Welcome to Beer and Croissants, an authentic travel site where we only write about things that we have seen, done and experienced ourselves. Back when we started this website, we created our tagline of ‘real experiences, real stories, real travellers, as this was the single most important criterion when it came to creating content for our readers.
It was evident to us then that other websites wrote about locations, trips and products simply because they were getting paid to do so. Many had never even been to these locations. Ever! Others hired writers to write guides, having never stepped foot in that city or country. Today, our words hold true even more. With the advent of AI, so much is written on the internet that is just false. The social media forums also proliferate the spread of inaccurate or incomplete information. At best, it’s inauthentic, but at worst, it can be dangerous.
Our underlying principles from that time back in 2014, when all of this started, are still the same. We are the real travellers; we are the writers and content producers. It might not be the slickest content in town, but we are here to support our equally real readers, who read our stories, guides and tips because they trust what we write. They know we have done it, and they know they can contact us privately for further assistance if they need it.
We create and share information about destinations we’ve travelled to, with a preference to keeping it as local as possible, and provide comprehensive guides for various motorhome activities and situations, including road trip itineraries. Everything written on this site has been written by us, and it’s written with the reader at the top of our minds.
That’s why everything on our site is so detailed. We got sick of – and still do – looking for information that glossed over the surface and left us none the wiser. We delve deep into each subject, offering as many tips based on our experiences as possible that will help you be a better traveller or road tripper and hopefully, save you from major issues.
Meet Kerri and Stirling
We have an absolute passion for road trips, especially in motorhomes and much of the content on this site is dedicated to motorhome and campervan travel. We have been travelling by motorhome for over 25 years, covering most of Europe – western and eastern – the UK and New Zealand.
In Australia, we have owned a small campervan – so understand all about travelling in squishy conditions – and now we own a much larger motorhome. So, in a nutshell, we know we have some serious hands-on experience to be able to talk about all aspects of travelling in a motorhome with some authority.
We’ve hired motorhomes worldwide, and we’ve owned them too, giving us access to a ton of tips, advice and information to cover every kind of road-trip traveller. We’ve taken short trips and long trips and have driven more kilometres across the globe than many would ever dream of. We have also been involved in plenty of DIY on our own motorhome, adding another level of expertise. So, when we write our articles about motorhome travel, you know that they are built on years of experience.
We also run a motorhome travel planning Facebook group called Planning for Motorhome Travel in France. You can join here.
We don’t always travel in a motorhome though and have travelled extensively across much of Europe and the UK, often returning to favourite countries and cities repeatedly. We’ve spent much time winding our way across North America, Canada, South America and Cuba, along with many countries in Asia. There’s also our home country of Australia too. We don’t book travel via travel agents and don’t do tours, so our travel experiences cover all the aspects of independent travel.
We travel as a couple and as two very ordinary people – no airs and graces with us – although we are still more than able to enjoy the finer things in life, especially where it relates to food and drink. Our introduction to the world of luxury barging has turned into a great love.
Another thing that is certain is that we’ll be doing it with a glass of local beer or wine in our hands, and we will always be enjoying the local foods. For us, travel is food, and this website also showcases food that we love to eat at home that we found on our travels.
These are our stories, told “as it is”, with a heap of passion and some fun along the way. Hopefully, you will get buried in the stories, the images, and the beauty of food, inspiring you to head off again on another adventure or find your inner courage to take the leap into travel for the first time. We think travel is for everyone. Find your own style and live your best travel life.
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About Kerri McConnel
With a business degree under her belt and an accounting career in her rearview mirror, Kerri became a highly successful corporate executive for an iconic Australian company. With a proven track record in operational management, people leadership and engagement, retail, sales, marketing and change management, Kerri is the ultimate professional.
Read Kerri’s Linked In profile here
As a travel writer, this level of professionalism is present in every interaction with her audience, her clients and prospective business partners. She knows how to deliver exceptional return on investment for her clients, who speak incredibly highly of her and the synergy they have created.
With experience across finance, sales, marketing, product development, safety, HR, property and retail, Kerri is able to work with people of diverse backgrounds and knows the right questions to ask.
Kerri has also been a small business owner of both a physical and online business, adding to her expertise and being able to “walk in other’s shoes”.
Kerri has a strong community focus and has given a lot of her time to voluntary organisations. Kerri has served as the President of the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) Alumni Board, the President of QUT Learning Potential Fund Friends and Alumni Chapter, a member of QUT Council and a regular contributor to the QUT Learning Potential Fund Committee.
She is a former non-executive Director of the Australia Post Licensee Advisory Council (APLAC) and a current Justice of the Peace (Qual). Kerri won the Laurie Cowled Women in Leadership Scholarship in 2012 and attended Harvard University to further her leadership education.
Since 2020, she has been the Treasurer and board member of the Australian Society of Travel Writers (ASTW) and has led significant operational and financial change required during the Covid years.
Having travelled as a premium frequent flyer for years, Kerri understands and appreciates the value of some of the finer things in life. But, a country girl at heart, she also understands that not everyone can afford to travel in the same way.
Kerri has a connection with her audience because she’s travelled in many different ways: camping, long trips in motorhomes, luxury accommodation, cars, trains and buses, with a little money and enough to travel more generously. All of this comes together with her authentic writing and ability to be down to earth.
She’s a notoriously heavy packer and refuses to leave her travel iron, hair straightener and pillow behind – ever! In a strange contradiction, she’s a planner and an organiser, ensuring as little as possible goes wrong in getting to the destinations, but once there, no planning is done at all. Kerri is also a major lover of bubbles, especially the French variety and is a self-confessed beer snob, having learned her craft by drinking some of the best ales Europe offers.
Kerri is also an Honorary Barge Lady for Barge Lady Cruises and works closely with European Waterways.
About Stirling McConnel
Stirling is the quieter one. The one who is always there in the background, planning the road trip routes, the best places to park the motorhome and stop overnight, and usually ensuring Kerri doesn’t overpack. As a career engineer and people leader, he’s had to travel a lot for work too, with CBD highrise apartments, silos and even an IKEA in his project portfolio. He worked in London on the building of Canary Wharf and in some incredibly remote locations in Australia.
Stirling was also the head of their property development business. As the working director, Stirling has bought and sold property, built houses and renovated them. He is also an avid investor in shares.
At Beer and Croissants, he’s the drone pilot and second photographer, helping with the visual content creation. He’s also the one with all of the mechanical know-how related to the motorhomes.
Stirling is the six-footer that wriggles constantly in his economy seat but still prefers to see their money spent on the actual travel than getting there! Eating duck in France is something he can’t get enough of, and while it was once never hard to twist his arm to stop for a cold beer at any time of the day, these days, he prefers to just hang out while Kerri enjoys the local tipple.
Looking to work with Beer and Croissants? You’ll find more information on our Work with us page. Alternatively, you can contact us by sending an email.