So who´s actually behind
"happylostlife"?
Yep, that’s me: Camila. 25, living my dream and exploring the world (happylostlife style):
Still figuring stuff out, a bit lost, but exactly that makes it all worth it. I go all in, laugh too much, and never let anything stop me.
so, here’s the start of it all—the life I had before everything changed.
Chapter I: Before the Journey Began
Before traveling became my life, I lived in a completely different world. My days revolved around adrenaline and boardsports. Wakeboarding was my biggest passion, but I also loved skating and snowboarding—constantly chasing that feeling of freedom and speed. I was surrounded by a great group of friends, and I was in a relationship with someone who seemed to embody everything I had ever wanted. At that time, it felt like life was exactly the way it was supposed to be.
During this time, I even bought a van together with my dad—something I had worked hard for and poured my heart into building out. That van gave me a first taste of independence, of the freedom to go wherever I wanted. It was the beginning of my vanlife phase, though back then, I didn’t realize how important it would become for the rest of my journey.
But then everything shifted. The relationship ended, my closest friends turned their backs on me, and even wakeboarding no longer felt like home. The things that once gave me so much purpose suddenly felt empty. For months, I drifted through life like a shadow of myself—going to work, coming back, existing but not really living. I felt like a zombie, disconnected from who I was, as if I had lost the meaning of my life.
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And then, out of nowhere, someone entered my story who would change everything: my best friend. We met at work, and one day she asked me if I wanted to join her on a spontaneous trip. That single question was the spark. It was the beginning of a new chapter, one that would lead me far away from the life I thought I knew—and into the journey that truly shaped me.
before I knew it, life was about to flip upside down—and I had no idea it would lead me here.
Chapter II:
The Beginning of Travel
My first real travel chapter began with Pia, my best friend. Together we decided to go to Portugal—two complete beginners at vanlife, especially for such a long stretch of time. And honestly, the trip was a disaster. Nothing went as planned. But at the same time, it was one of the best experiences of my life. We laughed endlessly, we connected like we had been friends for ten years already, and we met people who changed the way we saw the world.
When we returned home, one thing was clear: we had to keep traveling. So we worked during the week, and every single weekend we took the van out. To waterfalls, to Austria, to Italy, to Switzerland—we never stopped exploring. Every vacation meant hopping on the cheapest flights we could find. Every cent we had went into traveling, and soon enough, we had explored almost all of Europe in our little van.
But behind the excitement, life wasn’t easy. To save for something bigger, we both worked two jobs while also building our presence on social media. It was exciting, but it pushed me to my limits. At one point, I completely burned out. I had to face myself, step back, and learn how to take care of my own well-being. It was one of the hardest times I had ever gone through.
Still, I never stopped believing in the dream. The plan was clear: one year of traveling the world together. That vision carried me through the struggle, and it reminded me why all the effort, all the sacrifice, was worth it.
and that was the moment the true adventure began...
Chapter III:
The Adventure of a Lifetime
Our journey had finally begun. Pia and I set off to explore the world, and our very first stop was Sri Lanka. Neither of us had ever been to Asia before, and it was a complete shift from everything we knew. We didn’t have a strict plan—just a list of places we dreamed of seeing—and that’s where it all started.
Sri Lanka was incredible. We explored the most beautiful places across the entire country before spontaneously heading to the Maldives. There, we had our very first real collaboration with a dive center. We stayed for a whole month, diving every day and discovering some of the most breathtaking spots we had ever seen.
From there, our route looked like it had been drawn by a child on a map—messy but full of wonder. Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos… in every place, we met people who lived the same lifestyle we were chasing—free, adventurous, and endlessly inspiring. Eventually, we circled back to Europe, traveling through Portugal and Spain again before heading to Morocco. There, we met someone who invited us to Norway, which led to another wild detour. Then, back to Asia: Malaysia, Singapore, and beyond.
That one year of traveling was the best year of our lives. We laughed harder than ever before, met unforgettable people, and lived experiences we had only dreamed about. We swam with whales, climbed active volcanoes, scaled ice walls in Svalbard, and drank tea under the desert sky in the Sahara. Every single moment felt like the definition of “once in a lifetime.”
At the same time, something unexpected was happening: social media. What started as a way to share our journey slowly grew into something much bigger. Before I knew it, I had reached 100,000 followers. Collaborations rolled in—we stayed in hotels for free, partnered with brands I had admired since I was a kid, and suddenly our lives looked completely different. It was never meant to be about money, but the opportunities kept coming.
After exploring New Zealand, the Philippines, and Indonesia, our journey finally brought us to Australia. That was supposed to be the point where Pia and I went our separate ways. My plan was to spend a year circling the continent, but instead, life took me back to Germany—with Pia—to figure out what would come next.
I continued to receive collaborations and projects that allowed me to avoid going back to an office job. That was the moment I realized: I could keep building this life. A life of freedom, adventure, and passion—one that made me truly happy.