Our travel motto: Go for quality instead of quantity. Experience more than to see more
Hi! We Are Matt And Monico
When we met each other at school we both talked about traveling and living abroad. We have been very lucky to have traveled and lived abroad: solo, for our studies, and together since 1999.
Yes! More than 20 years ago. The time when the internet just started, when we were dependent on the paperback travel guides ‘Lonely Planet’ and ‘Rough Guide’, and we arranged accommodation at the hotel booths at the train stations.
In 2007 we moved to Indonesia. Here we learnt about travel blogging. First, we created a Bali travel blog where we shared travel tips and suggestions. Not only did we learn more about this destination, but we helped others plan their ultimate Bali holiday.
From then on we were hooked and started writing about our other travels. This led to BootsandSandals.com!
We aim to help other travelers prepare for their perfect trip without being overwhelmed with all the information.
Who Is Who in Boots And Sandals?
From a very young age, Matt was attracted to the jungle and the local people. His first trip was to Ecuador, and from then on the travel virus just grew and grew.
When traveling Matt doesn’t think of the impossible. He isn’t a planner either (luckily Monico is!) but this did take him to unexpected places and situations such as camping on the beach in Hawaii, climbing Mount Kota Kinabalu unprepared, and discovering the most beautiful beach in Lombok. Matt’s ultimate trip is to drive through different continents on a motorcycle.
Monico’s first solo travel was to Indonesia. There she worked as a volunteer at an orangutan rehabilitation center. From there most of her travelers were focused on working for environmental and conservation projects such as in Panama and Australia.
Besides wildlife, she loves strolling through the little streets in historical European cities, swimming in the sea, and eating at Asian food courts and stalls. While she mainly traveled in Asia and Europe, her future travel goal is to explore more of South, Central, and North America.
Currently 8 years old, Art has been traveling since 1,5 years old. He never gets tired and is the last to fall asleep on the airplane. Art is crazy about water and prefers to spend the whole day in the sea or pool. Loves pizza, spaghetti, and ice cream making Italy one of his favorite countries. His dream destination is Hawaii.
How we love to travel
When we both just started traveling in our 20s, we would always rent a scooter and do road trips. We had this feeling of experiencing more on a scooter than in a car.
Not only the smells, pollution 😜, and sounds made traveling more intense on a motorbike but the flexibility to take the little unexpected detours made it more fun.
Now in our 40s we still do the same! Especially now that our son is at an age where he can sit comfortably on a scooter, we hope to do more road trips. Luckily he loves motorbikes, so that is a great bonus!
Not all destinations are ideal for a motorbike, but moving around and not sticking to one place is our way of traveling.
Additionally, we aim for minimalist travel. Not only traveling light but creating memories instead of getting things. We believe minimalist travel clears your mind and lets you enjoy the moment and experience places more.
While we travel a lot by plane, we try our best to minimize our impact on the environment and hopefully have a huge impact on the local community
Where We Lived/Traveled
In the past, we mostly traveled for our studies and would be in a country for 3 months or more. We loved long-term traveling and working abroad as it enabled us to experience the culture and country to the fullest.
Living abroad and traveling in our 20s and 30s has influenced our choices in life positively. We are always looking for new ways to improve ourselves and know that there is a whole world out there that will change our views in life.
Europe
📍The Netherlands – Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Utrecht, Maastricht, Den Haag, Delft, Leeuwarden
lived there most of our lives, currently living in Rotterdam (2024)
📍Belgium – Antwerp, Brussels
📍France – Paris, Le Havre, Lyon, Annecy, Lille, Amiens
📍Spain – Barcelona, Madrid, Sevilla, Granada, Malaga, Valencia
📍Italy – Tuscany region, Venice, Puglia region, Rome, Bologna
📍Greece – Kos, Santorini, Lefkada
📍Hungary – Budapest
📍United Kingdom – London, Oxford, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Eastbourne
In 1999 we both did an internship in London and in 2009 we lived there together for 4 years. London is a very special place for us
📍Germany – Frankfurt, Dusseldorf, Munich, Hannover
📍Czech Republic – Prague
📍Poland – Warsaw, Poznan
📍Turkey – Istanbul
📍Portugal – Lisbon, Algarve region
Asia
📍Indonesia – Bali, Lombok, East Kalimantan, Java, North Sumatra
Monico has family, did her studies, and eventually lived a year in Indonesia together with Matt
📍Malaysia – Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Langkawi, Malacca, Tioman Island, Kapas Island, Perhentian Islands, Sarawak, Sabah
Monico lived here when she was young, Matt did his internship in Kuala Lumpur
📍Singapore
📍Thailand – Bangkok, Chiangmai, Koh Samui, Koh Tao, Koh Phi Phi
📍Japan – Tokyo, Kyoto, Hakone, Osaka, Nara
📍Sri Lanka
Matt did his bachelor’s thesis on a feasibility study of a boutique hotel in Unawatuna Beach in 2003.
Australia
📍Queensland – Queensland, Kakadu National Park
South America
📍Ecuador – Quito, Guayaquil, Cotopaxi, Cuenca, Otavalo, Banos, Macuma in the Amazon
Central America
📍Panama – Panama City, Bocas Del Torro
Monico spent 6 months in Panama for her studies on one of the small islands in the Panama Canal
📍Costa Rica – Corcovado National Park, Playa Costa Verder
North America
📍New York
📍Hawaii – Oahu island
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Where are we going next?
It is difficult to say to which places we wish to go next. There are just too many. But here are our top 10 of our road trip and dream destinations
Our road trip destination list is:
- Albania
- Sardinia, Italy
- Sicily, Italy
- Corsica, France
- Croatia
- Vietnam
- Nusa Tenggara Islands, Indonesia
- Bayern, Germany
- Turkey
- India to Bhutan
Our Ultimate Dream Destination list is:
- Hawaii
- Raja Ampat, West Papua, Indonesia
- Madagascar
- Namibia
- Cambodia
- California, USA
- Iceland
- New Zealand
- Jordan
- Tanzania & Zanzibar
Passive Income
Passive income is the perfect way to be free to choose wherever and whenever you wish to travel. Travel blogging is a perfect way to pay for your travels if you don’t want to be location-dependent.
From past experiences, we did learn that you should never put all eggs in one basket. Therefore we have done a lot of tests and trials when it comes to finding the type of passive income that suits us.
We will post our experiences and suggestions on bootsandsandals.com too, as we believe that passive income (big or small) is an ideal source of extra income for anybody who loves traveling.
Use the Contact Us page if you want to get in touch!
Have a lovely day! Matt and Monico