The Age of Pirates - StrawHatz Crew: Recent Episodes
João Fabrício Moraes
Hey, what's up, guys? João here, Captain of The StrawHatz Crew! This podcast is a travel log about the story of the first real-life One Piece Crew. We record periodically talking about all our adventures and everything that'd been happening with the crew from the beginning! In this first adventure, I purchased my van in Portugal and intend to travel all the way to Nepal, visiting amazing places along the way, having incredible adventures, and finding my crew, which will help me achieve my biggest dream in life: To create a real-life Age of Pirates, where people will break free from their own mind cages and set themselves into an amazing adventure around the world, going after their dreams and their crew. This podcast is a story of the most amazing adventure ever created, from when the dream first started, till we are able to complete all the 5 wonderful adventures we have planned. By then, the world will be a much freer place, Full of Pirates!
This episode kinda poured out of us.
Work’s been weird lately — not enough hours, new management, and some heavy tension that’s been hard to shake.
On top of that, Cap had a little trip to the hospital that left us all a bit rattled.
And meanwhile, we’re still grinding every day to keep the business going without completely burning out.
The one thing that’s felt steady in all of it? Cap and Douchy. Somehow, their relationship has been the calm in the storm.
We tried to take a break — classic StrawHatz holiday style. 12 pubs in one night (we’re still recovering), some salty air in Bray, and a few quiet moments to just exist.
This episode isn’t structured. It’s just us talking through the mess, the good bits, and everything in between.
Plug in, hang out with us — maybe you’ll feel a little less alone in the chaos.
Participants:
- Captain João
- First Mate The Douchy (Giada)
- George, aka David, the Bard of the StrawHatz Crew
- Chopper the Monster
- The Merry
This episode has it all: sweat, distroying hours of work, arguments, and… something a little sweeter than expected.
In just 4 days, we managed to insulate the entire Merry, thanks to the help of our newest crew member, George (aka David). It was loud, messy, exhausting—and somehow also kind of magical.
But it wasn’t all smooth sailing.
Between work drama, stressing situations, and a few too many arguments, tensions ran high and things got real.
Just when it felt like everything might explode… well, something surprising happened.
Let’s just say this episode starts with insulation and ends with a twist we didn’t see coming.
Hit play for the full story—because life on the road isn’t always romantic… except when it is. 😉
Participants:
- Cap João
- First Mate Giada, aka the Douchy
- George, the Bard, aka David
- Chopper the Monster
- The Merry
🌑 In this raw and real episode, we open up about one of the darkest times in StrawHatz history.
From massive crew fights that almost broke us up, to facing the challenge of a dead van battery for 3 weeks—no power, no energy, just struggle.
But there was one bright spot: our trip to Galway. What happened there? Well, let’s just say it stays in Galway. 🙊
We also dive into the stress we faced at work in the pub, which added to the chaos.
❤️ But through it all, it was David who stepped up and helped us survive this tough period. His support and determination were the anchors that kept us going when everything seemed to fall apart.
Catch the full story now!
Participants:
- Cap João
- First Mate Giada, aka the Douchy
- Chopper the Monster
- The Merry
🇮🇪 Ever wondered what it’s like to restart your life in a whole new country—van and all?
In this episode, we share how we made Ireland our home, one adventure (and Guinness) at a time.
From moving back into the van to pouring pints behind the bar, we dive into the twists and turns of building friendships and navigating love in a new place.
It’s all about the people, the stories, and a whole lot of laughs.
Grab a pint and join the conversation! 🍻
Participants:
- Cap João
- First Mate Giada aka The Douchy
- Chopper the Monster
- The Merry
🎙️ Can life be more Graciosa?
🍺We had nothing when we first arrived in Dublin.
🙅 No money. No address. No phone number or internet connection. No job.
We only had an idea of how we wanted our life to be. But how to get there, well, that was a mystery.
💪 Anyway, if there is something the StrawHatz Crew never cease to have is the Determination of keep-fucking-going no matter what.
If the road to our dreams is longer and harder than we expected, that’s fine.
What’s not acceptable is giving up!
🎧 Listen to our podcast and live with us our fights and amazing experiences in Ireland!
Participants:
- Captain João
- First Mate The Douchy
- Chopper the Monster
- The Merry
🎙️ Can life be more Graciosa?
🍺We had nothing when we first arrived in Dublin.
