Hi there and welcome – we are Paul and Sandra.
A Gen X couple passionate about life and our beautiful planet, we have made it our mission to help our audience experience more (of life and our world) by living with less (stuff/distractions/waste) and choosing better (that is, ethically and sustainably).
Paul RYKEN
Sandra ROSENAU
Born as antipodes to each other – Paul in New Zealand and Sandra in East Germany – we both moved to Sydney, Australia in 2007 and 2005, respectively. We met in June 2010, being paired up in a Latin Dance performance at the dance school we both attended.
Latin Dance not only brought us together as a couple and introduced us to many wonderful people who are now our friends. It also led to our first backpacking trip together – back in 2012. Travelling around the world to dance where the styles we knew originated from, this three-month trip took us (among many other places) to Argentina (Tango), Brazil (Samba, Zouk), the Dominican Republic (Bachata, Merengue), Cuba (Cha Cha Cha, Rumba, Salsa) and New York (Mambo).
At Iguazu Falls during our 2012 three-month world dance tour
A bit of a testing point whether our relationship would still flourish when together 24/7 for an extended period, that trip in 2012 laid the foundation for our journey today:
- Discovering we had found our soulmate in each other, we married in December 2014.
- Realising that our comfortable yet draining, middle-class life in Sydney wasn’t really what WE wanted, we started to question our values and simplify our lives, eventually leaving our corporate careers and Sydney.
Our Wedding Day at the Seabreeze Resort, Samoa in December 2014
Location-independent since October 2016, we are not (semi-)retired, quite the opposite. We still work 5-6 days a week, on this website and other endeavours:
- From 2018 to 2020, these included Tirohanga Lodge, a tranquil retreat in Queenstown, which we lovingly restored to share this beautiful corner of New Zealand with visitors from around the world… until a tiny virus brought travel to a grinding halt, and we made the hard decision to sell the Lodge amid too much uncertainty.
- In early 2021, we took on another big project: turning a bare paddock in beautiful Hawkes Bay into a (largely) self-sufficient permaculture farm. While we are still a long way off our goal, we’ve already seen a huge transformation – with native shrubs and trees, and a food forest growing, a low-footprint tiny house and more.
When we are not travelling the world, we are slowly turning a (once) bare paddock into a (largely) self-sufficient permaculture farm
We are very different individuals, but our values are aligned:
- Although we love spending quality time with close friends and family, we also share a thirst to learn and expand our horizons. That’s why we love exploring the world and immersing ourselves in other cultures.
- We live intentionally and travel mindfully. Limiting our environmental footprint and contributing positively to the communities we visit are important considerations that drive our purchasing decisions – wherever we are.
Download your Sustainable Travel Checklist and show the world you care
As travellers, we should all be aware of our travel behaviour and its environmental, economic and social impact; and make conscious decisions about it. Too often, we hear negative stories in the media about tourists behaving badly.
Here is your chance to tick some boxes and check out what it really takes to travel with a sustainable mindset.
That's us with our carry-on luggage leaving Sydney in 2016
What’s important to us may be very different from what’s important to you. We firmly believe though that making conscious decisions about how we spend our energy/time/money doesn’t benefit just us individually but also the communities we live in (or visit) and our planet.
That’s why we created Minimalist Journeys – a lifestyle and travel blog that promotes alternative, more sustainable ways to live and travel.
What brought you to our website?
If you read this far, firstly thank you for bearing with us. We don’t want Minimalist Journeys to be just a one-way street. So, please tell us a little about yourself and what you are hoping to learn (from us). We’d be stoked to hear from you.