Who are we?

Xavier from France and Valeria from Ukraine, full-time expats, part-time travelers, cyclists and constantly frustrating photographers on the mission to explore as much of our beautiful world as the lifetime can allow. To explore slowly and responsibly.

What this blog is for?

Independent People is all about beauty, curiosity, love and humor.

We are convinced that any town/city/country can be gorgeous and interesting. That is why we want to show this sometimes unconventional beauty in our photos, to live through authentic experience that this particular place can offer and share with fellow travelers the ideas to help them in building their own travel itinerary. But above all this is the place where we keep our own memories, as we have no more space left for the albums on our bookshelves.

What do we write on Independent People?

Photo walks. Minimum of text, maximum of visual content.
One- two- or ten days itineraries. All tips and practical info included.
Our favourites. Top-10s of…anything.
Cycling and Hiking Guides. Sharing all the information one might need to organize a cycling trip without any possible nuisances.
Tips and Highlights. For better understanding of the place.
Portraits and other photo collections.

What is our blogging & travel philosophy?

All the photos are ours except eventual cases where the source is always specified.

We write only about the things that we have experienced ourselves.

Honest opinions and thoughts only.

We are NOT budget travellers. We love good food and we don’t mind enjoying the experiences that have to be paid for.

Why Independent People? It is just our way of living. No borders, no limits, no pressure. And a gorgeous book by an Icelandic writer – Halldór Laxness.

Find the full map of our adventures and expatriations.

Where do we travel?

Over the last years, we have focused on the exploration of Europe, one can hardly exhaust all the beauty and discover cultures that can be found at your doorstep.

Particularly interested in the countries of North, we spent 2 years living in Estonia, cycled around Iceland by tandem, crossed the Polar Circle on a rusty van, and almost lost our mind because of the seasick on the Faroe Islands.

In December 2015, we moved to England and it’s been our pleasure to discover and to show that England is much, much more than just London and Oxford. In 2018 we moved to France and have been experiencing this amazing country ever since.

How we can collaborate:

Photography

Above anything else we are photographers in search of beauty and aesthetic. If you like our photography style, we will be happy to make a photo shoot for your product or destination. If you are interested in procuring any existing pictures on our blog to promote your destination, it’s also possible. Digital or analog (or Polaroid?) – the options are plenty! The coverage on our social media goes without saying!

Reviews

We will be happy to test your product, try out your restaurant, stay at your hotel or live the experience you propose in exchange for an honest but respecful review. This experience will be included in our story, which will be published in English and in French as well as covered on our social media accompanied with our photography (of which, I must confess, I’m quite proud!).

Get in Touch!

contact@independentpeople.net

About us