🙅 No money. No address. No phone number or internet connection. No job.
We only had an idea of how we wanted our life to be. But how to get there, well, that was a mystery.
💪 Anyway, if there is something the StrawHatz Crew never cease to have is the Determination of keep-fucking-going no matter what.
If the road to our dreams is longer and harder than we expected, that’s fine.
What’s not acceptable is giving up!
🎧 Listen to our podcast and live with us our fights and amazing experiences in Ireland!
Participants:
- Captain João
- First Mate The Douchy
- Chopper the Monster
- The Merry
Check out the latest episode of our podcast! ⬇️
🐶 We were forced to travel to Borgone to apply for Chopper’s passport so she could travel with us.
🧗♂️ We used that time to go on some adventures, visiting the westernmost point of Italy and climbing up to the Sacra di San Michele.
😎 And then, on the first day of summer, we were finally free to leave.
👋 We drove towards Trentino. There we hiked up to Vetta d’Italia, the northernmost point in Italy, where it was time to say goodbye to this amazing country. We crossed the border with 🇦🇹 Austria and then entered 🇩🇪 Germany, with the idea of quickly driving through it.
🧯 Of course, that didn’t happen. In Landau, the Merry broke down. It was really scary, because some components close to the engine caught fire!
🥰 Thankfully, Paulo was there to save our asses and we managed to get the Merry fixed in a couple of days. And Landau turned out to be a very pleasent experience, because of the kind people we met there.Once we could start traveling again, we crossed 🇱🇺 Luxembourg and then 🇧🇪 Belgium, where we spent an amazing night with Louis, one of my best friends from the FabFarm! After that, we were in 🇫🇷 France, ready to board the Eurotunnel, where we were delayed once more to deal with Chopper’s passoport, that was not filled with the correct informations.
🇬🇧 That was a lot of stress, but real soon we were in England where a good friend of mine and Chopper’s official vet, Nerone, lives.
🇮🇪 It was a quick stop of course, because we were really running out of money and couldn’t wait to reach our final destination: Ireland.
⛴ So, we drove to Holyhead, where the ferry was waiting to carry us toward a completely new adventure.
Participants:
- The Cap
- The Douche
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.🚐 Once we arrived back to the mainland of Italy, we had about 20 days to explore the rest of the country because soon we had to be back north to meet up with my parents. Of course, I wanted to explore all the regions we still hadn’t seen, so we didn’t waste any time and quickly visited the south of Italy, all the way to the easternmost point of Italy in Puglia.
🏞 We then started driving north, and something I forgot to mention is that even if we were in a hurry, we got to see pretty cool stuff, like this incredible lake in Abruzzo, which is actually the crater of a meteorite!
🧰 Anyway, as we were forced to learn when things go too well for a certain time, it means a hell lot of shit is gonna fall upon you. And that’s what happened to us. Because the Merry broke down and we were forced to stop our journey to replace the car’s engine. Guys, that week was fundamental for StrawHatz. Because that’s the moment I realized that we couldn’t keep going like this, and so I took a decision that changed everything. I decided we would go to 🇮🇪 Ireland and work there for a full year to save up enough money to sustain us on the road. Anyway, we managed to go through this nightmarish situation and to recharge our spirits, we drove to the place that makes me the happiest in all of Italy:
❤ Cerveteri. We then quickly explored the rest of Italy but also took a little time to go abroad because we also visited 🇸🇲 San Marino, the fifth smallest country in the whole world, which is pretty fucking cool, by the way. So, after meeting with my parents in Padova, we went to Friuli Venezia Giulia, and for one night, we walked the magical streets of
✨ Venice, the real-world Water 7!
🤩 I truly wish we had more time to stop in every place! But what can we do after all? And anyway, this is just a tiny part of our grand adventure, and so much, SO MUCH, happened to us along the way that it’s still definitely worth it to live a life like the one we choose.
