A COUPLE have dashed their home and hit the road in a converted van that costs £600 a month to run.
The loved-up pair ditched their two-bed home to hit the road in a motorhome when getting together after a “whirlwind” two-week romance.
Charlie and former Dyson engineer Dale decided to hit the road in 2019mediadrumimages
mediadrumimagesThe couple dropped just under £15,000 to buy and convert the van[/caption]
mediadrumimagesThey said a ‘fun’ thing about it is that people always want to take a peek inside[/caption]
Former data analysis and digital marketer for a travel company, 28-year-old Charlie Low, and partner Dale Comley, 32, met climbing in the Dolomites where they spent a fortnight in a small cabin together.
While on the trip, they both admitted to a shared dream of how they wanted to spend their lives – and it wasn’t going to be sitting in an office building.
Upon their return to the UK, the couple settled into a two-bed terrace house in Bristol – but longed for a more proactive life of adventure.
So, in February 2019, they bought a bright yellow 2013 LWB Sprinter that they nicknamed “Ringo” for £7,800 and spent around £7,000 transforming it into their home on wheels.
Charlie said: “We knew we wanted to live life differently, but we didn’t necessarily know what that looked like, so we’d planned to take a sabbatical and travel around Europe in a campervan for a year.
“We finished the conversion in March 2020, so it took us just over a year to finish – around 1,000 hours.”
But when the pandemic hit their plans were shunted and they had to pause their 12-month “dream” sabbatical” – which is when they had a light-bulb moment.
Instead of hitting the road, they compiled a definitive guide to converting a campervan – documenting everything they learned when turning their van into a home.
The book they wrote together became a catalyst for them re-writing the way they live – and in April 2021 they published The Van Conversion Bible, quit their 9-5 office jobs, and moved into their campervan on the same day.
The couple now run a company called Nomadic Energy remotely, and since hitting the road have never looked back
Charlie said: “The incredible thing about van life is that it can have a profound impact on your living costs, and ergo your quality of life.
“Before we lived in a van, we were paying £1,000 per month on a mortgage, and another £800 each on food, fuel, and all the costs that come with living in a city like Bristol.
“Now we spend closer to £600 each per month, which includes all fuel, food and other costs such as internet and car insurance.
“We never stay on campsites as our electrical system is 100% off-grid, so we don’t have any ‘rent’ or utilities to pay, and our living costs are hugely reduced.
“We’ve been living in our van since April 2021, and in that time we’ve spent two years exploring Europe, and now we’re currently halfway through a Pan-American road trip.
“So the total mileage is somewhere around 40,000.”
The loved-up pair have faced both positive and negative reactions to their van lifestyle but admit they know it’s what makes them happy.
We knew we wanted to live life differently, but we didn’t necessarily know what that looked like
Charlie Low
They also admitted that it may not be the lifestyle they retire in.
Charlie, said: “It’s always interesting to see people’s take on living in this way. I guess because of the sort of places we travel to, most people are really interested to understand how we’ve managed to pivot our life to live in this way and feel inspired.
“But there are always some people who can’t imagine being able to live without a full bathroom, washing machine and some home comforts they’re used to.”
THEIR SCARIEST MOMENT ON THE ROAD
The couple explained that the lifestyle isn’t all picturesque fields and beautiful sunsets – so others who want to experience it should do a decent amount of research.
They said: “Our scariest moment was driving down a winding mountain road in the south of France.
“We must have missed a ‘max vehicle length’ sign, and as we made our way down the winding road towards the bottom of the valley, the hairpin bends got narrower and narrower.
“About two-thirds of the way down we were having to do a three-point turn on every corner, and suddenly the road was too steep and we weren’t able to reverse.
“There was a big drop in front of us, and the road was so steep that the handbrake wouldn’t hold the weight of the van.
“We ended up with Dale head under the steering wheel with his hands on the pedals, and Charlie on the handbrake and being our eyes. It was pretty scary and a high-adrenaline moment for sure.
“When you look at pictures and videos of van life on Instagram, it can make it look idyllic.”
WHAT COULD GO WRONG?
They also explained things they’ve learned on the way, and have corrected mistakes while now understanding how to get out of certain pickles when out on the road.
They said: “Getting stuck in mud or sand, not being able to park – there are a lot of potential problems that come with driving around in a 7m long 3.5T vehicle.
“And of course, you are completely self-sufficient, not connected to any utilities, so this means frequent trips to fill up water, go to a laundrette, empty your toilet.
“The two key things you need to live in a van are a van and a remote or flexible job.
“If you’re just keen to have a break from work too that’s fine, maybe you just want to do a van trip for a few months, there isn’t one way of doing things.
“If that’s the case you just need to budget and save up enough.
“But if you want to live this way long term, as long as you can find a remote job, it’s such an easy way of living.
Breaking down their expenses:
Insurance – £700 per annum
Food – £500 per month
Fuel – £100-£300 per month
Internet – £30-£80 per month
LPG – £15 every quarter
Total per year: £9,532 (Fuel based on £150/month)
Charlie and Dale have lived the van life for almost three years and with that comes a wealth of knowledge on how to handle it, the comforts some people may require, and importantly the cost of undertaking this lifestyle.
“We have an outdoor shower which is connected to our water and gas tanks. As soon as you turn it on, the water is instantly hot, so it’s just like having a shower at home.
“For us this was the best option, as we didn’t need to use up any valuable indoor space with a bathroom cubicle.
“Depending on where you travel, finding potable water can be tricky. We have a UV and particulate water filter in-line before our tap so that even if we fill up from somewhere that’s not drinking water it still won’t be an issue.
“You can also purchase a low-cost water filter like the LifeStraw which is a great option to ensure the water you’re drinking is clean.
“Our electrical system is fully off-grid, so we recharge our batteries from solar and whilst we drive. We have a pretty large battery bank as we run our business from our van, so it needs to be reliable.
“We need to be able to charge our laptops and run our Starlink satellite internet dish, 100% necessary for working remotely in the US and South America.
“Not only that, but as we spend a lot of time off-grid, we like to stock up from the supermarket for a week or 2, so we have a pretty big fridge.
“Between our B2B which runs from our alternator as we drive and our solar panels, we never have any issues with generating enough power.
“We have a four-ring gas hob in our van, exactly the same as you’d have in a house. We have a pretty big kitchen, with a Belfast sink, so we have lots of room to cook.
“We have a big underslung LPG tank which we refill every 3-4 months, and this feeds our hob, shower and heater.”
The couple share their Van Conversion Bible for anyone considering the lifestyle along with their Nomadic Energy which can help you make off-grid energy simple on their website.
mediadrumimagesDale and Charlie both wanted to spend more time out in nature[/caption]
So far they’ve clocked around 40,000 miles travelling all over the UKmediadrumimages
mediadrumimagesNow they’ve turned their lifestyle into a business – helping others make the same switch[/caption]