done over the past few months. Now, we will sandblast the chassis, put it in an anti-rust bath, and coat it. Then, our main sponsor, Vicious Offroad, will install new OME suspension, brake lines, car axles, and a new heavy-duty clutch (650 NM) sponsored by Clutchfix Ltd.

We found a technical school in Hasselt (Belgium) to remove all the dents and repaint the car. Their students want to become car mechanics, and to do so, they take classes on how to properly repaint cars and remove dents.

In December, we will have the restored chassis, the suspension, and the painted parts of the Defender back; then, stage two can start.

We will install all the parts and components in stage two to make the car whole again. This is the perfect time for potential sponsors to get involved. If you’d like to be featured with a sticker on our car and in all our Defender blog posts, please contact us. We will create blog posts about overlanding destinations, tagging all our sponsors based on thorough keyword research to reach a global audience.

Our approach ensures mutual benefits and creates the best Return on Investment for you. We value loyalty, and all our sponsorships are long-term investments, showing our readers that these brands have supported us from the beginning.

Stage three will involve testing the Defender. We anticipate a few issues after reassembly, so this stage will focus on getting the car in optimal shape.

Stage four is our world trip, planned to start in 2025/2026, once we have a one-year financial reserve. This year will allow us to commit to our marketing company and blog fully, ensuring we make enough money to travel sustainably.

What are some of the top destinations you are most excited to visit?

Alexander is most excited about exploring Canada, the US, and Mexico. He looks forward to long hours on the road in Canada, wandering through forests, and camping next to lakes and mountains. The US offers amazing national parks where he hopes to complete some of the world’s most beautiful hikes, like Angel’s Landing. With its stunning beaches, Mexico presents the ultimate goal of camping and working remotely from the shore.

Laura is most excited about visiting the USA, Guatemala, Peru, and New Zealand. The USA offers diverse landscapes and vibrant cities that she is very curious about. In Guatemala, she is particularly drawn to the majestic volcanoes, such as Pacaya and Acatenango, which are known as thrilling hikes. Peru for its ancient ruins and vibrant culture. From the age of 0 to 2 years old, she lived in Peru, and heard so many stories about it growing up, she now wants to finally experience the stories she heard. Last, New Zealand for the incredible nature scenery and outdoor living culture.