Starring:
- The Cap
- The Douche
Check out the latest episode of our podcast! ⬇️🏝 Guys, what an incredible adventure we had exploring the island of Sicily!⛴ We crossed the sea with Jerome and tossed a coin to decide whether to start our journey from the north coast or the south.🏰 The North won, so we first reached Capo Milazzo and then Cefalù, where we climbed the hell out of the mountain that rises along the coast to reach the ruins of a castle built on top!🎉 We had an amazing night partying in Palermo, and then we kept moving west to discover some incredible hot springs and just chill in that awesome warm water!🚐 It wasn’t much of a chilling moment, though, because the Merry again started giving us some problems and refused to turn on!👨🔧 But, thankfully, our plot armor always switches on at times like this, and we met Bart, a Portuguese guy who knows a lot about mechanics and managed to turn the car back to life! 👶 With him and Jerome then, we went on an adventure on the island of Mozia, where during the Phoenician occupation, children were sacrificed, and today, you can visit the graveyard where they are buried!That same night we all parked our vans close to the beach in Marsala and enjoyed an amazing vanlife night grilling meat at sunset!🌅 Oh, and guys, the sunsets in Sicily were such a fucking mindblowing view!💔 We parted ways with Bart and explored Sciacca, where another tragic story took place in the past. Because of an arranged marriage, two families entered a civil war that lasted for centuries and caused the death of around 8.000 people!And I guess at this point, we were only in the middle of our adventure!⛰ Then, one day, we were driving, and all of a sudden, we saw this huge mountain shaped like a fucking perfect triangle. Of course, we had to climb the hell out of it; how could we not? And guys, the view from the summit was really simply incredible!After that, there were two more things that we really wanted to explore.🇮🇹 The first one was the southernmost point of Sicily, which is also the southernmost point in all of Italy!The other was to follow Matteo’s advice and look for a Poneglyph in Siracusa. 🐶 And guys, maybe we were biased, but we found something super precious there: Chopper, a super cute and adventurous puppy who became a member of our crew!Participants:* Cap João The Dayne * First Mate Giada The Douche * Slave Chopper The Daughter
Hope you enjoy it!
Check out the latest episode of our podcast! ⬇️🏠 After traveling back to Rome and meeting @vittoriaferrone and @cimabea, and the other girls of @mercurio.blog, we once more visited the place in Italy where we felt most at home: Cerveteri. There, we spent some amazing days with the guys but also had to solve some technical issues inside the Merry.💡 The electrical system was malfunctioning once again, so we had to change the position of the inverter and use shorter but thicker cables to have less resistance to the currency to pass. 🏰 After saying goodbye (for now!) to Cerveteri, we first explored the amazing little town of Calcata Vecchia. Then we took a short trip outside of Italy. 🇻🇦 We explored Vatican City, the smallest country in the world, where the Pope resides and rules. And this is not the end of it at all!🌋 We then traveled south to Napoli, where, with our great friend Vesuviano, we explored the city and climbed the hell out of the Vesuvio, one of the biggest volcanoes in Italy. 🏴☠ It was such a great experience for us to meet Vesuviano: another Captain with his own crew, as crazy and determined as us to make a difference in the world and give life to a real-life Age of Pirates. Before leaving the region of Campania, we explored the ruins of the town of Pompei, destroyed in 79 AD by a volcanic eruption, and we took a fantastic drive along the famous Costiera Amalfitana. 🇧🇪 We then moved to the region of Basilicata, where we met one of the MVPs of this episode; Jerome, a vanlifer from Belgium that became one of our greatest friends and traveled with us all the way down to the region of Calabria. As always, our amazing adventures were accompanied by both happy and dark moments.💪 The life we lead is not always the easiest one. Still, by now, we know that whatever downside crosses our path will be a lesson for us to become a better version of ourselves.Participants:* Captain Sire João D. Ayne * First Mate Ser Giadgenious D. Ouche
Hope you enjoy it!
Check out the new episode of our podcast! ⬇️🇮🇹 So much happened after we reached the mainland of Italy again. Still, I think it can be summarized in three words: family, misfortunes, and friendship!👨👦 After staying in Livorno for some nights, we drove to Florence to meet my dad, that came to visit me after a long time without seeing each other. My parents are amazing people who always supported my dream and helped me make it come true, so I was extremely happy to spend some time with him.🍷 We visited the cities of Florence and Siena, and we also got to taste the wine from one of the most prestigious vineyards in the whole world! After he left, well, that’s when the misfortunes happened! You see, after visiting @hyena.sapporo in Massa and exploring the towns of Lucca and Vinci, the problems started.👨🔧 The Merry suddenly stopped working, and we had to rely once more on the IVECO mechanics to bring it back to life. It worked pretty fast, but after a quick trip to San Gimignano and Monteriggioni, again, the van refused to turn on. The IVECO team of Poggibonsi took care of it and us once more, and finally, we were ready to be back on the road, our destination: Rome!🤩 In the Eternal City, we met with my friend @damianbemb and the three of us drove to Cerveteri. In this fantastic small town, we explored the Etruscan necropolis and met the MOST AMAZING people ever!❓ Do you wanna know more about our journey?🔔 Don’t miss the last episode of our podcast!🔗 Click on the link in bio and enter the world of the StrawHatz Crew!Participants:
- Captain Sire John "Golden Abs" D. Silver
- First Mate Ser Giadgenious "D. Ouche" GreenFox
Hope you enjoy it!
