About - 8 Miles from Home

We are just a few gentle souls, together since childhood, who made a decision to set off across the world on a quest to find contentment through creativity. We built a location independent lifestyle through YouTube Vlogs and now we are embarking on one of lifes most challenging adventures. Parenthood.
We now publish 3 Family Vlogs and 1 Vegan Food Themed Video every week on YouTube.

Sacha

I had an interest in Photography and Travel from an early age and spent most of my youth reading Wanderlust magazine and dreaming about the world.

I began a career in photography as a micro stock contributor and later joined forces with my husband Jmayel as wedding photographers and producers of cinematic wedding Videography.

Later J and I moved to Thailand and began a YouTube career making cinematic videos about our life abroad which evolved into family vlogs a few years later.

Name: Sacha El-Haj

Age: 35

Nationality: British

Job: YouTube Vlogger, Blogger

Interests: Photography, Crafts, Dogs, Health & Fitness, Nutrition, Travel, Cooking, Baking, Instagram, Hiking and Shell Hunting

Fun Fact: I used to work as a Phlebotomist, collecting blood from little babies at Great Ormond Street hospital

Jmayel

I am a video editor from London. In the past I worked as a Graphic Designer and I’ve had a passion for cinematography ever since digital SLR camera technology became affordable.

I grew up tinkering around with old cars, motorbikes and generally fixing things.

I caught the Travel Bug from Sacha when she decided she wanted to embark on a Round the World trip in 2005. When I returned a normal life didn’t satisfy the relentless need for more adventure and we set about finding a way to travel on a more permanent basis. Starting with the stock photography, then moving onto the video platform from there.

In April 2012 we set off on the first leg of our adventure to Thailand and began the Cinematic Video Diary known as 8 Miles from Home which slowly evolved into a daily video diary and now serves as a record of this beautiful journey to happiness.

Name: Jmayel El-Haj

Age: 34

Nationality: British

Job: Video Editor

Interests: Photography, Cinematography, Motorbikes, Drones, Dogs, Cars, Health & Fitness, Nutrition, Travel

Fun Fact: I can restore an old car body from a rusty banger to almost brand new all by myself. Just find me a big clean garage with tools and a project.

Eden The Dog

Eden is a pure breed working type Cocker Spaniel.

She worked on a farm near Dover as a gun dog collecting pheasants. But she hates loud noises and the gunfire sent her running so she was relegated to the farm house to have puppies instead.

At the age of 5, we bought her and took her back to our home in Essex where she became a big part of the family.

She owns a purple and white spotty bone which has traveled to Asia with her and beyond.

Name: Eden El-Haj

Age: 14

Breed: English Cocker Spaniel

Job: Retired Farm Girl

Interests: Soft Toys, Cool Mountain Walks, Sleeping In Human Beds, Digging, Long Car Journies, General Human Contact.

Story Ember El-Haj

Story is the newest addition to our family, our little baby girl that we once called ‘the seed’, then as she grew became ‘the bean’. Who knows what she’ll become next as she develops her own personality and injects that into our lives.

She was conceived in Thailand and has already been on many international adventures even before she saw the light of the world. Accompanying us on Visa Runs to Burma, road tripping all over Thailand, quickly stopping off in England and Wales before shooting off again through France and Spain to be born in Portugal.

Story is still very young but the milestones are coming thick and fast and she certainly has a lot to teach us about being parents.

Her favourite bed time comforter is a little ‘Nut Brown Hare’ that she named “Nare” as soon as she learned to talk.

Name: Story Ember El-Haj

Age: 2>

Nationality: British (but born and bred in Portugal)

Job: To be content and happy

Interests: ‘Nare’ (see above), Birdys (or birdens), Food (she eats a lot), Sleep (she sleeps a lot), beautiful scenery (we can see the wonder in her eyes).