DRIVING down Route 66, Becky Redfern winds down the window of their campervan and lets out a satisfied sigh.
It is the trip of the lifetime for she and her husband Steve but what makes it all the sweeter is knowing that it is actually saving them money.
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This is because the couple swapped their four-bed house for life on the road say they are now saving thousands of pounds every month – and have no plans to stop.
Becky and Steve, aged 53 and 51, ditched their jobs and traditional lifestyle to travel the world in their camper van.
The pair, from Staffordshire, say they were tired of working long hours and wasting cash on things they didn’t need.
After losing loved ones and realising how short life can be, they decided it was time to make a major change.
“When I celebrated my 50th birthday, it really made me evaluate my life,” Becky said.
“We lived to our means and had no savings prior to selling our house.”
After 20 years of marriage and with six grandchildren between them, the duo decided to take a leap of faith.
Becky, who worked in administration, and Steve, formerly an MOT tester, swapped their detached home in Newcastle-under-Lyme for a VW T5 campervan for £13,000 – and they haven’t looked back.
By the end of December 2023, the couple had packed their bags and left the UK behind.
Using the cash from their house sale, they spent three months touring Europe including Portugal, Spain and Gibraltar, all from the comfort of their home-on-wheels.
But they say the decision to embrace their new lifestyle wasn’t taken lightly and several deaths in the family came as a wake-up call.
Becky said: “We decided it was time to enjoy life because too many people we knew and loved had passed away.
“We have both lost our fathers.
“Mine died from a heart attack when he was 49, which was younger than I currently was, and he’d never had the opportunity to travel.
“Then we lost Steve’s dad to an aggressive form of cancer, so he didn’t get long after diagnosis – he was 70.
“We were both working and only had four weeks annual leave each year, and it just wasn’t enough.
“We had a beautiful home but a mortgage until I would have been 70.
“Imagine if we waited, paid off the mortgage to not have any time left to explore the world we live in.
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“A house is just bricks and mortar and not worth anything to you when you’re dead, to put it bluntly.”
Becky and Stephen were spending thousands a month on bills before embarking on their adventure.
The couple used to fork out £2,800 on their mortgage, council tax, insurance, bills and two vehicles.
But now spending around £1,500 a month living in their van, they predict they’re saving a whopping £1,300 compared to the life they had before.
The pair say their frugal living comes down to cutting out the excess and embracing a minimalist mindset.
Now they live off-grid as much as possible by using free car parks and constantly moving around – even if it’s just a few miles down the road.
However, the couple say van life in the UK is trickier, so they stay abroad as much as they can.
But the couple admits there are some downsides to van life.
Becky said: “It can be tough in winter, especially in the UK as its colder and most campsites close in winter.
“The downsides are minimal for us and being free of every day hikes in prices wins for us all day long.
“If the van breaks down, you need to have enough funds for accommodation whilst it is being repaired or have a family that will let you stay.
“Although, we do know people that have stayed in their van whilst it was at a garage.
“But we are really enjoying van life and the freedom it offers us.”
Is it legal to live in a van?
IF you are looking to live in a van to save money or travel, you’ll be pleased to know that there are no UK laws stopping you.
However, you must ensure your vehicle has passed its MOT and is fully road legal.
There could also be restrictions on where you can park up to sleep in your van.
For example, local authorities place restrictions on certain streets or lay-bys, and you could be fined if you spend the night there.
It could also be unsafe to stop in certain locations, particularly at night-time.
Check the The Highway Code guide for guidance.
The couple, who document their travels for YouTube and social media under SellUpAndDrive, say they’ve never felt more free.
Becky added: “Next year we are planning to look for site warden jobs so we can replenish some funds but we will remain living in the van.
“We used to live quite a comfortable but wasteful life, and now we appreciate that you only need a very minimal amount of stuff.
“We used to go clothes shopping even when we didn’t need new clothes; now we manage with not much at all.
“We both feel free from the stresses work and mortgage bills bring, and are so much more relaxed and happier being free. We hardly saw each other when we had the house.
“The things we’ve experienced in the last 16 months have been truly unforgettable.
“For example, we have said for years we wanted to explore America, but we never would have had the annual leave to do seven weeks in one go – or the money, for that matter.
“We are more careful with money now that we aren’t earning each month.
“We have a better attitude towards life and always find the positives, even in the most challenging of times.
“Lots of people say we are brave for giving everything up, but we aren’t – we just wanted more from our lives.
“After all, no matter whether we have money in the bank or a beautiful house, we all end up the same at the end of our lives.”
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