Check out the new episode of our podcast! ⬇️What happened here was a historical moment for the StrawHatz Crew!🏴☠ For the first time, we became real pirates, and with our Merry, we crossed the sea and sailed towards the island of Sardegna!We were so excited to spend a month there, and not just because we couldn’t wait to explore this new land. 👨🌾 Actually, the reason why we planned to stay there so long was that we volunteered at a beautiful farm in Bosa, in the northwest of the island. Bosa was awesome, and I had a great time rebuilding the roof of a wagon on the farm.🧐 However, overall, the experience was different than we expected, which is why we left earlier than intended and decided to have more time to adventure around the island!We drove from the northernmost point, in Stintino, down to the south and Cagliari, the capital. 🚐 Also, we got to show Giada’s friend @_aranel96 what the real Vanlife looks like in all its shapes! Looking back now, the month we spent in Sardegna seems to have passed extremely quickly. However, so many things happened there! 🤯 Giada broke her arm; we got a tattoo; we partied on New Year's Eve with thousands of people; we fell in love with Manny, the cutest kitty ever; we replaced the van's battery that was malfunctioning; and so much more! Participants:* Captain "Abs" João * First Mate Giadgenious Greengox
Hope you enjoy it!
Hey, whats up, guys!!
In this episode we were a bit in a hurry, cause we bought tickets to a Ferry that would take us to the amazing Island of Sardegna! There were aventures after adventures and we got to go back to Borgone, Giada's hometown, and visit her family. After that we explored the hell out of the four regions in the northwest of Italy: Valle d'Aosta, Piemonte, Lombardia and Liguria. We even got to see a bit of Tuscana as the Ferry left from Livorno!
I hope you enjoy this episode, it's super funny!
Participants:
- Captain "Absoluffy" João
- First Mate Giada "The Douche" Giania
Hey what's up guys! I'm back on the road, now permanently with my first mate Giada! We had so much fun for the first three weeks, and we talk everything and more about all the adventures going from Bamberg, Germany to Aosta, Italy.
Hope you enjoy it!
Participants:
- Cap João
- First Mate Giani
In this episode, I talk about all my adventures with Philip!
We went down south for a lake hike near the border of Germany and Austria, participated in a national party in Liechtenstein, fixed the gas system, got covid, and traveled north to visit Birgit and Greta in Berlin!
It was pretty intense and amazing <3
Hope you enjoy it!
Participants:
- Captain "Abs" João
In this episode I talk about how I went from Andalusia in the south of Spain, straight to Bavaria (Frankonia) in Germany! I had a mission which was to pick my first mate up in Turin, Italy.
We went through SO MANY adventures! Crossed Spain from south to north, went to France through a microstate called Andorra, discovered a spanish territory outside of the mainland, drove around with my old van in one of the smallest and richest countries in the world: Monaco. And finally, ended up crossing the alps for the first time to get to the italian northwest.
With giada on the crew we explore my favorite country in the whole world: Swede-Switzerland, got to know every inch of another very rich and small microstate called Liechtenstein, passed through a little bit of Austria and reached a very small town called Lichtenfels in the north of the bavarian region.
Quite the adventure in just 2 weeks!
Participants:
- Captain "Abs" João
- First Mate "Don't call me Shirley" Giada
What's up guys!! During this week there were many times I though I was in heaven and then quickly life went to hell, hope you enjoy!
Hey, whats up guys?!! In this episode I dissect all of my adventures around spain on my own, which lasted for the last three weeks. The podcast is the space I have to be the most sincere and authentic about how ive been feeling, my struggles and all that kinda stuff! There are things I dont talk about in other channels, but only in the podcast, so hope you enjoy it!
Hey what's up guys! I'm back on my own in the adventure. Arti left and in this episode I will be talking about our last 3 weeks travelling together, and my first days struggling on my own!
