World Wide Walkies

From the Rat Race to Quiet Coastlines: Emily Endean’s Journey to Following Her Dream

Emily Endean with her vintage Hymer campervan parked between tree trunks in an autumnal forest

How quitting the rat race, moving into an old Hymer and embracing vanlife helped one photographer pursue her passion.

There’s something I love about people who dare to step away from the conventional path and create a life that works for them. Perhaps that’s because Mark and I did something similar when we swapped a more conventional existence for life on the road.

Through the vanlife community, I met Emily Endean, who comes from my adopted hometown of Bournemouth. Emily’s story is a reminder that sometimes, following your dream means changing not just what you do, but how you live.

And now, she’s on the verge of bringing her photographic passion to life in a beautiful new book, Quiet Coastlines.

Emily Endeans cover for her photo book/memoir 'Quiet Coastlines' superimposed on one of her beautiful coastal photographs with text 'From Rat Race to Quiet Coastlines - How quitting the rat race, moving into an old Hymer and embracing vanlife helped one photographer pursue her passion.

Ditching the rat race for vanlife

Emily wanted to build a career in photography, doing what she loved rather than getting caught up in the relentless round of weddings and corporate photo shoots.

Greece in a Large Motorhome/Overlander with Dogs – Beautiful, Delicious, & A Bit of a Nightmare

Touring Greece with pets: motorhome, overland truck, couple, and two dogs by the coast

Greece is spectacular. The people are lovely. The food is delicious. The scenery is breathtaking. So why wouldn’t I recommend taking a large motorhome there?

And by large, I mean anything over 3.5 tonnes.

Let me make one thing clear before I start sounding like I’ve developed a personal vendetta against an entire country: there is plenty to love about Greece. We’ve met wonderful people, eaten some fantastic food, and driven through scenery that could make you forget you’re wrestling a 10 m/33-foot ex-army truck around a hairpin bend.

But travelling around Greece in a >3.5 tonne vehicle – with dogs – has turned out to be considerably more complicated – and considerably more expensive – than we expected.

And if you’re planning to take something weighing more than 3.5 tonnes and/or your furry friend, I’d suggest reading this before you set off.

The nose of The Beast, Jacqueline Lambert's overland truck, with one of the monasteries on top of a limestone pillar at Meteora, Greece, behind. — The Beast at Meteora, Greece

99p Kindle Deals: Award-Winning Travel Memoirs

Jacqueline Lamberts travel e books Building The beast, and More Manchester Than Mongolia with their multiple awards and caption 'Are you booked up for the beach? The Wayward Truck Series now both 99p (e books on Amazon UK only)

Great news!

If you’re looking for something to make you smile on the beach, in the garden, or while hiding from the British weather, here’s a little mid-August reminder…

For the rest of August, BOTH ebooks in my Wayward Truck series are available on Amazon UK for 99p Kindle Deals.

🚛 Building The Beast – the story of how we bought a 30-year-old six-wheel Belgian Army truck, sight unseen, and attempted to convert it into an off-grid expedition home for two humans and four dogs.

🗺️ More Manchester Than Mongolia – what happened when our grand overland dream took an unexpected detour, proving that adventure doesn’t always go according to plan… and is sometimes better for it.

I’m incredibly grateful for the reception both books have received. Each has been awarded the Readers’ Favorite 5-Star Seal, and both have been recognised by the Wishing Shelf Book Awards. Building The Beast won Bronze in 2024, while More Manchester Than Mongolia was a Finalist in 2025.

The Wishing Shelf Book Award judges gave both books five stars.

One judge’s feedback on More Manchester Than Mongolia was:

“Bill Bryson fans should definitely give this a go!

The humour feels very British – dry, understated, and wonderfully observational…

It’s one of those books you keep recommending to friends because you’re convinced they’ll enjoy it as much as you did.”

If you’ve been meaning to climb aboard The Beast, or you’ve enjoyed the first book but haven’t yet read the second, now’s the perfect opportunity.

The 99p Kindle Deals are only available until the end of August. After the promotion, the price goes back up to £2.99 each.

Jacqueline Lamberts travel e books Building The beast, and More Manchester Than Mongolia with the caption 'Catch up on award winning comic memoirs: The Wayward Truck Series' and bullet points 6 wheels, 25 tonnes, 4 metres high, 4 dogs on board and Not suitable for british country roads.

Château de Quéribus: Vertigo, Vineyards & Very Good Wine at The Last Cathar Stronghold

“The last mile or so is a 17% gradient,” Mark told me as he flung The Beast around tight hairpins.

The road we were climbing was ‘only’ 10%, and I wasn’t enjoying the view from my side. I stared down a dizzying expanse of nothingness that I knew had no margin for error.

Silently, I prayed that nothing came the other way. The Beast occupied the entire width, and I didn’t trust placing 17 tonnes on a road edge held aloft by nothing more than hope and fresh air.

In addition, I didn’t like the thought of a 10% descent.

With this in mind, I offered a considered response.

A steep, narrow road with a long drop, and the keep of Chateau de Queribus in view on the side of a cliff — The road to Quéribus, which you can just see on the hill, was a mere 10% gradient with not much between us & the void.

“I don’t think a 17% gradient would be a good idea, Mark. What goes up must come down, and I really don’t fancy testing our brakes on a slope nearly twice this steep…”