Come check it out!
What's up fleet!! I hope you guys are doing amazing. In this very long episode we tell all the stories from south of Portugal to entering Galicia in Spain. Many things happened, many places have been visited and many amazing people have crossed paths with us. This is the last episode in Portuguese lands, Spain, we are coming for you!
Enjoy!
The last two weeks have been divided as:
- 1 week of intense work on the van, and also the last week in the fab farm... AND
- 1 week of living in the van, travelling everyday and getting to know some incredible places!
I wasn't alone for these adventures and challenges, Arti is now my Nakama! He will be travelling with me and has become Going Merry's First Mate. In this episode we discuss together how the last 2 weeks have been for us, Arti's reason to join me on the trip and our motivations to Keep Fucking Going.
The next episodes of the podcast will always have me and Arti discussing our experiences, and hopefully one day others will join us!
I hope you enjoy it!
Whats up creeewwww!!! This is my last episode in the FabFarm-ISH. I talk about the new people that arrived in the farm (Glauber and Johanna) and my relationship with them so far! It's crazy how Lucio has the best filter for people, because everyone that comes to the Farm is amazing!! We all went together for an amazing adventure and slept on a tent on top of a cliff, facing the sea <3 Also, we started converting the internal part of the van, which includes the walls, kitchen, bed, table and chairs!
Finally, I talk about the plan for the next 3 months of adventure!
I hope you enjoy the episode as much as I'm enjoying living life like this, although I don't think that's possible, so just fucking go for your dreams!! You will be living life to the fullest!!
Cheers!!!
On this episode of the podcast I talk about week 3 and 4 in the FabFarm! Many things happened during these two weeks, I started on my project for the furniture of the van and many of the people had already left, and some were about to, the old generation! We went on many adventures, including trying to break into the Crazyman's house and invading the local Zoo during the night.
Enjoy!!
Hey guys!!! This week has been magical in the FabFarm. Listen to the podcast, probably one of the best episodes so far!! I hope you guys are also loving living your own lives, if not, why is that? Just go for your dream, KEEP FUCKING GOING!
I have arrived in a small piece of paradise on the end of week 5! During week 6 I have met one of the most amazing group of people in the world, every one of them, without exception, is special to me. The place, the work, the freedom! I'm definitely living the best moment in my life. I've been expecting this for so long. I remember in 2019 I was like: I wish I could travel full time, and now I'm doing this!! And with stability! So, in this episode I talk about my first week in the FabFarm, the projects, and the peeps!
Hope you enjoy it!
I finally started my adventure!! What do I mean by this? Well, my van is ready for me to live in it. It doesnt have a kitchen, it doesnt have a toilet, not even a bed. But it does have insulation, energy and a hammock, so I'm a nomad! In this episode I will be talking about my last week in Lisbon and my trip to Algarve, where I'm staying in a FabFarm for the next few weeks at least.
Hey guys! I had to convert my van to the basics before properly starting my adventure, and that meant 3 things: Isolation, Energy and a place to sleep. I decided to move for 10 days to a camping inside Lisbon's great Monsanto park to do that. There I had space, energy, a table and access to a toilet! During this episode I will share my experience there, going through the whole conversion process and other stuff, so...
Hope you love it!
Straight after I started the journey by myself I realized I had to figure some stuff out and to do that I needed a place with energy and internet! Oh, and shower, for sure! So I went to a hostel. Best thing I did, met some amazing people that are my great friends in Portugal now.
Check it out!
I lost the episode for the first week!! So here is one mixing the first two weeks of this adventure. It covers my search for the perfect van and my struggles to live this new life.
Hope you like it!
Hello and welcome!! This is the last episode of the prologue, which happens before I actually start travelling, and today I will be sharing all the details of what I have planned to happen during this crazy adventure.
Hope you enjoy it!! Peace and love.
Hey! For this episode I have invited one of my best friends to join me in a nice conversation about courage and how it's a critical part of living a life of no regrets. Hope you enjoy it!
Hello all!! In this third episode of the prologue, I get into how discipline has allowed me to be more free. It gave me more confidence to go after my dreams and also a content that does not depend on external factors!
Hey guys! Hows going? In this episode I talk about how a clearly defined purpose results in natural leadership!
In this episode I speak about purpose, determination, dreams and what inspired me to go on a crazy adventure!